Dream duel at Vanier Cup with two undefeated teams

League officials are calling Saturday ’s Vanier Cup rematch between the reigning champion Western Mustangs and the host Laval Rouge et Or a dream final for university football.

“You could not ask for a better matchup,” said Lisette JohnsonStapley, chief sports officer of U Sports, the organizing body for Canadian university sports.

It’s only the fifth time in the 54-year history of the Vanier Cup that teams undefeated in the season will meet in the league final. Western brings a 23-game winning stretch into the match, just two shy of Laval’s record 25-game run (2012-2014).

Western and Laval finished onetwo, respectively, in the rankings this season, as they did last year. The teams are also the top two winners of Vanier Cups, with Laval taking nine in 11 appearances. Western is 7-for-13 in Vanier showdowns.

Laval’s home-field advantage has not been lost on Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall, who masterminded Western’s 39-17 win over the Rouge et Or last year in Hamilton. Laval has won both of its two previous Vanier battles fought on home turf.

“That’s totally different. As much as we tried to pump noise into our stadium this week, it’s not the same. They won’t understand until they get out there on Saturday afternoon,” said Marshall, whose team could become the first squad in U Sports history to finish with back-to-back unblemished seasons.

The two quarterbacks are the same, with Laval’s record-breaking pivot Hugo Richard playing his last game at the university level.

“Especially for the fifth-year guys, including me, it’s a special thing to be able to play our last game ever at home, especially in a Vanier Cup,” Richard said.

He’ll be facing fourth-year Western QB Chris Merchant, who led the Mustangs to a hard-fought 47-24 victory in last week’s Mitchell Bowl against Saskatchewan.