U Sports conference games RECAP [Saturday – STATS]: Dinos advance, Western falls apart, Laval comeback, StFX champs

Saturday, Nov. 12

#HardyCup80 champs. #GoDinos pic.twitter.com/LttST9UXt3

— UCalgary Dinos (@UCDinos) November 12, 2016

UBC (43), Calgary (46)

CALGARY – The gridiron ghosts of 2015 are officially gone for the Calgary Dinos.

A year after losing 34-26 in the 79th Hardy Cup on home turf to the underdog UBC Thunderbirds, the Dinos put to rest any lingering memories of their crushing setback with an epic 46-43 win over UBC in the 80th Hardy Cup Saturday at McMahon Stadium.

After Calgary raced out to a 36-10 lead at the half courtesy majors from five different Dinos, the Canada West championship game was shaping up to be a one-sided affair. That, however, would not be the story as UBC showed resiliency in the highest scoring game in Hardy Cup history.

“I wasn’t really too focused on what happened last year other than we tried to learn from the mistakes of the last two seasons. I think for the most part we were able to do that today,” said Calgary head coach Wayne Harris when asked about closing the chapter on last year’s loss.

“We still had a couple of critical mistakes, but the guys just continued to battle and did a great job, so I’m very proud of them.”

Leading the way for Calgary was quarterback Adam Sinagra, who was named the game’s offensive MVP after throwing 366 yards and a trio of touchdowns.

Sinagra, who is in his first season with the Dinos, has led the way offensively in the Stampede City over the last several weeks, after opening day starter Jimmy Underdahl went down Week 6 of the season against Manitoba.

“He had to come in after Jimmy went down and even when you’re learning the system, it’s nothing like game reps, so as much as you practice things until you get on the field and do it against an opponent, it won’t really pay dividends,” Harris said.

“Those games (earlier) have produced what he’s doing now, which is throwing the ball very, very well.”

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Jakub Jakoubek was named the game’s defensive MVP after recording an interception and a 20-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, early in the second quarter.

Collectively, it was a gutsy win by a Calgary team that avoided joining the 2003 to 2005 Alberta Golden Bears as the only teams in conference history to lose three consecutive Hardy Cups.

“We’ve faced adversity all year and how you handle that measures your character,” Harris pointed out. “I know their character and we talked about it this week.”

“They’re just a hard working group of guys that never, ever quit.”

Speaking of never quitting, UBC proved they wouldn’t be an easy out, storming back in the final 30 minutes to make it a game.

The Thunderbirds opened the second half with 16 consecutive points, cutting the lead to 36-26 prior to the fourth quarter.

Touchdowns from running back Kory Nagata and a thrilling 53-yard pick-six courtesy Riley Jones after halftime put life in UBC’s hopes of continuing their Vanier Cup championship defence.

The fourth quarter was one for the ages, as the teams combined for 27 points, including UBC running back Ben Cummings major at the 2:09 mark, which made it 46-43 with plenty of time for some final magic.

Cumming’s score though would be the last points on the day, as Calgary managed to kill the rest of the clock, and punch their ticket to next week’s U Sports Mitchell Bowl (2 p.m. / McMahon Stadium) against the Atlantic champion St. FX X-Men, who defeated Mount Allison 29-8 earlier Saturday in the Loney Bowl.

Now, Calgary will look to improve on their 8-6 record all-time in national semifinal games.

“It’s always advantageous to not have to travel,” Harris pointed out. “I’ve been on the road for some of these games, and those are tough. But they’re going to be a touch opponent and we’re going to have to be well-prepared.”

NOTES: The game surpassed the 52nd Hardy Cup as the highest scoring game in Hardy Cup history. Calgary downed Saskatchewan 46-33 in that contest back in 1988…The win was Calgary’s 16th conference title, tying them with Alberta for the second most behind Saskatchewan’s 18…Canada West teams have lost just twice at home in national semifinals. The 1968 Manitoba Bisons fell 29-6 in the Western Bowl to Queen’s, while Calgary lost the 2011 Mitchell Bowl to Laval 41-10 at McMahon.

