THE LOW-DOWN 

The Golden Hawks left Wednesday's OUA awards with several armfuls of hardware, but none were the trophy they're after. 

Neither is the one that will be handed out on Saturday, necessarily. Quarterback Taylor Elgersma claimed before the season began that his team's mentality is "Vanier or bust," while head coach Michael Faulds reiterated after last week's semifinal win that their aspirations reach beyond the Yates Cup. 

To get there, they first have to go through the #1 ranked Western Mustangs, the only team to defeat Laurier this year and the two-time defending OUA champions. On the line is a trip to the national semifinal, not to mention the world's oldest still-existing football trophy. For every man on Laurier's roster, this is the biggest game of their life. At least for now. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD 

The last meeting between these two squads will be fresh in everyone's memory, having served as the regular season finale. Western took it by a score of 33-30, securing them first place in the OUA and home-field advantage for this rematch. 

The Golden Hawks played their worst half of football this year to begin that game, and the Mustangs took a 27-0 lead into halftime. The purple and gold flipped the script in the third quarter, scoring four unanswered touchdowns to take a 28-27 lead.  

Western would score a late touchdown to and hold strong to take the win, but the question of who between the conference's two titans is the better team is far from settled. 

Historically, it has been the Mustangs. Since Faulds took over as head coach in 2013, the former Western quarterback has only beaten his alma mater once. That victory came in the 2016 Yates Cup final, which saw Laurier erase a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit and marks the last time the Golden Hawks hoisted the trophy. 

Laurier and Western have battled for the Yates Cup 14 times dating back to 1972. The Mustangs have won nine of those matchups, the Golden Hawks five. 

SATURDAY STORYLINES 

Faulds vs Marshall 

This will be the fifteenth head-to-head meeting between Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall and his former quarterback. 

"It's pretty special," he said as both coaches stood together on stage at Wednesday's awards luncheon, where Faulds was presented the David "Tuffy" Knight Award for coach of the year. "It's an opportunity to compete against someone that you absolutely care about." 

"There's no #3 on our team, check the program. We don't retire numbers at Western, we'd run out of numbers. But, as long as I'm the head football coach at Western, no one will wear #3." 

"I'll be trying to calm myself down," said Faulds when asked how it'll feel once again coaching a Yates Cup final at Western. "Coach [Marshall] knows that. As a player, my first quarter was always my worst because I was an emotional guy, and I'm no different as a coach. I'm an emotional coach, our players play with a lot of emotion, a lot of heart, so it's going to be exciting." 

Faulds, who turns 40 on Saturday, is hoping for a victory against his former coach and a Yates Cup for his birthday present. 

Elgersma vs Hillock 

Elgersma also won a major award on Wednesday – the Larry Haylor Award for the conference's most valuable player. Voting on the award is not made public, but there's no doubt the runner up was Mustangs quarterback Evan Hillock. 

Elgersma and Hillock were the top two of the OUA in all three major passing categories in the regular season. Elgersma outgained Hillock with 2,641 passing yards to his 2,439. His OUA record 75.2% completion rate also topped Hillock's 70.2%. Hillock's 19 passing touchdowns were one better than Elgersma, but the Golden Hawk's six rushing majors eclipsed Hillock's one. 

Elgersma threw for 369 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in their regular season meeting, while Hillock had 327 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions before leaving the game with a concussion. 

After the first-round bye, Hillock returned to action in last week's semifinal and threw for 308 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 47-20 defeat of Queen's.  

Elgersma, meanwhile, struggled early and threw two interceptions to an excellent Windsor defence, but was on top of his game in the final frame, leading consecutive touchdown drives and throwing strikes to Quentin Scott and Raidan Thorne to complete the late comeback.  

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Western Mustangs 

OFFENCE 

#26 – Troy Thompson 

With both 2022 OUA MVP Keon Edwards and backfield partner Keanu Yazbeck out due to injury, Troy Thompson had a team-high eight carries for only 42 yards against a very strong Queen's defensive line.  

Western's has been a pass-heavy team this season, but if Thompson can produce on the ground, it will make their OUA top-ranked offence even more difficult to contain. 

DEFENCE 

#30 – Jackson Findlay 

The OUA first team all-star safety had a monster game against the Gales, recording two interceptions, two pass breakups, and five total tackles. Another big performance from him will be needed against the Golden Hawks' U SPORTS-best passing attack. 

Laurier Golden Hawks 

OFFENCE 

#69 – Cooper Hamilton and the offensive line 

Hamilton was named a second team all-star while offensive line and academic tracking coach Zach Scotto took home the OUA's Volunteer Coach of the Year award on Wednesday. 

The offensive line has been an area of strength for Laurier all season, but allowed five sacks against Western in the regular season matchup. Their ability to keep a clean pocket for Elgersma and clear the way for the run is the X-factor in this game. 

DEFENCE 

#98 – Luke Brubacher and #99 – Brandon Omonuwa 

On the other side of the ball, pressuring Hillock and containing Thompson and the Mustangs rush will be just as important. Brubacher and Omonuwa have been Laurier's best pass rushers this season, and were rewarded with second team all-star selections. 

HOW TO WATCH 

Tickets to the Laurier fan section (D) and student fan bus are now sold out, but supporters of the purple and gold are encouraged to visit Western's online ticketing website to purchase general admission tickets in section E. 

If you can't make the trip, follow @WLUAthletics on Instagram and X for live updates and catch the game live on OUA.tv, CBC Gem, and CBC Sports. 

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Western Alumni Stadium.