Vanier Cup live blog

1:50: Almost set for kickoff here at Ivor Wynne. A nice performance by what I believe is the Western marching band; nothing like "Great Balls of Fire", "Taking Care of Business" and "Surfing U.S.A." played by a full brass band! The stands are filling up, and it looks like we'll have a good atmosphere. Let's hope the on-field entertainment is just as strong.

2:07: The band's finished, and here come the teams. Western's in their mostly-white jerseys with silver helmets and purple numbers; Laval's got the mostly-red jerseys with gold helmets and trim on. Neither side's actually on the field yet, though; Western's waiting in the end zone and Laval isn't visible from here.

2:08: And Western runs out onto the field, surrounded by cheerleaders, one with a massive purple-and-white Mustangs flag.

2:09: Laval makes their grand entrance, with cheerleaders and a flag of their own.

2:12: Anthems are sung and we have the classic fighter fly-by. The band leaves the field and we should be set to start. Crowd looks pretty evenly split between Mustang and Rouge et Or fans; not too many neutrals, it seems, as just about everyone's in either red or purple. It's about a 3/4 full house on the opposite side; can't tell what the attendance is like on the side under the press box, as I can't see it. Ivor Wynne has a capacity of around 30,000, so if this side's around the same, that would be around 22,500, a pretty good attendance.

2:15: Laval wins the toss and elects to kick. We'll be switching to game time from here on in.

First quarter:

15:00: Christopher Milo booms a big kick, and Western's Ryan Tremblay finds a hole and takes it back 36 yards. 1 and 10 Western on their 43.

14:15: Western calls a pass play, but Laval linebacker Steve Landry breaks through and sacks Mustang quarterback Michael Faulds.

14:00: Another pass call by Western, and Faulds has time. He hits Jesse Bellamy deep for a first down. 1 and 10 Western on Laval's 47.

13:45: Faulds is hurried, but dumps off a screen pass to Nathan Riva, who picks up 8. 2 and 3 Western. Laval's getting good pressure, though.

12:55: Riva runs up the gut, but is stopped by linebacker Kelly-Joseph Hilare. No gain, and Western sends in the punt team.

12:30: Western kicker Darryl Wheeler booms a punt that bounces at around the Laval 10. Laval returns it to the 25. First and 10.

12:00: Laval QB Benoit Groulx completes a short pass to his favourite target, Julian Feoli-Gudino, who busts some yards after the catch for a first down.

11:17: Groulx finds a hole and runs up the middle himself for 22 yards. 1 and 10 Laval on the Western 46.

11:00: Laval runs the ball for four yards. 2 and 6.

10:44: Groulx finds a receiver with a short screen pass, and they pull another first down out of it. 1 and 10 Laval on Western's 26.

10:30: Groulx is rushed and throws an incompletion. Second down.

10:15: Groulx throws a short pass over the middle to Mathieu Picard, but it bounces off his hands incomplete. Third down.

10:00: Laval tries a field goal, but Milo misses from about 35 yards. Craig Butler tries to run it out but is stopped. Western will start on their 20.

9:34: Riva runs off the left tackle for a gain of 3. 2 and 7.

9:08: Faulds is hurried but completes a pass to Nick Trevail, who makes a sensational catch in tight coverage. That goes for 11 yards. 1st down Western on their own 34.

9:00: Faulds finds Jesse Bellamy wide open deep over the middle, but Bellamy can't pull it in. 2 and 10.

8:45: Faulds finds Dan Duff completely alone on a short route over the middle, and Duncan pulls it in. He takes it to the Western 54. First down. Laval needs to cover those inside routes better.

8:30: Faulds throws one too high for his receiver. 2nd down.

8:15: Faulds goes deep for Ryan Tremblay in double coverage, and it's almost picked off. Send in the punt team.

8:00: Wheeler gets a nice punt off, and it bounces past Laval's returner, who has to retreat to the 1 to pick it up. He's stopped pretty quickly, but there's a flag on the play. The officials gather to discuss it.

7:40: Looks like the call is no yards. Laval gets the ball on their own 14.

7:30: One of Western's receivers is injured, so former Mustang basketball player Jason Milliquet is now starting at wide receiver.

7:20: Laval picks up four yards on another short pass.

6:30: Groulx throws short again, but Western linebacker Adrian Kaiser comes up to make a huge stop. It's 3 and 1, and Laval will punt.

