If you want to look for the most successful college football program in the country look no further than Quebec City, in less than ten years of existence the Laval Univerity Rouge et Or of the CIS have won the Vanier Cup four times. They have spurred a remarkable growth in the sport in the Province and stand as a source of pride for their school and province.
The now a four time winners of the Vanier Cup, survived the frozen elements of the prairies to defeat the Saskatchewan Huskies 13-8 in their own ball yard. The low scoring game was indicative of the defensive nature of a game played in -20 temperatures. It was Laval's third Vanier Cup in four years, no doubt giving them lasting standing as a Canadian college football dynasty.
While both teams would tempt the fates with occasional flares offence with pass throwing ingenuity, using short dump patterns and longer treks down the sidelines. But on a day such as this it’s the running game that can dictate the play; the boys from Laval controlled the explosive Husky running game all day long, holding back the tide until the late stages of the fourth quarter. On the day it was the Laval defence that set up the time for the offence to win this one.
Saskatchewan made a game of it with a remarkable toss down field that set up their only touchdown of the game, but as things would end up it was a case of just a bit too little, a bit too late. The Huskies a most successful program in their own right, once again go home disappointed from the National Championship, a game they have been a partner in quite a bit in the last five years.
But give Laval full credit for their latest Vanier Cup, they lost on that same field last year in the semi finals, so to return to Saskatoon and take the Cup back to Quebec speaks volumes about their dedication to their game plan.
The game featured all the trappings of a Grey Cup, from the anthem singing; to the Snowbirds fly past and the trophy presentations at the end of the game.
This year it was a sweep for the winning team as players from the Rouge et Or took home the post game trophies in both categories and hoisted the Vanier Cup.
Ted Morris Trophy – Player of the Game went to Eric Maranda
Bruce Coulter Trophy - Offensive Player of the Game went to Samuel Gregoire-Champagne
The folks in Saskatoon put on a remarkable week for the players and filled the stadium to capacity on a rather frigid afternoon, proving once again that some of the best football fans live in Saskatchewan. This year however, the best football team for college football comes from Quebec City, the Rouge et Or.
No comments:
Post a Comment