The Université de Montréal Carabins defense did it again and helped the team win the Vanier Cup on Saturday.
The Carabins allowed just three field goals to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds en route to a 16-9 victory and the second Canadian university football title in their history.
After allowing only 12 points – four field goals – in its three previous playoff games, the Montreal defense resisted a comeback attempt by the Thunderbirds in the fourth quarter to confirm its title. She hasn’t allowed a touchdown since the third quarter of the final game of the season.
The offense, led by quarterback Jonathan Sénécal, did not have its best game, but it did enough with a touchdown in each half to allow the Carabins to win the Vanier Cup for the first time since 2014.
The Carabins had lost their last two appearances in the Canadian final, including that of 2015 against these same Thunderbirds. The Montrealers then lost 26-23 in the last game of the game.
The suspense continued until the final seconds, but this time to the advantage of the Carabins.
Sénécal, the best player in Canada, scored a touchdown in the third quarter for the Carabins. Iraghi Muganda scored the other major for the Montreal squad.
Kieran Flannery-Fleck gave the Thunderbirds their only points of the match thanks to three field goals. The western champions also conceded a safety touchdown to their opponents.
The defenses stand out
The Thunderbirds started the game in the best possible way when Jason Soriano intercepted a pass from Sénécal to set the tone. The attack, however, was unable to continue this momentum.
So much so that after a long punt by Philippe Boyer, the University of British Columbia had to concede a safety touchdown.
The Carabins managed to orchestrate a great offensive sequence to put themselves in a position to add to their lead. Muganda capped his nine-play, 75-yard offensive streak with an 18-yard run for a touchdown.
After a 32-yard field goal from Flannery-Fleck, the Thunderbirds quietly moved up the field until Gabriel Maisonneuve caused a fumble at the expense of Isaiah Knight.
Flannery-Fleck kicked a 41-yard field goal to cut the lead to 9-6 at halftime.
The Carabins took advantage of a short clearance from Flannery-Fleck to recover the ball at their 38 line and the attack got underway. Sénécal put the finishing touch by running the last seven yards separating him from the end zone to give his team a 16-6 lead.
Very tight for three quarters, the Montreal defense gave up somewhat when Thunderbirds quarterback Garrett Rooker pulled a few rabbits out of his hat to advance the ball. Flannery-Fleck made another field goal to give his team hope, but Montreal was able to close the books.