6:05: Milo's punt goes 34 yards and rolls out of bounds at the Western 52. The Mustangs will have good field position here.

5:45: Western runs a trick play. Faulds pitches to running back John Leckie, who laterals it back to him. Faulds then throws a deep bomb for Bellamy, but the defence reads it well and it's picked off. Nice play by Laval there to not bite on the fake run. 1 and 10 Laval on their own 23.

5:25: Laval runs for three yards.

4:56: Groulx throws a deep ball and his receiver makes a nice catch. First down, Laval, on their own 48.

4:40: Laval returns to the short passes, and this one to Mathieu Bouvette goes for another first down. Rouge et Or ball on Western's 42.

4:20: Groulx throws incomplete.

4:00: Groulx is almost sacked, takes off and is dragged down, but gets a shovel pass off to his runnijng back, who takes it for another first down before getting hit hard. 1st down, Laval, on the Western 27.

3:30: Laval running back Sebastien Levesque takes it off-tackle for 3 yards. 2 and 7 Laval.

3:05: Groulx throws incomplete. 3 and 7 on the 27. They'll try another field goal. Good defence by Western.

2:45: Milo hits that one from 33 yards. Laval 3, Western 0.

2:35: Western will start on their own 35.

2:30: Pass play, and Laval breaks through. J.P. Metras Trophy winner Etienne Legare gets the sack for a loss of eight.

2:00: Time-count violation, Western. It's now 2 and 23 from their own 22.

1:30: Faulds goes deep, but his throw isn't anywhere near anyone. Western will have to punt.

1:15: Western's gambling a bit too much on these long bombs; they should try pounding the ball a bit more with Riva or a few screen passes. The underneath stuff was there for them earlier.

1:15: Laval is called for roughing the kicker, but it's still 3 and 13, so Western will punt again. That's where that sack and penalty really hurt.

1:00: Nice punt by Wheeler and Laval doesn't get much of a return. They'll start on their own 36.

0:36: And Laval goes to the run, catching the Mustangs by surprise. Sebastien Levesque takes it up the middle for eight. Second and 2.

0:30: Western defensive back Craig Butler is hurt on the play. He limps off.

0:20: Levesque runs it up the middle for the first down. 1 and 10 Laval on their own 49.

0:11: Groulx goes deep for Maxime Belland, who's in double coverage but manages to find a little room. Looked like he pulled in a diving catch for a minute, but it's ruled incomplete. End of the first quarter.

Second quarter:

15:00: Groulx looks like he'll pass, but he's flushed and scrambles for eight. 3nd and 2 Laval, and they'll punt.

14:30: Great punt by Milo, 47 yards to the coffin corner. Butler is back in the game and returns it, but only gets it a few yards. 1 and 10 Western on their 19.

14:00: Western tries a run, but Laval's line breaks through and stops Riva for a loss of four. Second and 14.

13:30: Faulds completes a pass to David Bonasia, but he only gets seven. 3 and 7 Western, and they'll punt.

13:00: The punt is partly blocked, and only gets to about the 37. Laval brings it back to the 25, but there's a flag. The flag is illegal procedure against Western.

12:30: Another five is tacked on. 2 and 5 Laval on the 20.

12:00: Groulx throws deep to the end zone, but it's incomplete. They'll go for the field goal.

11:45: Milo hits the field goal. Laval 6, Western 0.

11:25: 1 and 10 Western on their own 35. Western takes a late timeout just before the ball's snapped.

11:14: Faulds completes a pass to Travail for 13. 1 and 10 Western on their own 48.

11:00: Faulds is hurried and escapes the first man, but is sacked by Jean-Philippe Gilbert. 2 and 15.

10:37: Faulds goes deep and gets hit in the process; the pass goes right to Laval's halfback, Alex Surprennant, who makes the catch and brings it back about 15 yards.

10:10: Groulx completes a decently long pass. First and 10 Laval on the Western 43.

9:40: Levesque runs for 2. 2 and 8.

9:10: Groulx goes deep over the middle to Mathieu Picard. 1 and 10 Laval on the Western 15.

8:40: Groulx has Picard open in the end zone, but overthrows him. 2 and 10.

8:15: Groulx calls a timeout as the play clock ticks down.

