The York University Lions football team have tough matchup ahead of them this weekend when they travel west on the 401 to London, Ont., to visit the Western Mustangs in Week 4 of the season.
 
Kick-off is set for 1pm at TD Stadium and the game can also be seen live online on OUA.tv.
 
The Lions face a big test against the Mustangs who have been top-ranked team in U SPORTS every week of the 2018 season. Western went 8-0 last season in the OUA and won the Vanier Cup for the first time since 1994 with a convincing 39-17 victory over the Laval Rouge et Or in the national championship. The Mustangs haven't lost in the OUA regular season since Week 2 of the 2016 season, and Lions head coach Warren Craney sees this game as an opportunity for his team to test themselves against elite competition.
 
"It's always fun when you get an opportunity to play against a program like the University of Western," said Craney. "They're tremendously well-coached and they're a great football team. That's what we're trying to emulate, we're trying to build a champion here and this game is a great opportunity for our team to go into Western and see how they do things. Playing against the top-ranked team in the country is a great measuring stick to see how good you really are."  
 
The Lions come into the game riding high off of a Week 3 win at home against the Windsor Lancers to give them a 1-2 record on the season. York built a 21-0 lead in the first-half and despite a second-half charge by the Lancers hung on for an important 29-22 victory. The Lions defence came through in a few key moments during the second-half against the Lancers, stopping them on goal line on one occasion making a number of big third down stops. They held the top-ranked Windsor passing attack to their lowest yardage total of the season, while the Lions secondary had a big game against the Lancers dangerous receiving corps. York's special teams unit also played big role in the win. Defensive back Xavier Rogers blocked a punt deep in Windsor territory in the first-half setting up a Lions touchdown, while ace kick returner Alex Daley ended up with 134 return yards on the day, including a 75-yard return on a missed Lancers field goal.
 
In the home team's locker room, the Mustangs are coming off a Week 3 win over the McMaster Marauders by a score of 44-6. The win was a return to form for Western, who struggled in their Week 1 matchup against the Carleton Ravens. The defending champions were trailing 20-3 at the half in that game, only to come back to win 26-23 in overtime. After a Week 2 bye the Mustangs regrouped against the Marauders and controlled the play from start to finish, leading 10-0 after the first quarter and 27-3 at the half.
 
The matchup presents a challenge for the Lions high-powered offence, as Western comes into the game as the top-ranked defensive team in the OUA. The Mustangs have allowed a league-low 317 yards per game and surrendered 29 points through two games. The Lions offence ranks fourth overall in the OUA in total yards and third overall in passing yards per game.  
 
Following the game, the Lions will take to the road once again when they travel the nation's capital to battle the Ottawa Gee-Gees on Saturday, Sept. 22. The game kicks off at 1pm at Gee-Gees Field.