Carabins, Marauders ready for 50th TELUS Vanier Cup
MONTREAL (CIS) – The 50th TELUS Vanier Cup festivities officially got underway Wednesday morning with the traditional Meet the Teams media conference at McGill University’s Tomlinson Hall, steps away from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, where the milestone CIS football championship game will be played on Saturday.
MONTREAL (CIS) – The 50th TELUS Vanier Cup festivities officially got underway Wednesday morning with the traditional Meet the Teams media conference at McGill University's Tomlinson Hall, steps away from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, where the milestone CIS football championship game will be played on Saturday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST between the McMaster University Marauders (10-1) and the hometown University of Montreal Carabins (10-1), live on Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360 and Radio-Canada.
TICKET INFO: vaniercup.com
The Sun Life Financial All-Canadian Awards Banquet is set for Thursday evening at the Montreal Sheraton Centre (cocktails 5 p.m. / banquet 6:30 p.m.).
"The TELUS Vanier Cup is a highlight of Canadian's university football schedule each year. It is great to once again be here supporting this great championship and the important role it plays in building the next generation of our athletes," said Danny Serraglio, vice-president, Sales, Business Solutions, TELUS Québec and Atlantic Canada. "It's in TELUS' philosophy to give where we live, and sport is a key part of that commitment."
Mark Weightman, president and chief executive officer of the Montreal Alouettes, co-organizers of the event, said fans shouldn't wait too long to get their tickets.
"The enthusiasm for the game is fantastic. More than 20,000 tickets have already been sold. We're fast approaching our maximum capacity for the Vanier Cup, which is around 23,500."
For Pierre Lafontaine, chief executive officer of CIS, the first-ever Vanier Cup held in Montreal is much more than just a football game.
"The entire week will be a celebration of 50 years of CIS football. Both at the banquet on Thursday and at Molson Stadium on Saturday, we will honour many individuals who have contributed to make the Vanier Cup the prestigious event it is today, from past championship-winning coaches to former Hec Crighton Award winners."
Michael Soles, the former McGill and Alouettes great has been engaged in a courageous battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for over nine years, has been named co-president of honour and will do the ceremonial coin toss on Saturday. Soles was the MVP of the 1987 Vanier Cup won the McGill, the only triumph in history by a Montreal-based program.
Former Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson has also been named co-president of honour.
McMaster quarterback Marshall Ferguson has the experience of two CIS championship games as a backup to Hec Crighton winner Kyle Quinlan, including the only national title in Marauders' history in 2011 in Vancouver.
Marauders head coach Stefan Ptaszek expects a defensive battle.
"Defence seems to be at the forefront for both teams," said the 2012 CIS coach of the year, whose troops beat Guelph 20-15 in the Yates Cup before defeating Mount Allison 24-12 in the Mitchell Bowl. "Montreal kept Laval out of the end zone in back-to-back games. That says it all right there."
Montreal linebacker Byron Archambault, the RSEQ conference nominee for the Presidents' Trophy, is confident the Carabins will be ready come game day.
"This is a great opportunity for us. Our program has progressed every year in recent years and the same can be said about this season, we have been getting better every week. We're extremely proud to get a chance to play in the national final in front of our fans."
Head coach Danny Maciocia said his Carabins are battle tested going into the biggest game in program history.
"Getting to the Vanier Cup is always our goal at the start of the season. Our first win against Laval in our regular season finale created a buzz. Then there was our second win over the Rouge et Or in the Dunsmore Cup, followed by a great challenge last weekend against Manitoba. We showed great mental toughness all year, especially after a disappointing season opener at Laval, and now we're one win away from something very special."
50th TELUS VANIER CUP: A LOOK AT THE CONTENDERS
When: Saturday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. EST
Where: Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal
Who: Montreal Carabins (10-1) vs. McMaster Marauders (10-1)
TV: Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360 & Radio-Canada (pre-game shows at 12:30 p.m.)