Some first-quarter stats: Groulx was 7 for 12 for 99 yards, Faulds 4 for 9 for 57 with a pick.

8:05: Groulx goes over the middle with a pass, and it's a nice catch at the 2. First down, Laval.

7:53: Backup QB Cesar Sanchez-Hernandez comes into the game and runs the ball in himself. Milo hits the EP and it's Laval 13, Western 0. Looks like Laval's finally finding the cracks in Western's defence. The Mustangs need to get their offence going if they want to stay in this one.

7:43: Those two picks by Faulds are looming large at the moment. Western's defence has spent a lot of time on the field, and they've done a great job, particularly in the red zone. Whenever the Mustangs get offensive momentum, they've turned it over, though. Laval had 143 yards of net offense in the first quarter to Western's 46.

7:40: Tremblay busts a nice return off of Milo's kickoff, bringing it back to the Western 36. First and 10, Western.

7:25: Faulds completes a pass to Trevail for eight, but there's a flag on the play.

7:15: And it's coming back for offensive pass interference. 1 and 25.

7:11: Faulds throws another completion to Trevail, good for 14 yards. 2 and 11.

6:45: Laval's still getting great pressure on Faulds. He scrambles and tries to throw as he's dragged down, but it falls incomplete. 3 and 11 on the Western 35, and they'll punt.

6:35: Good punt by Wheeler, but Laval's star receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino busts a 73-yard return for a TD. It's announced that that's the third-longest punt return in Vanier Cup history. Milo hits the EP and it's 20-0 Laval.

6:15: It's special teams that have been the biggest difference so far. If not for that punt block and punt return, this might still be a 6-0 game.

6:00: A great kick by Milo down to the one, but Western's special teams step up. Ryan Tremblay takes it 57 yards, and it's going to be Western ball on the Laval 47.

5:45: Faulds finds Trevail over the middle. It looks like he makes the catch, but he's hit and the ball pops out. It's recovered by Western, but ruled incomplete, not a fumble. 2 and 10.

5:30: Western goes to the air again, and Faulds finds Bellamy for about 10. They measure and then announce it as a first down. 1 and 10 Western on the Laval 37.

5:15: Faulds again finds Bellamy for about eight yards, and Bellamy makes a great move to get another seven or so. 1 and 10 Western on the Laval 25.

5:00: Two Laval linemen break through, but Faulds dumps the ball off to fullback Dan Duff, who takes it about six yards. 2 and 4.

4:30: Faulds throws incomplete. 3 and 4, and it looks like Western will kick the FG.

4:00: Wheeler hits the 26-yard FG, but there's a flag on the play. Offside, Laval. That will give Western a first down on the Laval 19. Another five yards is tacked on, probably for protesting. 1 and 10 Western on the 14.

3:30: Faulds goes to Nick Trevail in single coverage just in the end zone, and Trevail makes a great leaping grab. Touchdown, Western. Wheeler hits the PAT, and it's now Laval 20, Western 7. We might have a game on our hands here. Those penalties by Laval could be huge. An FG wouldn't change the momentum much; a touchdown could.

3:19: Good coverage by the Mustangs on this kickoff, and Kaiser steps up to make the tackle. Laval will start on their own 19.

2:58: Laval runs it up the middle, and picks up a gain of four. 2 and 6 Laval on their 24. The scoreboard's slow, and still thinks the ball's on the 14.

2:44: The Mustangs finally get some pressure on Groulx, but he's able to dump the ball off to running back Maxime Beland for 14 yards. Laval's called for holding after the play, so it's only a gain of 9. First down, Laval.

2:33: And Groulx goes deep to Feoli-Gudino. What a throw, just before he was hit. The ball must have gone about 40 yards in the air. Feoli-Gudino pulls it in at full stride and takes it in for the touchdown. It's a 82-yard play, and the second-longest reception and touchdown in Vanier history. Milo hits the EP and it's Laval 27, Western 7.

2:15: That really quieted the Western fans. Looked like they were back in this for a moment but for that tremendous play from Laval. Western doesn't get too far on the kickoff return; they'll start on their own 19.

2:10: Faulds is rushed and dumps it to slotback Mike Hegarty for a loss.

2:00: Faulds completes a pass, but it's short of the first down. Western will punt it away. Feoli-Gudino brings it back 15 yards, and it's Laval ball on the Western 38 with 1:50 to go. They could tack on another one here before the half.

