Hillock believes hampered ‘Stangs can go all the way
The Western Mustangs have shown they can win in any number of ways. Despite missing players to injury, can they continue getting it done this weekend at the Uteck Bowl? Their quarterback certainly think so.
(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography)
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The Western Mustangs always have a 1-2 punch at running back.
This year, it was Keon Edwards, the league’s reigning most valuable player, and Keanu Yazbeck, a talented third-year back. At least it was until Western lost both to long-term injuries.
Neither player was available for last weekend’s Yates Cup. And, yet, the Mustangs still won, 29-14, over the Laurier Golden Hawks, thus earning a trip to the Uteck Bowl, a national semi-final, where they’ll play the Montreal Carabins in Quebec this Saturday.
If he’d been told at the beginning of the year that his team would carry the ball 36 times in the Yates Cup, but that Edwards and Yazbeck would account for none of those carries, would Western quarterback Evan Hillock still be confident his team could prevail?
He chuckled at the question at first. But then, with sincerity, the quarterback answered in the affirmative.
“You know, I’d still like our chances. Because I know just how hard those other backs work,” Hillock said. The thing that nobody sees is they come in and put the work in every day, just like all (the starters). You might not see it on Saturdays, but those guys are working hard in the weight room every day, they’re working hard at practice every day, they’re in film working hard. I’m very confident in those guys.”
‘Those guys’ are veteran Troy Thompon and rookie Ethan Dolby, who’ve been thrust into being the new 1-2 punch for the Mustangs in the absence of Edwards and Yazbeck. And they’ve gotten the job done. In Saturday’s Yates Cup win, the pair combined for 227 yards on the ground while splitting the carries. Both eclipsed the 100-yard mark.
“It’s been great to see them get their opportunity – especially Troy, who’s been in the program for five years and is really making the most of his opportunity now,” said Hillock. “It’s definitely been a tough year for injuries, and it was hard to see (Edwards and Yazbeck) go down. But I’m proud of Troy and Dolby for stepping up and making big plays.”
Most importantly, they’ve kept the opposition honest on Western’s ground game. If opposing teams thought the Mustangs would be a one-dimensional passing team after losing their top two backs, they’ve been unpleasantly surprised. Thompson and Dolby have proven they can run the ball well enough to keep Western’s offense a well-balanced attack.
And then it’s about letting Hillock go to work.
Unfortunately, his work was interrupted against Laurier. After taking a sack in the first half, the third-year quarterback left Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury and remained out for an extended period before returning after halftime. This, just two weeks after he took a big hit against Queen’s and entered the league’s concussion protocol.
The Mustangs’ defense was relentless in the second half of the Yates Cup, on the ground and in the air, shutting out Laurier’s offense the entire half. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
Indeed, it’s been an injury-filled year for the Mustangs, who Hillock describes as being ‘battle tested.’
“I tried to come back after just one series, but I wasn’t able to,” said the quarterback, who returned wearing a brace on his non-throwing shoulder. “The doctor said we’ll have to check it at halftime. We did, and I was ultimately able to get cleared to come back in. I was pretty banged up, but there’s no tomorrow. I was going to do anything I could to come back in.”
And when he returned? He found Seth Robertson for a huge 51-yard touchdown pass – in a game full of field goals – to give Western a 21-14 lead. The play marked the beginning of the end for the Golden Hawks, who didn’t score the entire second half against a suffocating Mustangs defense.
Hindered by injury, and missing a chunk of time in the contest, Hillock finished 10-for-19 for 173 yards. Pedestrian numbers by his standards (he led the OUA in touchdown passes and efficiency rating in the regular season). But enough to get the job done.
And that’s the kicker for Western opponents. The Mustangs find ways to get it done. Sometimes, as on Saturday, it’s literally the kicker, as Brian Garrity nailed six field goals and took home the MVP award after scoring 19 of the team’s 29 points in their Yates Cup win.
“I don’t know if that’s ever been done, but he deserved it,” said Hillock. “He stepped up big. Our offense kind of stalled. We were able to move the ball well, but we kind of stalled in the red zone a bit. And Brian was able to come in and make big field goals. That 45-yarder at the end to make it 15 with like two minutes left was huge. I’m really happy for him.”
Kicker Brian Garrity was a perfect 6-for-6 in field goal attempts in the Yates Cup, earning MVP honours in Western’s win over Queen’s. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).
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Alas, winning teams find ways to win. And Hillock is confident they can continue to do that on their journey to a Vanier Cup championship – despite being down two running backs.
“I definitely think we have what it takes,” he said. “I mean, anything can happen on any given Saturday, but I like our fight. We’ve been in a lot of tight games, and I think that’s going to help us going into a place like Montreal. It’s gonna be loud. It’s gonna be the best team we’ve played all year. It’s gonna be a hostile environment. But I wouldn’t want to go in there with anyone else than the guys in our locker room.”
Montreal is certainly a formidable foe. They were the No. 2 to the Mustangs’ No. 1 in U Sports Top 10 rankings, after all. They went 7-1 during the regular season, outscoring opponents 288-93 along the way. Then it was a 54-3 drubbing of Sherbrooke in the RSEQ semi-final before a 12-6 win last weekend over Laval in the Dunsmore Cup to earn a trip to the Uteck Bowl against the OUA-champion Mustangs.
Jonathan Senecal, Montreal’s quarterback, was fourth in the country in passing with 2,215 yards in eight regular season games. He was also fourth in pass efficiency, and he boasted a 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Hassane Dosso was the Carabins’ lead wideout, with a team-leading 489 yards receiving, but Senecal clearly likes to spread the ball around. Other receivers to see steady action include Carl Chabot and William Legault.
How does one prepare for a team they haven’t seen all year?
“It’s a lot of extra film and getting used to what they’re doing,” said Hillock. “And then, really, it’s about getting back to our basics and fundamentals … going through our reads properly and just playing every play true and honest.
“It’s going to be different than what we’re used to, so we’ll be playing a bit on the fly, but it’ll be important to stay true to our plays and our schemes, and just trusting one another.”
If you’re Montreal, you’ll want to be ahead – by a decent margin – at halftime if you want to maximize your chances. Time and time again, the Mustangs have turned close games into big wins this year with strong second halves.
“We do make some adjustments at halftime, some little tweaks, but I think it’s more about guys getting more comfortable in the game,” Hillock said. “Ultimately, our coaches put great game plans together. And we know that there’s one half left and that we gotta go finish the game and win.
“And I think throughout the year we’ve found different ways to win in the second half. Whether it’s the defense stepping up and playing well, or the running game, pass plays, Garrity coming on and kicking big field goals. I think we’ve just found different ways to win.”
Which will it be on Saturday if the Mustangs are victorious? It’s anybody’s guess. If a team can lose the defending OUA MVP and its second running back to injury and still reach a national semi-final, there’s no knowing what they’re capable of.
On the injury front, Hillock was thrilled to get all-star Erik Anderson back last week for the Yates Cup win, which definitely helped the run game.
“That was huge. I think he’s the best offensive lineman in the country,” the quarterback said. “And we put in a rookie at right guard, Seb [Sebastian Sibbald], who played outstanding.”
On his own injury? Hillock is receiving plenty of treatment from the team’s physio staff this week, and he’s confident he’ll be ready to go – at as close to 100 percent as one can be this late into a football season.
“The ball is getting kicked at 12:00 regardless of how I feel, so I’ll be ready to go Saturday at 12,” the quarterback said.
“I’m looking forward to it. We know we got our work cut out for us these next two games. We’re just taking it one day, one game at a time, but I definitely think we have what it takes to go all the way.”
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