The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team welcomes the Western Mustangs to Varsity Centre this Thursday, October 8 in the team's final home game of the regular season.
 
Join the Varsity Blues under the lights and make sure to bring a non-perishable food item as the Turkey Bowl serves as a drop-off location for the University of Toronto Students' Union Thanksgiving food drive. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Advance tickets are on sale here. The game will also be streamed live on OUA.tv.
 
The Varsity Blues will also be honouring their graduating seniors in a special pre-game ceremony.
 
On the field, Toronto will look to carry momentum gained from last week's 40-3 victory over the York Lions, which featured a dominant rushing performance from second-year running back Alex Malone (Toronto) and a near shutout from the Varsity Blues defence, who forced five turnovers and allowed just a single field goal in the rivalry game.
 
Both the run game and defence will be necessary when taking on the Mustangs, who feature the top-ranked offence in the nation, averaging over 750 yards per game alongside 65 points per contest. The Blues should have the tools to slow down the efficient attack as they sit third in the province in points allowed, giving up just 24 per game. A strong group of linebackers, including Matt Renaud (Ottawa, Ont.), Adrian Bernard (Newark, N.J.), and Corey Williams (Mississauga, Ont.), will be tasked with the tall order of leading the defence against this dual-threat attack.
 
Meanwhile, pressure can be taken off the defence if the Varsity Blues offence is able to reproduce the performance from last week. If the run game gets going the Blues should be able to dominate the time of possession battle, which in turn should keep the high-scoring Mustangs offence off the field. With offensive lineman Danny Sprukulis (Oakville, Ont.), Sam MacMillan (Toronto), Kevin Williams (Mississauga, Ont.), DJ Sackey (Mississauga, Ont.), and Zach Van Kerrebroeck (Cambridge, Ont.) opening running lanes for the backfield, U of T should expect to have success controlling the line of scrimmage.

The Blues are currently tied for sixth in the OUA, sharing a 2-3 record with both the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Laurier Golden Hawks. U of T will be travelling to take on the Waterloo Warriors in their Week 8 matchup before facing a potential playoff-deciding contest with the Gee-Gees in Ottawa in the final week of the regular season.

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