Source: Canada West Media

UBC vs. Calgary at Calgary, AB 11/12/2016 at 1:07 pm
UBC 43	Calgary 46

#GoLaval pic.twitter.com/WnZ4pT8CL0

— Rouge et Or (@rougeetor) November 12, 2016

Laval (20), Montreal (17)

Montreal, November 12, 2016 – The Université de Montréal’s Carabins fell to the Rouge et Or de Laval by 20-17 in the Dunsmore Cup final Saturday afternoon in front of a packed and noisy stadium of 5100 spectators gathered at the CEPSUM. The Carabins had a four-point lead with less than two minutes left, but the attack by Hugo Richard managed to get down the field and score the touchdown on a fake in third and goal.

“It was another typical match between these two teams, with very physical play and important games on both sides,” said head coach Danny Maciocia. “Unfortunately, they have made a few more games than us and that makes the difference. I am very proud of our players, they all left on the pitch and everyone here keeps their heads high despite the defeat. ”

The Montreal defense was particularly prominent during the first half of the match, thanks to interceptions by defensive lineman Émile Charron-Ligez (Physical Education and Health) and linebacker Frédéric Chagnon (Administration, HEC Montréal). Junior Luke (Substance abuse: prevention and rehabilitation) also recovered a ball left free by the opponent, forcing the Rouge & Or to commit themselves in a third turn.

The Carabins took advantage of it to take a 6-0 lead after a quarter-play thanks to two successful placements by kicker Félix Ménard-Brière (Landscape Architecture) over distances of 31 and 35 yards.

However, the second game period was a Laval affair. Jonathan Breton-Robert captured the quarterback pass Hugo Richard to complete a four-yard touchdown, and Dominique Lévesque added four points to the dial for the visitors with an 18-yard placement as well as a single.

After halftime, Carabin’s, Samuel Caron (Civil Engineering, Polytechnique), received a hard back contact, forcing him to leave the game. Pierre-Luc Varhegyi (Administration, HEC Montréal) donned his helmet and made his presence felt in his second series on the attack. Halfway in the field, the substitute quartered a long pass to his right and Guillaume Paquet (Industrial Relations) made a stunning catch, good for a 56-yard major. David Deschamps (Advertisement) eventually scored 39 yards to dig a little ahead. With 15 minutes to go, the Carabins led by four points.

Laval’s defense then raised its game level a notch, preventing Montrealers from fleeing with a comfortable lead. In the final right of the match, Red and Or took the ball into his zone and after converting a third try, Richard joined Breton-Robert for a long 47-yard win. Finally, on a third and goals, the Rouge et Or completed a fake reversed game where Breton-Robert found Richard in the zone of the goals so to give the victory to the Red and Gold.

In the defeat, Frédéric Chagnon made five tackles, a sack of the quarter and an interception, while Jonathan Boissonneault-Glaou (Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnique) lowered the opposing quarter twice. The Caron and Varhegyi quarterbacks respectively earned 77 and 112 yards, while their opponent Hugo Richard completed 28 assists for 392 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Red and Gold thus won the Dunsmore Cup after watching the Carabins take home to them in the last two campaigns. Laval will face the winners of the OUA, the Golden Hawks of Wilfrid Laurier University, next Saturday at PEPS University Laval.

With files from: Montreal Carabins

 

Laval vs. Montreal at Montreal, QC 11/12/2016 at 14:12
Laval 20	Montreal 17

 

MFOOT – COMEBACK COMPLETE! @LaurierFootball are the 109th #YatesCup Champions. 43-40 over @WesternMustangs #WeAreHAWKS

— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) November 12, 2016

Laurier (43), Western (40)

LONDON, Ont. (November 12, 2016) – Nathan Mesher kicked the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock to cap the largest fourth quarter comeback in Yates Cup history as the No. 5 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks defeated the No. 3 Western Mustangs 43-40 at Saturday afternoon at TD Stadium.

Trailing 40-19 early in the fourth quarter, quarterback Michael Knevel of Brantford, Ont., preceded to lead the Hawks on three consecutive touchdown drives before Mesher, a native of Waterloo, Ont., connected from 26 yards to give Laurier their eighth Yates Cup title in the 109th edition of the championship game.

