CIS Top 10: Laval ties CIS record with 21st straight win

CIS-SIC.ca Staff

OTTAWA (CIS) – The Laval Rouge et Or top the CIS football national rankings for the fourth time in as many polls this season following their best offensive output in five years.

For the fourth consecutive week, the reigning two-time Vanier Cup champions received all 30 first-place votes and a perfect 300 points from the Football Reporters of Canada panel.

Positions two through eight also remain unchanged in the new Top 10 as Laval is once again followed in order by the No. 2 Calgary Dinos (3-0 / 267 points), No. 3 Western Mustangs (3-0 / 241), No. 4 McMaster Marauders (4-0 / 208), No. 5 Montreal Carabins (2-1 / 171), No. 6 Guelph Gryphons (3-1 / 154), No. 7 Saskatchewan Huskies (2-1 / 114) and No. 8 Mount Allison Mounties (3-0 / 107).

The Concordia Stingers (3-0 / 84) and Manitoba Bisons (2-1 / 47) swap positions this week and now stand at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.

It was another week, another dominating performance for top-ranked Laval. Leading 18-15 early in the second quarter against Bishop’s, the Vanier champs overwhelmed their rivals in the final 42 minutes of action en route to a 72-15 victory, Saturday in Sherbrooke. It was the most points scored by the Quebec City powerhouse in 59 overall contests, dating back to a 73-7 win over Mount Allison on Oct. 17, 2009.

It also marked the 21st consecutive overall win for Laval dating back to 2012, equalling the CIS mark set by McMaster during the 2011 and 2012 schedules. The Rouge et Or can set a new national standard on Saturday when they host McGill (0-3), live on Radio-Canada at 1 p.m.

All-Canadian kicker Boris Bede entered the CIS record book against Bishop’s, while freshman quarterback Hugo Richard continued his remarkable play. Bede booted eight field goals to set a new national mark for a game decided in regulation, while Richard had his first 400-yard outing (407) and shows a 9-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio after three university contests.

Other results from Top-10 teams this past weekend included No. 2 Calgary 38, No. 7 Saskatchewan 24 (at Saskatchewan); No. 3 Western 63, Toronto 15 (at Toronto); No. 4 McMaster 49, York 2 (at York); No. 5 Montreal 43, McGill 17 (at Montreal); No. 6 Guelph 66, Queen’s 0 (at Queen’s); No. 8 Mount Allison 39, Saint Mary’s 8 (at Mount Allison); No. 9 Concordia 29, Sherbrooke 22 (at Concordia); No. 10 Manitoba 20, UBC 10 (at Manitoba).

In the only duel between Top 10 rivals, the second-ranked Dinos survived their first real test of the season, Friday night in Saskatoon. The defending six-time Canada West champions scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes of regulation to break a 24-24 deadlock, including a 35-yard run by reigning conference MVP Mercer Timmis, who had his best performance of the young campaign with 208 yards and three scores on 22 carries and now holds the school record for most rushing majors in a career (30).

The Dinos face a second straight Top-10 opponent on Friday night when they host Manitoba, live on Shaw TV and CanadaWest.TV at 6 p.m. Mountain.
Eighth-ranked Mount Allison and No. 9 Concordia are off to 3-0 starts for the first time since 1998 and 2006, respectively.

NOTES: Laval hasn’t lost since a 23-20 setback at Montreal in conference action on Oct. 13, 2012… McMaster’s run of 21 straight wins overall in 2011 and 2012 ended with a 37-14 loss to Laval in the Vanier Cup… The 50th TELUS Vanier Cup Tour travels west this week and will stop in Calgary on Friday evening for the Dinos’ Student Appreciation Night at McMahon Stadium… For all the information on the 50th TELUS Vanier Cup (including ticket info) visit vaniercup.com.

Other teams receiving votes: Windsor (2), Laurier (1) St. FX (1) and Sherbrooke (1)