A beautiful autumn afternoon in Regina saw the Montreal Carabins capture the 60th Vanier Cup over the Saskatchewan Huskies in front of 8,896 fans. The win for Montreal is their second in three years while Saskatchewan losses their seventh straight Vanier Cup since winning it back in 1998. Huskies quarterback Jake Farrell completed 2o out of 31 passes for 229 yards and two interceptions, while rookie Carabins quarterback Pepe Gonzalez completed 27 of 33 passes for 344 yards and three touchdown passes. Full Vanier Cup recap below…..

Montreal won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Saskatchewan the ball first. Philippe Boyer’s opening punt found the endzone, giving Montreal the rouge and an early 1-0 lead. On the first play for Saskatchewan, Jake Farrell’s pass was picked off by Louis-Philippe Gauthier, giving Montreal’s offence an early chance. Now facing a sudden challenge, Saskatchewan’s defence responded strongly by forcing the Carabins to punt after a quick 2-and-out.

On Montreal’s second possession of the game, the Carabins started at their own 51-yard line and marched down to Saskatchewan’s 17-yard line, setting up a 24-yard field goal from Philippe Boyer to increase the Carabins’ lead to 4-0. On the following drive for Saskatchewan, which began at their own 35-yard line, Jake Farrell led the charge to Montreal’s 13-yard line. The drive looked promising until a low snap on second down forced Farrell to rush the ball himself. The Huskies settled for a 20-yard field goal to cut Montreal’s lead to 4-3.

Montreal began the second quarter facing third down, converting thanks to Mathieu Barsalou. Moments later, showing his arm strength, Philippe Boyer launched a 41-yard pass to Brandon Gourgon for the first touchdown of the afternoon, giving Montreal an 11-3 lead early in the quarter. In response, Saskatchewan marched the ball downfield on a 9-play, 82-yard drive capped off by a Ryker Frank touchdown, continuing the fifth-year running back’s dominant season and pulling the Dogs within one. The one-score deficit wouldn’t last long, as Lukas Scott’s kickoff sailed 85 yards through the endzone, tying the game at eleven apiece.

Montreal’s next drive stalled on Saskatchewan’s side of the field, giving Boyer a shot at a 59-yard field goal. The attempt sailed wide left and out of the endzone, producing the third rouge of the game and a 12-11 Montreal lead. Later in the quarter, the Carabins had possession looking to extend their lead heading into halftime. In the redzone and facing second-and-five in the final seconds, Saskatchewan’s defence came up with a huge stop, forcing Montreal to settle for a field goal and take a 15-11 lead into the half.

Montreal started the second half with the ball. Saskatchewan’s defence came up big early, forcing a Carabins punt, but the Dogs would begin their drive deep in their own zone at the 17-yard line. Both defences took over to start the third quarter, with the Huskies finally breaking through on their second possession of the frame that was highlighted by a 46-yard pass from Jake Farrell to Liam Piccinin. Montreal’s defence held Saskatchewan to a field goal, a 32-yard attempt by Lukas Scott, trimming the Carabins’ lead to 15-14.

As both defences continued to stand tall, another Boyer punt found the endzone, giving Montreal a 16-14 lead. On the final play of the third quarter, after marching downfield, Pepe Gonzalez connected with Hassane Dosso for a 32-yard touchdown, extending the Carabins’ lead to 23-14.

Saskatchewan’s defence, led by veteran Seth Hundeby, came up with their first sack of the afternoon, and a massive one that forced Montreal to concede a safety. The Carabins’ defence answered quickly by intercepting Jake Farrell for the second time, this one a spectacular one-handed grab by Harold Miessan at Saskatchewan’s 51-yard line. The defences continued to trade stops, with Saskatchewan sacking Carabins quarterback Pepe Gonzalez for the second time in the quarter. However, it wasn’t enough to spark Saskatchewan’s offence, as Montreal would score a late touchdown to extend their lead to 30-16, the eventual final score. Montreal’s Pepe Gonzalez and Louis-Philippe Gauthier were named the Players of the Game

Following is postgame media scrum audio with Huskies Jake Farrell, Seth Hundeby, Head Coach Scott Flory, as well as Montreal Carabins Head Coach Marco Iadeluca, and official game stats courtesy of U SPORTS…

Huskies Head Coach Scott Flory

Huskies Quarterback Jake Farrell

Huskies Linebacker Seth Hundeby

Carabins Head Coach Marco Iadeluca