“I am probably the only one crazy enough to think it could actually happen,” said head coach Michael Faulds after capturing his first Yates Cup as a coach to go along with the two he won as a player. “I tell the players that and they gave me a nod. But I truly did believe.”

“In the second half, they really started to get on us. We knew if we could hang around just enough, we’d have a chance in the fourth. If we could hold it to two scores, we’d have a really good chance. Once they got the third touchdown, to go up three scores, I thought it was probably slim to none, but that’s why we’re here now. We did enough to get it done,” added Faulds.

Knevel was named the Porter Airlines Player of the Game as he led Laurier to their first victory over Western since 2006 and their first playoff victory in London since 1991. The fourth year quarterback, playing his first season with the Hawks, finished the game 22-of-36 for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

“The thing I’ve noticed about Knevel since day one, is that he doesn’t get nervous at all,” said Faulds on his quarterback. “No matter how big the situation is, he just simply doesn’t, and from that, you can see the guys around him get more and more confidence.”

Brentyn Hall of Toronto, Carson Ouellette of Windsor, Ont., and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. of Ottawa, were all recipients of Knevel’s fourth quarter touchdown passes with Hall finishing the afternoon with a team-high 89 receiving yards.

Second year running back Levondre Gordon of Mississauga, Ont., also starred for the Golden Hawks, filling the void left by injured starter Eric Guiltinan of London, Ont., as he rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Mesher had the best game of his Laurier career on the afternoon, including the championship-winning kick. He connected on all five of his field goals in the contest, matching his total from the regular season, while also tying the team record for most field goals in a game.

On defence, the Onyeka cousins, both from Brampton, Ont., were the Hawks top performers on the day for a unit that forced six turnovers on the day. Godfrey finished the game with 9.5 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups while Nakas, had 8.5 tackles, a half sack, a fumble recovery and forced the fumble late in the fourth quarter that set up Gittens Jr.’s game-tying major.

The group as a whole was key in helping Laurier complete the comeback as the Hawks limited Western to two two-and-outs and a fumble on their final three possessions after giving up 28-straight points to the Mustangs in the second half.

“It’s the philosophy that Coach VanMoerkerke preaches that regardless of what the score is, we’re still going to play hard and our body language is everything,” said Nakas Onyeka of the bounce-back effort of the group in the fourth quarter. “He’s been the defensive coordinator longer than anyone else in Canada and he’s owed pride for that. Although we played horribly in the third quarter, that kind of mentality is what brought us back in the fourth.”

In the 14th all-time meeting between Western and Laurier for the Yates Cup, it was the Mustangs that got off to a strong start, scoring on their opening drive with a 12-yard touchdown from Alex Taylor of Winnipeg, that put Western up 7-0 just over two minutes into the contest.

A 28-yard field goal from Western’s Marc Liegghio of Woodbridge, Ont., extended that lead to 10-0 less than two minutes later, however Mesher answered with a 22-yard field goal of his own to cut the Mustangs lead to 10-3 after the first quarter.

After a 19-yard field goal from Liegghio made it 13-3 for Western midway through the second, the Golden Hawks took control of the scoreboard for the remainder of the frame. Capitalizing on a number of turnovers from the Mustangs, Mesher connected on field goals of 37, 18, and 27 yards, while Gordon scored on a 43-yard run to give Laurier a 19-13 lead heading into the third.

Western responded with a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Golden Hawks 21-0 in the frame. Chris Merchant of Calgary, started things off with a 39-yard touchdown pass to George Johnson of London, Ont., followed by a pair of majors from Taylor to make it 33-19 for the home side after three quarters.

The Mustangs appeared to be in firm control after a 61-yard touchdown pass from Merchant to Harry McMaster of Niagara Falls, Ont., a little under four minutes into the final quarter, however the Golden Hawks took control from there.

Knevel tossed a 29-yard pass to Hall, who made a phenomenal catch in the end zone to begin the comeback with eight minutes left on the clock.

Ouellette narrowed Western’s lead to only seven points on the Golden Hawks next drive, catching a 23-yard touchdown pass from Knevel to make it a one-score game with 2:55 remaining.

The Golden Hawks kept their momentum rolling, recovering a fumble on the Mustangs three-yard line before Knevel connected with Gittens Jr. on a three-yard pass to tie the game at 40-40.

