Mustangs quarterback Michael Faulds and his Queen’s counterpart Dan Brannagan aren’t brothers but their rivalry is almost sibling-like.
“We have a mutual respect for each other,” Faulds said. “We always get pretty excited to play each other — we’ve done that quite a bit over the past five years.”
The two QBs were neck and neck for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport all-time passing mark until the final week of the season when Faulds edged Brannagan by 97 yards. A week prior Brannagan’s Gaels defeated the Mustangs 27-26 in a game that was considered by many to be an instant classic.
Now, two days after Faulds was chosen as the Ontario University Athletics MVP over Brannagan, the two will face off once again, in the 102nd playing of the Yates Cups this Saturday in Kingston.
The two QBs have been on a collision course all season with this Saturday bringing an end to a university career for one of them. For Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall, there is no debate about who’s had a better run.
“Michael Faulds will play in his fourth Yates Cup this Saturday and it probably would have been five if he hadn’t broken his hand in his second season,” Marshall explained. “No knock to Brannagan, but this is his first Yates Cup.”
The Mustangs will need more than just consistent play behind centre to beat Queen’s on Saturday. The last time these two teams met, the Gaels escaped with a one-point victory on a Blaise Morrison touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the game. The Mustangs defence shouldered much of the blame for the last-second defeat.
“For most of the game our defence played well,” Marshall said of his team. “On that last drive we made some mistakes and gave them an easy score at the end. But for the most part I feel like our defence did a good job.”
Faulds agreed with his coach, asserting the responsibility lies on his offence to capitalize on red zone opportunities and score points.
“Our defence took a lot of the blame for that loss against Queen’s the first time but there’s so many points offensively that we left off the board,” he said. “Our defence played really well against Guelph and Laurier in the playoffs. They’re pretty eager to face Queen’s again.”
Nagging injuries to Faulds and running back Nathan Riva could pose a challenge to the Mustangs offence as they chase their third-straight Yates Cup championship. Both players were visibly limping in the Mustangs semifinal victory over Laurier last Saturday.
“[My knee] is hanging in there. Only three more weeks — that’s all that matters,” Faulds said of his injury. “At this time of year when you’re playing in the playoffs, everyone is banged up. It’s just a matter of how you fight through it and how you can deal with it.”
Marshall downplayed Riva’s injuries, saying reports that Riva was playing hurt have been exaggerated. The sophomore back has paced the Mustang offence throughout the post-season, putting up 450 rushing yards in the Mustangs two playoff games. However, Marshall said he would not be relying too heavily on his ground game this Saturday.
“We have to be like our defence and not be predictable,” Marshall said. “With our offence, I believe that we’re balanced and I think that we can run the football if we need to and we can throw the football if we need to.”
For Faulds and Brannagan, the game will mean the end of a five-year rivalry.
“We had a great game earlier this year. It came down to the last drive and we’re expecting it to be similar this game. It’s going to be a tough battle,” Faulds said.