November 17, 2008
WESTERN TO FACE NO. 1 LAVAL IN VANIER CUP
LONDON, Ont. - The No. 3-ranked Western Ontario Mustangs (10-1) will face the No. 1 Laval Rouge et Or (11-0) in the 2008 Desjardins Vanier Cup on Saturday, November 22, at 2 p.m. at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton.
The CIS football final will be televised on The Score and RDS, with SSN Canada providing the webcast.
The Mustangs joined Laval in the national championship game following a 28-12 Mitchell Bowl win over the No. 5 Saint Mary's Huskies (8-2) Sunday in front of 4,759 home fans at TD Waterhouse Stadium.
Laval dominated No. 6 Calgary (7-4) 59-10 in the Uteck Bowl in Quebec City earlier Sunday.
Laval and Western met in pre-season action in Quebec City back on August 24, with the Rouge et Or prevailing 37-9. The two rivals also played an exhibition game in 2007.
It will mark the second time in three years that teams that faced off in Quebec in the pre-season end up battling for the CIS banner. Laval beat Saskatchewan 13-8 in the 2006 Vanier Cup final in Saskatoon a few months after hosting the Huskies in non-conference play.
It was the first CIS semi-final win since 1995 for Western (55-45 over Acadia), which lost 52-20 to eventual Vanier Cup champion Manitoba a year ago in its most recent Bowl appearance.
The Mustangs, who went on to lose 54-24 to Calgary in the 1995 national final, have won a record six Vanier Cups in their storied history, the most recent in 1994, and will add to their own all-time mark with a 12th Vanier Cup appearance on Saturday.
"As I said all week, this is a different team. But it's good to get the monkey off my back," said second-year Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall, who was winless in five previous Bowl appearances as sideline boss of Western and McMaster. "It's a very special feeling."
"Laval tore apart the Canada West champions. They're a very good football team," added Marshall.
With the Mustangs trailing 12-11 in the second quarter, a pair of interceptions of Saint Mary's 19-year-old rookie quarterback Jack Creighton shifted the momentum in favour of the OUA champions, who scored the last 18 points of the contest.
Third-year linebacker Adrian Kaiser of London picked off Creighton at the Saint Mary's 35-yard line and returned the ball to the two-yard mark. Sophomore John Leckie of Georgetown, Ont., pounded the ball in moments later, 6:57 into the frame, to give the locals an 18-12 advantage they would not relinquish.
With 54 seconds left in the half, sophomore defensive back Craig Butler, also of London, scored on a 57-yard interception return to send Western to the locker room ahead 25-12.
"I can't describe how great a feeling this is," said Butler, who claimed the Maury L. Van Vliet Trophy as game MVP. "Overall, we played a very good game. They (Saint Mary's) were a really good opponent, one of the top four teams in the country."
Saint Mary's outgained Western 252 total yards to 135 in the opening 30 minutes, including a 163-28 advantage on the ground, but were hurt by the two turnovers as well as five penalties for 65 yards. The Mustangs didn't receive a single flag in the first half.
"I would like to see where our average starting yardage was, we forced ourselves to play with a long field most of the game," said third-year Saint Mary's head coach Steve Sumarah, whose team reached the Vanier Cup final a year ago after defeating Laval 24-2 in the Uteck Bowl. "Western played a solid game, they were well prepared. On defence, they were dominant. Overall though, the mistakes hurt us."
"For a 19-year-old kid, he was very good," Sumarah said of Creighton. "To play in this kind of environment and do well, it was a positive experience. He showed poise and character."
Dan Duff opened the scoring for Western 4:04 into the match on a nine-yard run. Saint Mary's responded with a safety and a Justin Palardy 26-yard field goal, before Darryl Wheeler made it 10-5 Mustangs with 33 seconds left in the first quarter when he split the uprights from 34 yards out.
Creighton and Carl Hardwick connected for a 65-yard scoring play 26 seconds into the second frame to give the Huskies their only lead of the afternoon, 12-10.
Wheeler followed with a rouge before Leckie and Butler's touchdowns rounded out the first half scoring.
Wheeler added a 17-yard field goal with 4:35 left in the third for the only points of the second half.
Fourth-year Western quarterback Michael Faulds was 18-of-31 for 258 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, while Creighton finished 13-of-32 for 212 yards, one major and two picks.
