It was ultimately receiver Kevin Mital who was right! The Rouge et Or of Université Laval spent the scratch Saturday afternoon in London to win the 11e Vanier Cup in its history and its first since 2018. A flawless performance in the second half of the Quebec team led to the loss of the Saskatchewan Huskies by a score of 30-24 at Western Alumni Stadium.
For many Rouge et Or fans, this victory brings the Vanier Cup back to its true home. The Université Laval program has won the precious trophy 42% of the time since the beginning of its history with 11 Canadian championships in 26 seasons. An astronomical average of nearly one in five times since the beginning of the Canadian university circuit with 11 successes in 57 seasons for 19.2%. Head coach Glen Constantin earns his tenth ultimate match win against just two failures.
Receiver Kevin Mital inspired his squad with an eight-catch performance for 142 yards while hampered by injury. He also threw a touchdown pass on a trick play in Wildcat formation at the one-yard line early in the fourth quarter to lead the team to victory. His quarterback Arnaud Desjardins booked his best football in the fourth quarter to end his day on the job with 397 aerial yards. Kicker Vincent Blanchard tied a Vanier Cup mark with five field goals.
More details will follow…