Laval wins a strange one
Stifling defence was the order of the day in lowest scoring game in Vanier Cup history
By MIKE KOREEN, TORONTO SUN
Call them the Laval Rouge et field goal et safety. And that's not a bad thing.
Riding the top defence in Canadian university football, the Laval Rouge et Or won the lowest scoring Vanier Cup in the game's 40-year history with two rouges, a field goal and a conceded safety.
In a game that was about as exciting as watching an NHL lockout update on TSN, the Rouge et Or defended their national title with a 7-1 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies before an announced crowd of 14,227 yesterday at Ivor Wynne Stadium here in Hamilton.
"It was almost a great hockey game, 7-1," Rouge et Or receiver/kicker Matthew Leblanc said. "We give credit to (the defence). They deserve it."
While the game certainly receives poor artistic impression marks -- at one stage during the third quarter the teams combined for five turnovers in 13 plays -- the Rouge et Or defence probably considers it a thing of beauty.
The 12 defensive players can tell their grandchildren they won the Vanier Cup without a touchdown being scored.
The eight total points shattered the record low of 19, set in in 1978 and 1967.
Laval erupted for all seven of its points in the second half, erasing the Huskies' huge 1-0 halftime lead.
"Offence sells tickets and defence wins championships, and that's what we proved (yesterday)," said Laval defensive back Matthieu Proulx, who picked off Huskies quarterback Steve Bilan in the end zone during the second quarter and sealed it with another interception in the dying seconds of the fourth.
"It was probably not the most fun game for the fans and the people at home to watch on TV. But we got the W and we got the Vanier Cup, and that's all that's important to us."
Bilan, the Canada West MVP, revealed after the game he had a torn oblique muscle.
It showed.
He had no zip on many throws, especially after taking a few hard hits in the first half. Bilan threw five interceptions and finished 11-for-33 for 113 yards.
"(The injury) is not an excuse," Bilan said. "It was just poor execution on my part and we lost because of it."
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Huskies coach Brian Towriss said he never considered pulling Bilan.
"We felt he was the best guy to get it done," Towriss said.
The Huskies defence did get it done, limiting Rouge et Or star running back Jeronimo Huerta-Flores to 41 yards. The popular theory suggested that if the Huskies stopped Huerta-Flores, they could expose Laval's weak passing game.
But nobody could have predicted Bilan would struggle so badly, even against the top defence in the country.
"See red, see red ... that's what we were saying," Laval defensive lineman Miguel Robede said.
"We've got 12 players going on tackles, we're everywhere. We've got the best defence in Canada.
"That's all I've got to say."