1:50: Groulx completes a short pass over the middle for a first down. 1 and 10 Laval on the Western 25.

1:24: Western tackle Mike Van Praet makes a great play, breaking through the middle to sack Groulx. 2 and 16.

1:10: Groulx goes end zone, but it falls incomplete. Flag on the play.

1:05: Flag is offside against Laval, and it's declined. 3 and 16 Laval on Western's 31. Looks like they'll try a long FG. Milo misses wide left from 38 yards, and Craig Butler runs it out. 1 and 10 Western on their 20.

0:50: Faulds completes a long pass over the middle to Bellamy for 20 yards. Bellamy gets hit hard by two Laval players, but he hangs on. First down.

0:45: Faulds completes a pass to Trevail, but there's a flag on the play. Offside, Western. 1 and 15 on their own 35.

0:35: Faulds throws deep to fullback Dan Duff, who makes a great catch and takes it down to the Laval 32. He's stripped of the ball by a Laval player with a tremendous tackle from behind, though, and the Rouge et Or recover. Laval gets the ball on their own 33.

0:28: Levesque runs up the middle for a loss of one. 2 and 11 Laval on their own 34.

0:22: Pitchout to Levesque, and he runs for six yards. 3 and 4 Laval, 22 seconds on the clock. They'll punt.

0:15: Butler returns it, but doesn't get far. That ends the half. Laval 27, Western 7.

Halftime:

Not a good half for Western. Great defence by them at the start, but their offence got nowhere and their defence couldn't hang on forever. A couple of great special teams plays by Laval also made a difference, and the turnovers are killing the Mustangs. If Faulds doesn't throw those picks and Duff doesn't fumble, this could be a very different game.

Rob has a very interesting look at the field positions of each team here. That really shows how dominant Laval's been. They couldn't convert in the red zone until late in the half, but they've put together some great drives. Western's struggled to get anything going.

Halftime stats:

Laval has 14 first downs and 339 net yards to Western's 9 and 196. The Mustangs have zero net rushing yards on three attempts, which is brutal; I thought they'd be doing much better on the ground, but they went away from the run early and it's tough to go back to it when you're in this deep of a hole. Faulds is 16 of 24 for 215 yards and 1 TD, which isn't bad, but he also has two picks. Groulx is 13 of 21 for 274 yards and a TD. Laval's run game isn't too impressive, though: Levesque's been the main back (even though their depth chart lists him as #3), and he has 38 yards on 10 carries. A 3.8 average won't get it done in three-down football. Laval's also winning the field position battle on punts: Milo's averaging 41.7 yards per punt, while Wheeler's averaging 37.8. Not looking too good for Western's chances.

Second half:

Third quarter:

15:00: Western kicks off, and Levesque returns it to the Laval 35.

14:45: Levesque carries it up the middle for five yards. 2 and 5.

14:40: Oh, and it's snowing now. The wind's picking up as well, and the seagulls are circling, looking like vultures hovering over the almost-corpse of the Mustangs.

14:35: Laval goes offside. 2 and 10.

14:05: Kaiser makes a huge play, sacking Groulx for a 10-yard loss. 3 and 20 and Laval will punt.

13:45: Milo punts it a good ways, Butler brings it back nine yards and they'll tack a no-yards on for good measure. Western ball in great field position on the Laval 40. They need a TD here to get back in this.

13:15: Quick screen pass to Milliquet for two yards. 2 and 8.

12:45: Faulds goes deep for Trevail, and it looks like he pulls it in with a diving catch. Ruled incomplete, though, and Wheeler will punt.

12:20: The punt goes out of bounds at the Laval 14, and they'll take over. Western really should have done more with that field position.

12:00: It's rather bloody cold in the press box now; I can't imagine what it must be like in the open stands or down on the field. The snow is really coming down.

11:55: Levesque runs up the middle for four.

11:30: Groulx throws a short pass to Mathieu Bouvette, who takes it outside and beats the entire Mustang defence. He goes 92 yards for the TD. As Chris Berman might say, 'Il pourrait aller toute la distance!' That's a Vanier Cup record for the longest reception.

11:15: That just might be the final dagger in Western's heart. Looked like they might have something going for a while, but a 92-yard screen pass will burst anyone's bubble.

11:15: Milo hits the EP and it's Laval 34, Western 7.