Web: CIS-SIC.tv
Radio: 98,5 fm (Montreal), CHML (Hamilton)
McMASTER UNIVERSITY MARAUDERS (OUA & Mitchell Bowl champions)
2014 season summary
Overall record: 10-1
Regular season record: 7-1
Regular season standing: 1st
Playoff record: 3-0
Top 10 final ranking (Nov. 4): No. 3
Top 10 best ranking: No. 3 (polls #6, 7, 8, 10)
Top 10 lowest ranking: No. 5 (poll #1)
Top 10 number of weeks ranked (10 polls): 10
Regular season offence points (36.4 ppg): 3rd OUA / 5th CIS
Regular season offence total yards (482.2 ypg): 5th OUA / 8th CIS
Regular season offence passing (316.1 ypg): 2nd OUA / 5th CIS
Regular season offence rushing (166.1 ypg): 8th OUA / 12th CIS
Regular season defence points (17.8 ppg): 1st OUA / 5th CIS
Regular season defence total yards (333.5 ypg): 1st OUA / 4th CIS
Regular season defence passing (201.4 ypg): 2nd OUA / 6th CIS
Regular season defence rushing (132.1 ypg): 2nd OUA / 7th CIS
2014 results
Sept. 1 (home): McMaster 34, Guelph 27 OT
Sept. 6 (away): McMaster 66, Waterloo 0
Sept. 13 (home): McMaster 37, Carleton 17
Sept. 20 (away): McMaster 49, York 2
Sept. 27 (home): McMaster 28, Queen's 19
Oct. 4 (away): McMaster 32, Western 29
Oct. 18 (home): McMaster 27, Laurier 10
Oct. 25 (away): Ottawa 38, McMaster 18
Nov. 8 (home): McMaster 42, Ottawa 31 (OUA semifinal)
Nov. 15 (home): McMaster 20, Guelph 15 (Yates Cup)
Nov. 22 (home): McMaster 24, Mount Allison 12 (Mitchell Bowl)
2014 OUA individual honours
Major awards: Nick Shortill (defensive MVP), Daniel Petermann (rookie), Adam Dickson (Russ Jackson Award nominee), Stefan Ptaszek (coach)
All-stars offence (First Team): Daniel Vandervoort (WR)
All-stars defence (First team): Nick Shortill (LB), Joey Cupido (CB)
All-stars special teams (First Team): Tyler Crapigna (PK)
All-stars offence (Second Team): Zach Intzandt (G), Sean Smith (OT)
All-stars defence (Second Team): Mike Kashak (DE), Scott Martin (DB)
All-stars special teams (Second Team): None
All-time head-to-head vs. Montreal
Overall record: 0-0
Vanier Cup history
All-time record: 1-2
2012 (Rogers Centre, Toronto): 37-14 loss vs. Laval
2011 (BC Place Stadium, Vancouver): 41-38 OT win vs. Laval
1967 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto): 10-9 loss vs. Alberta
Head coach: Stefan Ptaszek
Season: 9th
Career regular season record: 54-18 (.750)
Career playoff record: 13-7 (.650)
Career overall record (season & playoffs): 67-25 (.728)
Career overall record vs. Montreal: 0-0
Vanier Cup record: 1-1
Vanier Cup wins: 2011
Vanier Cup losses: 2012
UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL CARABINS (RSEQ & Uteck Bowl champions)
2014 season summary
Overall record: 10-1
Regular season record: 7-1
Regular season standing: 2nd
Playoff record: 3-0
Top 10 final ranking (Nov. 4): No. 2
Top 10 best ranking: No. 2 (poll #10)
Top 10 lowest ranking: No. 5 (polls #2 to 7)
Top 10 number of weeks ranked (10 polls): 10
Regular season offence points (33.9 ppg): 2nd RSEQ / 9th CIS
Regular season offence total yards (448.9 ypg): 3rd RSEQ / 15th CIS
Regular season offence passing (312.5 ypg): 2nd RSEQ / 6th CIS
Regular season offence rushing (136.4 ypg): 4th RSEQ / 19th CIS
Regular season defence points (12.5 ppg): 2nd RSEQ / 3rd CIS
Regular season defence total yards (301.6 ypg): 2nd RSEQ / 2nd CIS
Regular season defence passing (183.4 ypg): 1st RSEQ / 1st CIS
Regular season defence rushing (118.2 ypg): 3rd RSEQ / 6th CIS
2014 results
Sept. 6 (away): Laval 40, Montreal 13
Sept. 12 (home): Montreal 41, Bishop's 7
Sept. 19 (home): Montreal 43, McGill 17
Sept. 27 (away): Montreal 47, StFX 0
Oct. 4 (home): Montreal 22, Sherbrooke 16
Oct. 11 (away): Montreal 36, Concordia 3
Oct. 25 (away): Montreal 56, Bishop's 8
Nov. 1 (home): Montreal 13, Laval 9
Nov. 8 (home): Montreal 40, Sherbrooke 13 (RSEQ semifinal)
Nov. 15 (away): Montreal 12, Laval 9 OT (Dunsmore Cup)
Nov. 22 (home): Montreal 29, Manitoba 26 (Uteck Bowl)
2014 RSEQ individual honours
Major awards: Byron Archambault (defensive MVP), Alexandre Laganière (Russ Jackson Award nominee)
All-stars offence: Gabriel Cousineau (QB), Mikhaïl Davidson (IR), Philip Enchill (IR), Régis Cibasu (WR), Jean-Christophe Labrecque (C),
All-stars defence: Jean-Samuel Blanc (DE), Mathieu Girard (DT), Byron Archambault (LB), Anthony Coady (S)
