The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team fell 66-24 versus the No. 1 nationally ranked Western Mustangs on Saturday (Oct. 14) night in London.

In the rain-soaked contest, the Blues remained step-for-step with the top ranked Mustangs through the opening 20 minutes, trailing by just one-point 11-10 late in the second quarter.

After conceding the first 10 points of the game to Western, U of T were able to respond via a 54-yard catch and run from veteran receiver Nic Greene, which then set up a short touchdown run from second-year quarterback Scott Barnett.

The Toronto defence then came up with a big stop on a third down and short, marking the second time the Blues forced a turnover on downs through the first half of the contest. Making the play was fifth-year defensive lineman Jackson Mayer who dived through the Mustangs line to stop the momentum of the runner before a number of Blues teammates came to finish off the tackle. The stop then resulted in a 35-yard Sam Henke field goal for Toronto closing the gap.

However, the Blues found themselves in trouble after Western were able to capitalize on a number of chances right before the half, extending their lead back to 32-10 entering the break.

In the second half, U of T added two more scores with an 18-yard passing connection between Barnett and third-year receiver Jake Oseen in the third quarter and a 33-yard passing touchdown from Kinsale Philip to Christopher Joseph. But it wouldn't be enough to keep pace with the No. 1 team in the country.

Barnett finished the contest with 209 passing yards, while Nic Greene recorded a team-high 104 receiving yards on four receptions. On the ground, the Blues were paced by first-year running back Josh Matsyk who converted seven carries into 43 yards, all coming in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Blues leading tackler Ryan Stewart added a team-high seven tackles to his season totals, while also registering a breakup and one tackle for loss. Ryan Collins notched 6.5 tackles from the defensive backfield. Jeremy Sinclair made plays from the defensive front finishing the night with three assisted tackles, one solo tackle, and a combined sack alongside fellow defensive lineman Parker Williams.

Toronto will next conclude their regular season schedule on home turf at Varsity Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 21 versus the visiting Waterloo Warriors. Tickets for the home finale are available at varsityblues.ca/tickets, while the game will also be streamed on oua.tv.