11:10: Butler pulls off a nice kickoff return and Western will start on their 39.

10:50: Faulds throws to Riva, and that goes for 13 yards and a first down.

10:20: Faulds tries to find Riva deep again, but he's double-covered, and the pass is almost picked off.

10:00: Laval breaks through and a couple of linemen drag Faulds down, but he gets a short pass off as he falls. It's ruled incomplete, though. 3 and 10 Western. Will they go for it? Marshall was bold enough to do that against Queen's this year, and punting can't help them now; they need a hell of a lot of points, and they need them fast.

9:30: Faulds goes for it on third and airs it out to Trevail. It's a bit too high and he can't reel it in, but pass interference is called. 1 and 10 Western on the Laval 46.

9:02: Just announced that Groulx has already broken the Vanier Cup record for passing yards in regulation time, with still almost two quarters to go. He already has over 350 yards.

8:50: Riva runs for 5. 2 and 5.

8:40: Faulds hits Bellamy near the sidelines, and he reels it in. First down, Western, on the Laval 39.

8:25: Faulds tries Bellamy again, but it's incomplete.

8:15: Faulds hits Trevail in tight single coverage for a first down. 1 and 10 Mustangs on the 22.

8:05: Faulds is rushed and Beaudoin-Cloutier almost gets a huge sack, but a brilliant cut block by fullback Dan Duff takes him out. Faulds gets free and hits Bellamy in the end zone. Touchdown, Western. Wheeler hits the EP and it's Laval 34, Western 14. Nice play by Duff to redeem himself for that fumble; without his block, that would have been a painful sack.

8:00: Wheeler kicks off to the Laval 13, but Levesque busts a big return to the Laval 36. That's where they'll start.

7:30: Groulx completes another short pass for a first down. They get it at the 47.

7:15: Levesque runs for nine. 2 and 2. Laval tries a short run, but they're penalized on the play. 2 and 7 on the 50.

6:45: Good pressure from Western and Groulx is sacked by Vaughn Martin. The ball pops loose, but Laval centre Louis-David Gagne dives on it. With the ball on their 40, Laval will punt.

6:15: Milo booms a punt, and Butler brings it back. A no-yards is tacked on, and it's Western ball on the 55.

5:45: Faulds is flushed, but throws a screen pass to Riva, who busts it for a first down.

5:15: Faulds to Riva again on a wide screen, and it's another first down. Western ball on the 34.

5:00: Announced attendance: 13, 873. That's much less than I thought: this side must not have too many people. Then again, the other side is loosely-spread, so that comes into it.

4:30: Faulds throws end zone, incomplete.

4:15: Riva runs for four. 3 and 6.

4:00: Western goes for it and Faulds tries a short pass to Trevail, who can't reel it in. Turnover on downs. Laval ball on their own 30.

Record update: That 92-yard pass to Bouvette is the longest touchdown in Vanier Cup history, but only the second-longest pass, not the longest as I stated earlier. Groulx's other long TD pass, the 82-yarder to Feoli-Gudino, is now the fourth-longest TD pass in Vanier history. Ryan Tremblay's 62-yard return is the longest kickoff return in Vanier history, and Feoli-Gudino's punt return for a TD is the third-longest punt return in Vanier history.

3:35: Another short pass from Groulx turns into a first down. 1 and 10 Laval on their own 41.

3:15: Levesque runs it up the middle and finds daylight. Again, let's bring in Chris Berman. "Il pourrait aller toute la distance!" He does in fact aller toute la distance, and it's another touchdown for Laval. That's a 63-yard run. Milo hits the EP, and it's now Laval 41, Western 14. The slightly large lady has begun her aria. That's the third-longest run in Vanier history and the second-longest run for a TD in Vanier history.

3:00: Milo kicks off and Tremblay takes it back to the Western 45.

2:32: Incomplete pass, Faulds. 2 and 10.

2:20: Faulds pressured and he dumps it to Duff, who manages to get the first down. 1 and 10 Western on their 51.

2:10: Pass complete to Hegarty for a first down. Ball's on the Laval 38.

1:50: Faulds drops to pass, has no one open and runs himself for seven yards. 2 and 3.

1:35: Faulds hits Milliquet outside, and it looks like he has the catch, but he bobbles it and it falls incomplete. 3 and 3. Western's going for it.