All-stars special teams: Mikhaïl Davidson (RET)
All-time head-to-head vs. McMaster
Overall record: 0-0
Vanier Cup history
All-time record: 0-0
Head coach: Danny Maciocia
Season: 4th
Career regular season record: 26-8 (.765)
Career playoff record: 5-3 (.625)
Career overall record (season & playoffs): 31-11 (.738)
Career overall record vs. McMaster: 0-0
Vanier Cup record: 0-0
Vanier Cup wins: -
Vanier Cup losses: -
ALL-TIME VANIER CUP RESULTS
2013 Laval 25, Calgary 14 (TELUS-UL Stadium, Quebec City)
2012 Laval 37, McMaster 14 (Rogers Centre, Toronto)
2011 McMaster 41, Laval 38 OT (BC Place Stadium, Vancouver)
2010 Laval 29, Calgary 2 (PEPS Stadium, Quebec City)
2009 Queen's 33, Calgary 31 (PEPS Stadium, Quebec City)
2008 Laval 44, Western 21 (Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton)
2007 Manitoba 28, Saint Mary's14 (Rogers Centre, Toronto)
2006 Laval 13, Saskatchewan 8 (Griffiths Stadium, Saskatoon)
2005 Wilfrid Laurier 24, Saskatchewan 23 (Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton)
2004 Laval 7, Saskatchewan 1 (Ivor Wynne Stadium, Hamilton)
2003 Laval 14, Saint Mary's 7 (SkyDome, Toronto)
2002 Saint Mary's 33, Saskatchewan 21 (SkyDome, Toronto)
2001 Saint Mary's 42, Manitoba 16 (SkyDome, Toronto)
2000 Ottawa 42, Regina 39 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1999 Laval 14, Saint Mary's 10 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1998 Saskatchewan 24, Concordia 17 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1997 UBC 39, Ottawa 23 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1996 Saskatchewan 31, StFX 12 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1995 Calgary 54, Western 24 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1994 Western 50, Saskatchewan 40 OT (SkyDome, Toronto)
1993 Toronto 37, Calgary 34 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1992 Queen's 31, Saint Mary's 0 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1991 Wilfrid Laurier 25, Mount Allison 18 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1990 Saskatchewan 24, Saint Mary's 21 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1989 Western 35, Saskatchewan 10 (SkyDome, Toronto)
1988 Calgary 52, Saint Mary's 23 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1987 McGill 47, UBC 11 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1986 UBC 25, Western 23 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1985 Calgary 25, Western 6 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1984 Guelph 22, Mount Allison 13 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1983 Calgary 31, Queen's 21 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1982 UBC 39, Western 14 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1981 Acadia 18, Alberta 12 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1980 Alberta 40, Ottawa 21 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1979 Acadia 34, Western 12 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1978 Queen's 16, UBC 3 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1977 Western 48, Acadia 15 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1976 Western 29, Acadia 13 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1975 Ottawa 14, Calgary 9 (CNE Stadium, Toronto)
1974 Western 19, Toronto 15 (CNE Stadium, Toronto)
1973 Saint Mary's 14, McGill 6 (CNE Stadium, Toronto)
1972 Alberta 20, Waterloo Lutheran 7 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1971 Western 15, Alberta 14 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1970 Manitoba 38, Ottawa 11 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1969 Manitoba 24, McGill 15 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1968 Queen's 42, Waterloo Lutheran 14 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1967 Alberta 10, McMaster 9 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1966 StFX 40, Waterloo Lutheran 14 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
1965 Toronto 14, Alberta 7 (Varsity Stadium, Toronto)
NOTE 1: Rogers Centre was formerly called SkyDome (1989-2003 Vanier Cups)
NOTE 2: TELUS-UL Stadium was formerly called PEPS Stadium (2009-2010 Vanier Cups)
NOTE 3: Waterloo Lutheran now Wilfrid Laurier
Source: CIS
