Defence is the key to Hawks victory
Mike Kostoff

The Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks traveled to Alumni Stadium in Guelph last Saturday looking to put some distance between themselves and the Gryphons in the OUA division standings.

That mission was accomplished as the Hawks emerged victorious over Guelph for the second time this season, this time by a score of 26-15 on province wide television.

"It was a really good defensive effort," commented Hawks head coach Rick Zmich whose team kept Guelph out of the end zone until after the game was well in hand. It was another big day for the defensive secondary with Donnie Ruiz and Kevin Johnson each picking off a pair of passes on the day.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Hawks struggled somewhat with production essentially limited to three big plays, including an 85 yard punt return by Andre Talbot near the end of the second quarter.

"Our running game didn't execute as well as it has," noted Zmich who expects to see a better blocking effort by the team next time out.

Despite its imperfections, the Hawks ground attack still managed to rack up 176 yards on the ground, highlighted by a 14 carry, 113 yard performance by Justin Dillon. Hawk quarterback Kevin Taylor managed 129 yards passing, completing 10 of 16 passes.

With both offences having trouble getting anything going, it was Dillon who finally opened up the scoring for the Hawks when he broke loose for a 40 yard touchdown run as the first quarter was drawing to a close.

Guelph answered back with a field goal at 2:24 of the second quarter to make the score 7-3. Then, at 10:36 of the same quarter, special teams player of the game Andre Talbot returned a Guelph punt the distance for the 85 yard touchdown score.

A Scott O'Hara field goal at 14:52 would give the Hawks a 17-3 lead at the half.

The Hawks would extend their lead to 19-3 via a couple of singles by Hawk punter Ed Becker before rookie Hawk Kevin Johnson took centre stage at 14:59 of the third quarter with a spectacular 38 yard touchdown reception.

"We will use Kevin periodically on offense when the opportunity arises," noted Zmich who named Johnson his defensive player of the game. The touchdown put the Hawks up 26-3 and would mark the end of their scoring on this day. Two late touchdowns by Guelph, one of which set up blocked punt attempt, made the final score a somewhat respectable 26-15.

The win for the Hawks moves them to 4-2 and sets up the game of the season so far this Saturday when they take on the McMaster Marauders (4-2) at University Stadium, game time 2:00pm.

A win in this game would guarantee the Hawks a third place finish in the OUA and would set up a likely semi-final matchup against the University of Waterloo on November 7th.

"The key matchup will be McMaster's aerial assault versus our pass defense," noted Zmich. The Hawks defense has been able to neutralize the passing threat of the opposition all season and will look to continue this success. On average, the defense has allowed a league low of 19 points per game while McMaster's offense has scored a league high of 38 points per game.

Offensively, look for the Hawks to re-establish their running game, which faltered somewhat against Guelph.

"Mac's defense tends to align themselves in such a way that we believe we can run effectively," noted Zmich who stressed the importance of eliminating costly errors such as blocked punts which will really hurt them in key situations.

Before Saturday's 'Mac Attack', there will be a big tailgate party in the parking lot of University Stadium, starting at 12:00pm. Sponsored by Budweiser, this event features several prize draws, good food, and cold drink. Tickets, which include admission the game, are $3.00 and are available all week in the concourse. Make sure to pick yours up soon and that you come out and support the Hawks in what promises to be an exciting game.

Notes:

Quarterback Adam Lane says he feels fine and may dress for this Saturday's game against McMaster. The return of Lane, the victim a broken collarbone in week 2 of the season versus Western, would restore tremendous depth to the Hawks at the quarterback position heading into the post season.

Both Lane and Taylor have demonstrated the ability to lead the Hawk offense effectively.

The Hawks have entered the CIAU top ten rankings for the first time since 1996. Coming in this week at #10, they have opportunity to move up in the rankings further if they emerge victorious over the #7 ranked Mauraders.