QUEBEC CITY, QB - Following a back and forth battle with the Saskatchewan Huskies this past weekend in the Mitchell Bowl, the Mustangs have officially booked their ticket back to the Vanier Cup for a rematch with the Laval Rouge et Or.
Western faced their toughest test of the season last Saturday against a Saskatchewan team riding the momentum off a huge upset victory over the Calgary Dinos the week prior. The Huskies' defence was relentless in their pressure from the opening kickoff while running back Tyler Chow did everything he could to try and will his team to the national championship.
However, while the Huskies' defensive intensity seemed to wane early in the second half, the Mustangs took full advantage, outscoring Saskatchewan 30-7 in the final two quarters of play to earn their way back to the Vanier Cup with a convincing performance.
But despite the defensive fortitude from Saskatchewan and their inspiring play throughout the postseason, Laval will undoubtedly prove to be an entirely different challenge for the purple and white this weekend.
The Mustangs will be traveling into unfriendly territory for the national championship, as Laval will once again enjoy the advantage of both hosting and participating in the Vanier Cup. But playing in front of a raucous Laval fan base will be the least of Western's concerns as they look towards a Rouge et Or team coming off a 63-0 victory over St. Francis Xavier in the Uteck Bowl.
Despite the high scoring total, it was the defence that led the Rouge et Or on the day, as it has all season long. Laval held St. Francis Xavier to just 56 rushing yards, 68 passing yards, and three first downs throughout the entire game while forcing the X-Men into two fumbles and two interceptions on the day.
But surprisingly, such a dominant defensive performance isn't an anomaly for Laval. The Rouge et Or have held opponents below ten points in all but two games this year, outscoring teams in the RSEQ conference 307-54 throughout the regular season.
On the other side of the field, the Rouge et Or will be led by quarterback Hugo Richard and running back Alexis Cote. Richard has been the pillar behind Laval's offence all season long, throwing for 273.1 yards per game throughout the regular season and putting on a passing clinic last weekend in the Uteck Bowl, totaling an incredible 327 passing yards and five touchdowns.
Cote shared the rushing responsibilities throughout the season with a number of other backs but exploded for 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns against St. Francis Xavier, tearing apart the X-Men's defensive line with ease.
However, despite the dominance of the Rouge et Or on both sides of the field, the Mustangs will be the ones entering this weekend as the defending Vanier Cup champions, defeating Laval 39-17 one year ago in Hamilton, Ontario. It was the defence that led Western to the victory last year, sacking Richard four times while
Fraser Sopik, who had a field day with the Huskies in the Mitchell Bowl, led Western to the national championship with a team-high 11 tackles.
And while Sopik has spearheaded Western's defence, quarterback
Chris Merchant has been the engine behind the Mustangs' offence for the second-straight season. Merchant picked Laval's defence apart last season, totaling 276 passing yards with no interceptions, and has been even more effective throughout the playoffs this season.
In the Yates Cup and the Mitchell Bowl, Merchant has combined for 575 passing yards and three passing touchdowns between the two games, connecting with receiver
Harry McMaster time after time in what has become an unstoppable duo.
But despite the incredible passing, it's been Merchant's ability to prove himself as a dual-threat quarterback in the playoffs and take the hits that come along with rushing the ball that has made the Western offence so potent. Totaling 149 rushing yards between the two games while averaging 8.7 yards per carry, Merchant has been forced to pay for his daring play by taking a number of threatening hits.
The fourth-year quarterback was forced to leave the Mitchell Bowl twice due to injury after succumbing to a pair of late hits, but despite the physical abuse, Merchant dominated the second half to lead the Mustangs back to the Vanier Cup and earn Mitchell Bowl MVP honours along the way.
"Merchant's toughness tonight was incredible," said Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall following the victory. "To be able to take all those hits and still insist on playing is special. It was a courageous effort."
But in spite of the constant praise from teammates and coaches alike, Merchant insists the credit deserves to go to those around him.
"I don't deserve any of the credit today, it all goes to the guys up front who were blocking for me," said Merchant after earning the MVP award. "The team effort today was unbelievable. Everybody was firing on all cylinders and our backs were running the ball downhill for us all night, so I really don't feel like I deserve the MVP. If you could give the MVP to the entire team you should because they all deserve it."
And while Merchant's humbleness understates his incredible performance, Saturday's national championship will indeed be featuring a Mustang roster lined with the best talent the country has to offer. Laval's defence will be forced to contend with a pair of the nation's best running backs in
Cedric Joseph and
Alex Taylor, the league's top kicker and punter in
Marc Liegghio, a breadth of talented receivers in McMaster,
Brett Ellerman, and
Cole Majoros, and a defence led by the most gifted defensive player in the country, Fraser Sopik.
Saturday's rematch will be the first back-to-back meeting in Vanier Cup history since Western and Acadia squared off in 1976 and 1977. As both programs enter the national championship with perfect 11-0 records on the year, Laval will be looking for retribution for last year's loss on their home turf while the Western Mustangs hope to capture their eighth Vanier Cup in program history.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 P.M. EST and fans can catch all the action live on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet One.