1:15: Riva runs up the middle and looks like he has a first, but they'll measure.

1:05: They'll give him the first. Ball on the Laval 27.

0:50: Faulds is hit, but gets an end-zone bomb off for Trevail. A Laval defender does well to get a hand on it, but Trevail still gets his hands on it with a diving attempt. He can't pull it in, though. 2 and 10.

0:35: Faulds hits Bellamy with a short pass, and he gets the first with a nice move. Ball on the 16.

0:15: Faulds finds Bellamy again, but he can't hang on. Looks like he prepared for the hit before he caught the ball.

0:05: Laval goes offside. 2 and 5 Western on the 11. They run and get another couple of yards. That ends the quarter.

Fourth quarter:

15:00: We could see the record for most points by one team broken. It's currently 54, set by Calgary in 1995 against Western (the Dinos won 54-24).

14:55: Faulds throws a short pass to Riva and he takes it in for the TD. Wheeler hits the EP. That makes it Laval 41, Western 21.

14:45: Western kicks off and Levesque takes it, but he fumbles and the Mustangs recover. Western ball on the Laval 27. This could get interesting.

14:30: Faulds hands to Riva, but he's stopped at the line. Loss of two.

13:55: Faulds drops to pass, then runs up the middle for nine. Third and three.

13:30: They hand it to Riva and he doesn't get too far. Depending on the spot, he might have the first down though. They'll bring in the chains to measure.

13:15: He's short, and that probably kills whatever chance Western had. We'll see, though: I declared them pretty much dead quite a while ago, but they still seem to be moving.

13:00: Laval ball on their own 19. Levesque runs for a few yards. Second and six.

12:30: Laval hands it off to Maxime Beland, who gets close to a first down but is stopped. 3 and 1, and Laval decides to punt.

12:00: Milo punts it out of bounds at the Western 48. The field is now covered with snow, more white than green. Most of the crowd's still here, but they must be awfully cold.

11:30: Big play for Laval. Marc-Antoine L.Fontin sacks Faulds from the blind side for a loss of five.

11:00: Faulds throws incomplete. 3 and 15 and Western will punt.

10:40: Wheeler punts, and it's returned up to Laval's 40. That's where they'll start.

9:50: Levesque runs for 1. 2 and 9.

9:30: Groulx throws a short pass over the middle, and it's incomplete. Laval's offence is having trouble now. 3 and 9 and they'll punt.

9:10: Good punt by Milo and Butler doesn't get far on the return. 1 and 10 Western on their 33.

9:00: It's looking like Lambeau Field out here with all the snow. This is crazy. I can't remember the last time I saw a game with this much snow. You can barely make out the yardage lines on the field.

8:45: Faulds hits Trevail with a pass, but a tremendous hit knocks the ball loose and a Laval player recovers. Laval ball on the 38. If they can get a TD here, that should finish the Mustangs off, as there's not much time left.

8:15: Laval called for holding. 1 and 20 on the Western 48.

8:00: Groulx throws for Matthew Leblanc, and it looked like he had a diving catch for a second, but it's ruled incomplete. 2 and 20.

7:30: Huge play from Western: defensive end Andrew Hrytzak busts through and sacks Groulx. 3 and 28, and they'll punt.

7:10: Great punt from Milo pins Butler near the sideline around the Western 15. He gets it up to the 23, and Western will start from there.

7:00: Faulds throws deep for Duff and he got his hands on it, but couldn't hang on. Almost picked off, but it falls incomplete.

6:40: Faulds throws a pass to Trevail, but there's a flag on the play. Illegal contact called on Laval; 10-yard penalty. 1 and 10 Western on their 33.

6:30: Faulds makes a great throw over double coverage to a deep, open Trevail, but he can't reel in the slippery ball. That might have been a TD if he got it.

6:20: Faulds hits Milliquet for 19.

6:10: Faulds throws incomplete. 2 and 10 near midfield.

5:45: Faulds is sacked. 3 and 17 Western at their own 45.

5:30: Faulds throws deep, incomplete. Laval takes over, and that's probably it; not much time left now. Interestingly, though, Laval hasn't scored since late in the third quarter.

5:15: Laval penalized: 1 and 20 on the 55.

5:00: They hand off to Beland, and Western's caught by surprise. He runs for 20 yards and close to a first down. They'll measure. Laval gets it.