Western went two-and-out on the ensuing drive, giving Laurier the ball on the Western 52 yard line with 47 seconds left on the clock. A 31-yard rush from Levondre Gordon set things up for Mesher to provide the game-winning heroics, finishing things off with a 26-yard field goal to claim their fifth Yates Cup victory over Western and first win over the Mustangs in the Michael Faulds’ era.

“Obviously this is the one team we’ve never beaten, so it feels absolutely phenomenal,” commented Faulds on beating Western. “But I’m the type of guy that I’m already moving on to Laval, so I want to prep for them tonight.”

Laurier now advances to the Uteck Bowl which will be hosted by the Dunsmore Cup Champions, the Laval Rouge et Or, in Quebec City on Saturday, November 19.

Stay tuned to laurierathletics.com for complete game details.

NOTES: Saturday’s victory marks Laurier’s first playoff win against Western on the road since 1991…the win is the Hawks first Yates Cup title since winning back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2005…Laurier has won eight Yates Cup titles in 21 appearances in the conference championship game…attendance at the game was 4134

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks

Laurier Golden Hawks vs. Western Mustangs at London, Ont. 11/12/2016 at 1pm
Laurier 43	Western 40

The @StFXAthletics X-Men win their second straight Subway AUS Loney Bowl over 29-8 @MTA_Athletics pic.twitter.com/hEAv9hax6k

— AUS_SUA (@AUS_SUA) November 12, 2016

Mount Allison (8), StFX (29)

Antigonish, N.S. – The StFX X-Men are the 2016 Subway AUS Loney Bowl champions. Led by game MVP Christian Ridley (Dubai, UAE), the X-Men made it back-to-back conference titles with a 29-8 victory over the Mount Allison Mounties Saturday afternoon at StFX Stadium.

The teams battled in the championship contest for the second consecutive campaign.

X-Men head coach Gary Waterman, the AUS coach of the year commented, “We are very excited to win the Loney Bowl championship here on our home field. I am very happy.”

Ridley, with two touchdowns in the game for the X-Men, echoed his thoughts, saying “It was exciting. It was my first year at X last year so to be a part of that first championship win in 19 years was surreal, and to now win it at home is just again surreal. It is momentous for the school, for the community and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this family.”

Ridley was quick to give credit to his teammates, commenting “The momentum was up and down in the first quarter, but we were able to stick it out. My touchdowns were scrappy plays, one off Kaion [Julien-Grant]’s huge return and the other off Dejuan Martin‘s nice run, but really it was the whole offense coming together for those plays.”

It was the visitors who opening the scoring in the game. On the opening possession, Ryan Lambert (Grimsby, ON) capped a 12-play, 55-yard drive, with a 40-yard field goal to give the Mounties a 3-0 edge. Quarterback Jakob Loucks (Cornwall, ON), the AUS rookie of the year, keyed the almost five-minute march with two rushing first downs on third-and-short plays.

After the X-Men went two-and-out, on offense, conference all-star punter Kieran Burnham (Cambridge, ON) penned the Mounties deep in their own zone. Led by a coverage sack from defensive lineman Mete Konya(Osnabrueck, GER), the X-Men forced a punt. On that play, Lambert conceded a safety to make it 3-2 for the Mounties.

On the next Mount Allison possession, Loucks was injured and left the game. He was replaced by Graham Kelly (Burlington, ON) at quarterback.

With the X-Men driving to put more points on the scoreboard, Donovan Glave (Brampton, ON) thwarted that effort with a sack of AUS MVP Tivon Cook (Scarborough, ON).

The Mounties went back to the offense, from their own four-yard line, after another terrific punt from Burnham. After the Mount Allison offense stalled, Lambert conceded another safety, which gave the home team their first lead – 4-3.

Early in the second quarter, the X-Men offense started to put some first downs together, but the Mounties’ defensive line pressured Cook, which led to an errant throw and interception from defensive back Avery Maloney (Ottawa, ON).