Nick Trevail was Western's top receiver with nine catches for 111 yards. Hardwick also went over the century mark for Saint Mary's in the losing cause, finishing with 126 yards on six receptions.
Mustangs freshman Nathan Riva led all rushers with 85 yards on 14 carries. Craig Leger countered for the Huskies with 74 yards on 11 runs.
Saint Mary's ended up with a 422-369 edge in total yards, including 231-134 on the ground, while Western had a 235-191 advantage through the air.
The Huskies were flagged nine times for 105 yards, while the Mustangs were penalized only twice for losses of 20 yards.
Time of possession was almost equal, Saint Mary's holding the ball for 30:03, six more seconds than their opponents.
SCORING SUMMARY
No. 3 Western Ontario 28, No. 5 Saint Mary's 12
(At TD Waterhouse Stadium, London, Ont.)
Scoring by quarter
UWO 10-15-3-0: 28
SMU 5-7-0-0: 12
First Quarter
4:04 UWO Dan Duff 9-yard run (Darryl Wheeler convert), 7-0
7:55 SMU Safety conceded, 7-2
11:01 SMU Justin Palardy 26-yard field goal, 7-5
14:27 UWO Darryl Wheeler 34-yard field goal, 10-5
Second Quarter
0:26 SMU Carl Hardwick 65-yard pass from Jack Creighton (Justin Palardy convert), 12-10
5:11 UWO Darryl Wheeler single (missed field goal), 12-11
6:57 UWO John Leckie 2-yard run (Darryl Wheeler convert), 18-12
14:06 UWO Craig Butler 57-yard interception return (Darryl Wheeler convert), 25-12
Third Quarter
10:35 UWO Darryl Wheeler 17-yard field goal, 28-12
Fourth Quarter
No scoring.
Attendance: 4,759
CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Sunday, Nov. 16
CIS semi-final: Uteck Bowl
No. 1 Laval 59, No. 6 Calgary 10
CIS semi-final: Mitchell Bowl
No. 3 Western Ontario 28, No. 5 Saint Mary's 12
Saturday, Nov. 22
CIS final: Desjardins Vanier Cup, hosted by OUA
2 p.m., Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton, Ont., The Score / RDS (webcast: SSN Canada)
Source: CIS Communications
The CIS football final will be televised on The Score and RDS, with SSN Canada providing the webcast.
The Mustangs joined Laval in the national championship game following a 28-12 Mitchell Bowl win over the No. 5 Saint Mary's Huskies (8-2) Sunday in front of 4,759 home fans at TD Waterhouse Stadium.
Laval dominated No. 6 Calgary (7-4) 59-10 in the Uteck Bowl in Quebec City earlier Sunday.
Laval and Western met in pre-season action in Quebec City back on August 24, with the Rouge et Or prevailing 37-9. The two rivals also played an exhibition game in 2007.
It will mark the second time in three years that teams that faced off in Quebec in the pre-season end up battling for the CIS banner. Laval beat Saskatchewan 13-8 in the 2006 Vanier Cup final in Saskatoon a few months after hosting the Huskies in non-conference play.
It was the first CIS semi-final win since 1995 for Western (55-45 over Acadia), which lost 52-20 to eventual Vanier Cup champion Manitoba a year ago in its most recent Bowl appearance.
The Mustangs, who went on to lose 54-24 to Calgary in the 1995 national final, have won a record six Vanier Cups in their storied history, the most recent in 1994, and will add to their own all-time mark with a 12th Vanier Cup appearance on Saturday.
"As I said all week, this is a different team. But it's good to get the monkey off my back," said second-year Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall, who was winless in five previous Bowl appearances as sideline boss of Western and McMaster. "It's a very special feeling."
"Laval tore apart the Canada West champions. They're a very good football team," added Marshall.
With the Mustangs trailing 12-11 in the second quarter, a pair of interceptions of Saint Mary's 19-year-old rookie quarterback Jack Creighton shifted the momentum in favour of the OUA champions, who scored the last 18 points of the contest.
Third-year linebacker Adrian Kaiser of London picked off Creighton at the Saint Mary's 35-yard line and returned the ball to the two-yard mark. Sophomore John Leckie of Georgetown, Ont., pounded the ball in moments later, 6:57 into the frame, to give the locals an 18-12 advantage they would not relinquish.
