The Western Mustangs were too much for the Carleton Ravens football team to handle on Saturday afternoon, handing the home team a lopsided 63-26 defeat at TAAG park.
The loss spoiled the Ravens’ high from their 19-14 win in Waterloo on Wednesday, pushing them down to sixth in the OUA with a 1-2 record.
A combination of thrown interceptions and failed second or third-down conversions kept the Ravens from keeping up with Western, whose league-leading offense, which had already put up 153 points in three games before Saturday’s matchup, controlled the pace and kept the Ravens behind almost all game.
“We got to make sure we’re taking care of the football and doing a better job because the tide turns real fast,” head coach Corey Grant said after the game. “Too many turnovers, too many mistakes by us, and when we do that against a good team, the game gets away from you real quick.”
Right off opening kickoff, disaster set the tone for the Ravens.
After Ravens quarterback Elijah Barnes completed his first pass of the game, he looked for Frederick Hachey again on the next play. But his overthrown ball was intercepted by Western’s Jackson MacKay, who punished the error with a 70-yard return into the Ravens’ endzone for the first touchdown of the game
Barnes went on to regain his groove, finding Hachey on a deep strike to advance the Ravens down the field, with Keyshawn Reid fending off three Mustangs to put the Ravens within scoring distance.
Ethan Rocha capped off the Ravens’ drive with a short rush into the end zone, tying things up at seven.
However, the red-hot Mustangs were not holding back on their offensive game, ending the first quarter with a trio of touchdowns to take a 20-7 lead over the Ravens.
The Ravens managed a rouge point early in the second, but it would stand as their only point of the quarter as they continued to fall behind. Barnes threw his second interception of the half in an uncharacteristically rough performance.
Heading into the game, Barnes averaged 343 yards per game, second-most in the OUA.
With Carleton running the ball more often and a tight Western defensive coverage, Barnes finished the game with only 99 yards.
“We came in with the game plan that we were going to be really run focused and get a run game going,” Grant said after the game. “As soon as you get behind with them, you got to start putting the ball up in the air, and that’s where we have our mistakes.”
The Ravens finished the game throwing four interceptions.
Mustangs running back Ethan Dolby continued to torment the Ravens’ defense in the second half, finishing the game with 230 yards and four touchdowns. Through four games this season, Dolby leads the OUA in rushing yards and touchdowns with 659 and 11.
The Mustangs’ double-quarterback system of Evan Hillock and Jérôme Rancourt added another layer to the offense, and whether it was Hillock’s passing or Rancourt’s rushing and receiving, the pair kept the Ravens’ defense off balance.
“It’s difficult [to adapt], you’ve got to go in and make sure that everybody knows who’s in,” Grant said. “We talk about going out and executing the best that we can.”
Veteran quarterback Tristan Lefebvre would relieve Barnes early in the third quarter in an attempt to spark the Ravens offense, letting the ball fly with a 34-yard completion to star receiver Tristan Ready. The drive ended with Brandon Forcier’s sixth field goal of the season.
“We brought T.L. in just to get a spark where we were at and thought he could bring something different that Elijah wasn’t at the time,” Grant said.
The Ravens chipped away at the Mustangs’ lead in the fourth with an impressive 114-yard kickoff return by Reid, cutting the score to 57-18. Reid, who has already surpassed his stats from last year, finished the game with 194 kickoff return yards.
“It’s a trait I’ve been building my whole life,” Reid said. “It’s about changing the whole pace of the game.”
Lefebvre continued to generate momentum late, finding Hachey on the edge off the endzone for the touchdown and the two-point conversion. Lefebvre finished the game with 160 yards.
The Ravens have flip-flopped between Barnes and Lefebvre throughout their first three games this season, with each quarterback proving their ability to drive the team’s offense.
Grant did not say who will be starting in their upcoming road game but said he will keep a keen eye.
“My job is to make sure that the best players are on the field and put them in a position to be successful,” he said. “Whoever’s playing well, we’re going to go.”
The Ravens will head west to face York on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. at York Lions Stadium.
Featured Image by Simon McKeown/the Charlatan