On the following StFX offensive series, Cook connected with Kaion Julien-Grant (Toronto, ON) for a 42-yard pass and catch, but defensive back Devante Sampson (Mississauga, ON) stripped the receiver. Mountie lineman Jesse Myers (Burlington, ON) hustled more than 60 yards to make contact with the loose ball, before it rolled out of bounds, giving the visitors possession and a first down.

After the Mount Allison offense could not capitalize, the X-Men took over with Cook connecting on a 46-yard play with receiver Dejuan Martin (Scarborough, ON). On the next play, Ridley soared for a TD reception. With a Jonathan Heidebrecht (Camrose, AB) point after, StFX took a 11-3 advantage.

Late in the first half, keyed by a highlight reel punt return from Grant, the X-Men went back to the offense deep in the Mountie end of the field. On the next play, Cook found a wide open Ridley for their second TD connection of the first half. With another Heidebrecht point after, the X-Men took a 20-3 advantage to the locker room.

In that first half, the Mounties lost their second quarterback, with Kelly not returning after an injury. They ended the second quarter with running back Quinn LeBlanc (Calgary, AB) playing quarterback.

Early in the third quarter, Lambert hit a 41-yard field goal to trim the X-Men lead to 20-6.

Heidebrecht responded, from 48 yards, to give the X-Men a 23-6 edge.

On the final play of the third quarter, the sophomore placekicker hit an 18-yard chip shot to make it 26-6 for the home side. A screen pass from Cook to Tyler Wilson(Edmonton, AB) was the key play of the drive.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Mounties received a spark from the return of Loucks, who had been taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. On his first play from scrimmage, he connected with Malik Richards (Brampton, ON) on a deep pass, which put the ball at the X-Men’s one-yard line. StFX’s defense stood tall, on the ensuing three plays, and took possession back on downs.

A short time later, the Mounties got the ball back, when a deflected Cook pass landed in the arm of Myers, who made a return deep into the X-Men’s zone. Led by a third-down tackle of Loucks by linebacker Mike Miller (Ottawa, ON), the X-Men created another turnover on downs.

After the X-Men couldn’t engineer anything, on offense, Burnham conceded a safety to make it 26-8. StFX wrapped up the scoring on a 12-yard field goal from Heidebrecht, with less than two minutes left in regulation.

Coach Waterman noted, “It wasn’t one of our cleanest games, we had two challenges we thought we were faced with; being off for the bye week and playing a team who we had beaten soundly the week before, as we knew they were going to make some changes. The first half we couldn’t get any rhythm, I was hoping to get more rhythm for the second half but the game seemed to be an odd game with their quarterback going down, then their second quarterback going down and the quarterback coming back, so there was a lot of outside drama in the game. But you’ve got to be happy with a win, you go in trying to win games and win championships and it’s not easy, beating a tough team like Mount A again wasn’t a simple thing.”

The X-Men outgained the Mounties 363-219 in total offense.

Cook finished 20-for-29 for 264 yards, while Jordan Socholotiuk (Fort McMurray, AB) carried the ball 19 times for 102 yards for the X-Men.

Through the air, Julien Grant and Greg Nugent (London, ON) had six catches apiece, for 67 and 53 yards, respectively. Martin collected 76 yards, on three catches, while Ridley added 48 yards, also on three grabs.

On seven total returns – both kickoffs and punts – Martin finished with 152 yards. His longest scamper, on special teams, was 57 yards.

For the Mounties, Loucks – his team’s player of the game – completed five of 16 passes, for 100 yards, while Chris Reid rushed for 110 yards on 27 carries. Richards had two catches for 42 yards.

Defensively, Kyle Forde (Ajax, ON) led StFX with eight tackles, while Dylan Bell (Brockville, ON) and Hayden Peters added 7.5 and six, respectively.

For Mount Allison, Kyle Horsman recorded a game-high 10 tackles, while Sampson and Glave added 6.5 apiece.

With the win the X-Men advance to the Mitchell Bowl where they will play at the Canada West champion’s school on Saturday, Nov. 19. They await the winner of Calgary and UBC.

The winner of that match-up will play for the Vanier Cup on Saturday, Nov. 26 at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton, Ontario.

Source: StFX 

 

MTA vs. STFX at Antigonish, NS 11/12/2016 at 2:05pm
Mount Allison 8	StFX 29

 

 

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