Repeat of purple reign is on horizon
Western and Laval thrilled they meet again, this time in Quebec City
LONDON, ONT.— Chris Merchant came back from injury to lead the defending Vanier Cup champion Western Mustangs to a rematch of last year’s title game against the Laval Rouge et Or with a 47-24 win against the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Mitchell Bowl on Saturday.
Merchant finished 17-for-28 passing with 251 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another score, after getting hurt on the second play from scrimmage after Western fielded the opening kickoff in the university football national semifinal.
Merchant lay prone on the field for a couple of minutes, hobbling off gingerly with what appeared to be a back injury before returning for the next offensive series. Alex Taylor had 12 rushes for 141 yards and two touchdowns in support of Merchant, while Harry McMaster had 152 receiving yards and two TDs.
Kyle Siemens paced the Huskies with 256 yards in the air and two touchdowns, while Tyler Chow had 143 yards on the ground and a TD. Colton Klassen had 107 yards receiving and two scores, and Joey Trumpy caught nine passes for 98 yards.
“Their offence is good and their quarterback is as good as we’ve played, and we shut them down in the second half,” said Western head coach Greg Marshall, whose Mustangs only gave up a single touchdown to the Huskies after halftime.
Marshall added that while it was a good test for his players, he would have preferred to rest a few in the second half had the score not been so close.
The Mustangs will face the Rouge et Or in the national championship game on Nov. 24 in Quebec City. Earlier Saturday, Laval romped to a 63-0 victory over the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in the Uteck Bowl to set up the matchup.
Merchant’s resolve was also tested in the second quarter when he scampered to his left and was hit hard from the back just as he released the ball. After several minutes on the turf, he was helped off the field only to return for the next series.
Saskatchewan led 17-14 at the time. With time running out in the first half, Merchant carried the Mustangs into field goal position, setting up a 37-yard field goal by Marc Liegghio that tied the game at 17-17.
Minutes into the third quarter, the Mustangs went on an 85-yard drive, capped off by a four-yard run by Merchant to give Western a 24-17 lead. The drive was extended by a thirdand-inches gamble where the Western offensive line formed a rugby scrum and manhandled the Huskies back about 10 yards.
“It was a great push and it gave us a lot of confidence,” Marshall said. “I thought overall it was a great team victory.”
Saskatchewan opted to take a two-point safety late in the quarter, giving the Mustangs a nine-point lead with just 15 minutes to go.
The Mustangs widened the gap to 16 with 10:26 to go when Taylor darted up the middle for a 51-yard run.
“All year it’s been the same story,” Taylor said. “Our defence is just lights out and it took a little to get going there, but our defence just really showed up. It was just the right timing because our offensive line started to really click at that time.”
Chow responded with a 64yard run to the end zone just 30 seconds later. Down by 10, the Huskies opted to kick the extra point instead of going for a twopoint convert, leaving it a twoscore game at 33-24.
But Taylor ran for his second score in four minutes giving the Mustangs a 40-24 lead that they wouldn’t give up. Western back Cedric Joseph scored on a four-yard run with 2:41 left on the clock to cap off the win.