Offense too obvious

It’s a good thing the Mustangs defence is so solid, because their offence is anemic.

For this, the blame falls solely on the shoulders of head coach Greg Marshall. This offence is so one-dimensional, it’s embarrassing. Everyone knows either Donnie or Jerimy Hipperson is going to run the ball. They rarely throw the ball more than 10 yards down field, making it really easy for defenders. Marshall has turned his son into a glorified tailback.

For the team to be truly successful, coach Marshall needs to throw more things at opposing defences. But Donnie hasn’t had the chance to do that consistently this season.

That was the case for most of the game against Guelph on Saturday. Due to terrible weather, Donnie played the worst game of his young career and after he threw an interception, he lost his composure.

That leads me to the second problem coach Marshall needs to fix. He has to know when it is time to pull Donnie and use backup Ian Noble. Noble doesn’t run like Donnie, but he has a good arm and more experience. Noble also has the ability to take pressure off of the young quarterback whenever things aren’t going as planned.

Marshall went with Noble and he threw a beautiful strike over the middle for a 24-yard gain. But instead of sticking with Noble, Marshall put Donnie back into the game, who was promptly sacked after trying to scramble. That was a perfect chance to give Donnie a series to forget his mistakes, but he didn’t get that and it hurt the team for the rest of the game.

Hopefully the Mustangs open up the playbook a little more against Queen’s or we might have to drink away our sorrows after a loss this Homecoming weekend.

Points After Touchdown

• Hipperson was fantastic again. Adding star Nathan Riva to the backfield will make for a deadly rushing combination.
• That offensive line has been incredible creating holes for their running back. Hipperson wasn’t touched at any point during his 27 yard run to the house in the fourth quarter.
• Defensive end Alexander Robinson is a star. He was in QB Chris Rossetti’s face all game. Not bad for a guy recruited to play tight end.
• Darryl Wheeler’s leg was the difference. The game was all about field position and Wheeler out-played Guelph punter Evan Short. Western doesn’t win without Wheeler.
• Rookie receiver Andrew Thibaudeau looks like he will be a good one. He had limited playing time and managed to pull down five receptions, including the 24-yard pass from Noble.