THE CANADIAN PRESS
QUEBEC – The Laval Rouge et Or are going to the Vanier Cup for a fifth time after the country’s top-ranked team trounced the No. 6 Calgary Dinos 59-10 in the Uteck Bowl on Sunday.
The 11-0 Rouge et Or, the only perfect team in Canada this season, will play the Western Ontario Mustangs, who defeated the Saint Mary’s Huskies 28-12 in the Mitchell Bowl.
Laval, which last won the Vanier Cup in 2006, scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and on four of its first five drives against Canada West champion Calgary to build a 29-0 lead after the opening quarter and a 49-0 advantage at the half.
Benoit Groulx, named the QUFL MVP for the second time in three years, connected with Mathieu Bouvette on 80 yards on the first Laval play from scrimmage, then scored on a five-yard run two plays later to send the Rouge et Or ahead 7-0 one minute and 33 seconds into the game.
Groulx found Bouvette in the end zone from 16 yards out on Laval’s next possession and connected with Julian Feoli-Gudino for a six-yard score on their third drive. After 8:23 of play, the locals were up 21-0.
Following a Christopher Milo kickoff single, Groulx once again connected with Bouvette for a 16-yard touchdown on Laval’s fifth drive with 53 seconds remaining in the first frame.
A pair of Milo field goals and short TD runs by backup quarterback Cesar-Roberto Sanchez-Hernandez and running back Guillaume Allard-Cameus followed in the second quarter as Laval entered the locker room up by 49.
“You can bet that hurts, a big play like that right off the bat,” Groulx said of the opening play.
“When you’re playing in front of nearly 15,000 screaming supporters, it’s got to get to you.”
Dinos coach Blake Nill said the dramatic start caught his team by surprise.
“We came out and we were fairly fired up but we were still uncertain of what we were getting into,” Nill said.
“Only myself and another guy had been here before. It was tough. In the first half we just couldn’t get out of our own end.”
Laval played mostly second-string players in the second half.
In the third frame, Milo added a third field goal and Maxime Beland scored the Rouge et Or’s last major on an eight-yard run, while Anthony Woodson, on a six-yard pass from Deke Junior, and Aaron Ifield, on a kickoff single, finally put Calgary on the board.
Laval conceded a safety to Calgary for the only points of the fourth period.
Rouge et Or coach Glen Constantin told his second string to go out and have fun.
“I told them, ‘It’s the best situation to play football, with 30 minutes gone and no stress on our side. So, go out there, have fun and finish off the job.”‘
Groulx, who set a CIS record in the regular season completing 75.2 per cent of his passes, was named Uteck Bowl MVP after going 12 of 14 for 254 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His favourite targets were Bouvette, who finished with four catches, 120 yards and two scores, and Feoli-Gudino, who caught seven balls for 123 yards and a TD.
Beland was the game’s top rusher with 116 yards and a score on 12 carries.
Tackle Etienne Legare led the way on defence with 5.5 tackles and two of Laval’s six sacks.
Junior was 16-of-28 for 159 yards, one TD and one interception in the losing effort.
Laval out-gained Calgary 534-236, including 250 yards to 78 on the ground, and racked up 31 first downs compared with 14 for the Dinos.
Last week, Laval survived a late rally by the No. 9 Concordia Singers to win the Dunsmore Cup 28-17 for a sixth straight Quebec conference championship.
The Dinos, who beat Simon Fraser 44-21 in the Hardy Cup last week, were in a bowl game for the first time since 1995.
