Battle of the titans for Vanier Cup
The Western Mustangs have put up staggering numbers during their remarkable U Sports football season.
They are undefeated at 11-0. They led the country with an average of 48.3 points per game. They have outscored the opposition by a whopping 222-47 in the playoffs.
The only thing standing in the way of their perfect season are the reigning Vanier Cup champions from Laval.
“I know we’ve got a good football team but I’m realistic enough to know that this is going to be our biggest challenge by far,” Mustangs coach Greg Marshall said Thursday at a news conference.
The top-ranked Rouge et Or (10-1) and No. 2 Mustangs will meet Saturday at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field in a matchup of the two most decorated programs in Canadian university football history.
Western is looking for its seventh Vanier Cup title and first since 1994. The Rouge et Or are looking for their 10th national crown. Something will have to give when Laval’s top-ranked defence (9.6 points allowed per game) meets Western top-ranked offence (608.5 yards per game).
The Mustangs will likely get a boost from the busloads of supporters set to make the 90-minute drive from nearby London.
Western started its playoff destruction with a 66-12 rout of Guelph, followed by a 75-32 victory over Laurier in the Yates Cup. The Mustangs then went to Acadia to crush the Axemen 81-3 in the Uteck Bowl. Laval, meanwhile, has been challenged at times throughout its post-season run.
The Rouge et Or dumped Sherbrooke 45-0 in the Quebec conference semifinal before pulling out a tight 25-22 win over Montreal. Laval had a so-so first half in last week’s Mitchell Bowl before topping Calgary 35-23.