With 54 seconds left in the half, sophomore defensive back Craig Butler, also of London, scored on a 57-yard interception return to send Western to the locker room ahead 25-12.
"I can't describe how great a feeling this is," said Butler, who claimed the Maury L. Van Vliet Trophy as game MVP. "Overall, we played a very good game. They (Saint Mary's) were a really good opponent, one of the top four teams in the country."
Saint Mary's outgained Western 252 total yards to 135 in the opening 30 minutes, including a 163-28 advantage on the ground, but were hurt by the two turnovers as well as five penalties for 65 yards. The Mustangs didn't receive a single flag in the first half.
"I would like to see where our average starting yardage was, we forced ourselves to play with a long field most of the game," said third-year Saint Mary's head coach Steve Sumarah, whose team reached the Vanier Cup final a year ago after defeating Laval 24-2 in the Uteck Bowl. "Western played a solid game, they were well prepared. On defence, they were dominant. Overall though, the mistakes hurt us."
"For a 19-year-old kid, he was very good," Sumarah said of Creighton. "To play in this kind of environment and do well, it was a positive experience. He showed poise and character."
Dan Duff opened the scoring for Western 4:04 into the match on a nine-yard run. Saint Mary's responded with a safety and a Justin Palardy 26-yard field goal, before Darryl Wheeler made it 10-5 Mustangs with 33 seconds left in the first quarter when he split the uprights from 34 yards out.
Creighton and Carl Hardwick connected for a 65-yard scoring play 26 seconds into the second frame to give the Huskies their only lead of the afternoon, 12-10.
Wheeler followed with a rouge before Leckie and Butler's touchdowns rounded out the first half scoring.
Wheeler added a 17-yard field goal with 4:35 left in the third for the only points of the second half.
Fourth-year Western quarterback Michael Faulds was 18-of-31 for 258 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, while Creighton finished 13-of-32 for 212 yards, one major and two picks.
Nick Trevail was Western's top receiver with nine catches for 111 yards. Hardwick also went over the century mark for Saint Mary's in the losing cause, finishing with 126 yards on six receptions.
Mustangs freshman Nathan Riva led all rushers with 85 yards on 14 carries. Craig Leger countered for the Huskies with 74 yards on 11 runs.
Saint Mary's ended up with a 422-369 edge in total yards, including 231-134 on the ground, while Western had a 235-191 advantage through the air.
The Huskies were flagged nine times for 105 yards, while the Mustangs were penalized only twice for losses of 20 yards.
Time of possession was almost equal, Saint Mary's holding the ball for 30:03, six more seconds than their opponents.
SCORING SUMMARY
No. 3 Western Ontario 28, No. 5 Saint Mary's 12
(At TD Waterhouse Stadium, London, Ont.)
Scoring by quarter
UWO 10-15-3-0: 28
SMU 5-7-0-0: 12
First Quarter
4:04 UWO Dan Duff 9-yard run (Darryl Wheeler convert), 7-0
7:55 SMU Safety conceded, 7-2
11:01 SMU Justin Palardy 26-yard field goal, 7-5
14:27 UWO Darryl Wheeler 34-yard field goal, 10-5
Second Quarter
0:26 SMU Carl Hardwick 65-yard pass from Jack Creighton (Justin Palardy convert), 12-10
5:11 UWO Darryl Wheeler single (missed field goal), 12-11
6:57 UWO John Leckie 2-yard run (Darryl Wheeler convert), 18-12
14:06 UWO Craig Butler 57-yard interception return (Darryl Wheeler convert), 25-12
Third Quarter
10:35 UWO Darryl Wheeler 17-yard field goal, 28-12
Fourth Quarter
No scoring.
Attendance: 4,759
CIS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Sunday, Nov. 16
CIS semi-final: Uteck Bowl
No. 1 Laval 59, No. 6 Calgary 10
CIS semi-final: Mitchell Bowl
No. 3 Western Ontario 28, No. 5 Saint Mary's 12
Saturday, Nov. 22
CIS final: Desjardins Vanier Cup, hosted by OUA
2 p.m., Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton, Ont., The Score / RDS (webcast: SSN Canada)
Source: CIS Communications