4:00: Laval moves the ball down to the 30, but the drive stalls there and Milo hits a 37-yard FG. Laval 44, Western 21.

3:30: Western takes the ball on their 35. Surprisingly, most of the crowd still seems to be here, and the Laval fans are making a great amount of noise.

3:15: The game MVP has been announced as Laval's Julian Feoli-Gudino. A deserving candidate, to be sure.

3:00: Faulds completes a short pass to Riva for 3 yards. 2 and 7.

2:48: The Mounties are bringing the cup out.

2:40: Faulds completes a pass to Trevail for a first down. According to the Western radio guys, that's a personal best in completions for him (31).

2:30: Faulds throws incomplete, but pass interference is called. 1 and 10 Western on their own 47.

2:26: Faulds throws incomplete to John Leckie, who hasn't played much today.

2:20: Faulds completes a long pass to Bellamy. First down at the Laval 32.

2:10: Another short completion for a first down at the Laval 21.

2:05: Faulds throws end zone for Trevail, who can't quite pull it in.

1:55: Faulds is hit while throwing a screen pass to Duff, who has to leap and catch it. He falls down for a loss of four.

1:44: Faulds goes end zone for Milliquet, who can't reel it in in tight coverage. Laval gets the ball on their 25.

1:20: Laval runs twice for a total gain of 2. They'll punt.

1:10: Deep punt by Milo, and Butler doesn't get far. Western ball on their 31.

0:48: Faulds completes one to Riva for a first down. This is almost done.

0:40: Faulds deep for Bellamy, but he can't reel it in. 2 and 10 on the Western 42. Faulds has thrown for over 400 yards in a losing cause today.

0:30: Faulds dumps it off to Duff, but he loses yards. 3 and 13 Western. They;kk just let the clock run out, and Laval will claim their fifth Vanier Cup. Final score, Laval 44, Western 21. Laval fans storm the field, and it's all over. Thanks for tuning in!
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16 comments:

  1. I note that Ben Chapdelaine, former Mac QB, is the (bilingual) PA announcer at Ivor Wynne.

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  2. Milo may be 0-for-1, but Morreale is 0-for-2 so far in his pronunciation of "Groulx."

    Speaking of Groulx, I didn't know he was that mobile. Some nice open-field running from the Hec winner just now.

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  3. Yeah, he's done very well off the scramble. He's also thrown a couple deep balls, which I didn't expect.

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  4. With that punt return, it's 20-0 and Western hasn't been over midfield since about halfway through the first. This isn't looking good.

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  5. ...and Western promptly gets a huge punt return and two quick first downs to get to Laval's 25. So what do I know.

    Morreale: now 0-for-7. He stopped saying it, so I guess it's a moderate gain.

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  6. What a pretty route by Feoli-Gudino. No wonder Groulx completed three of four passes if he could throw often to this guy. He completely undressed his cover man and got open just as Groulx was in trouble.

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  7. That play from Groulx to Feoli-Gudino was amazing. Groulx threw it about 40 yards under tight pressure and hit his man in full stride; that's incredibly tough to do. Feoli ran that route perfectly as well.

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  8. That Duff fumble — karma!

    Western's front seven has done a good job on the run, but they've been helpless against the pass ...


    Michael Faulds, great job considering the pressure he's been under, 24 attempts for 215 is pretty good. The two picks he threw were really team mistakes; calling the fleaflicker when you have not established a rushing threat is a little dodgy. The second INT, it looked like a Western receiver might have pulled up short instead going down the sideline.

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  9. I almost didn't believe that rushing total for the Mustangs when it flashed on the screen a second ago. Brutal is the only word for it.

    Speaking of "on the screen," something I would like to see more often on the broadcast is the sideline view of the line of scrimmage. Often, we don't get that until the ball has been snapped, leaving viewers (this viewer, at least) unsure as to where the teams are staring from.

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  10. Groulx had a great run for the clinching first down in the '06 Vanier vs. Saskatchewan off a bootleg ... he's pretty nimble, but in their offence the QB does not scramble.

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  11. They just showed a view of the stands under the press box. Looks to be about half-full at this point.

    22 rushing yards for Western!

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  12. That spot (13:15 of the 4th) was really terrible. Western was jobbed out of about two yards, the difference between a turnover and a first down.

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  13. Yeah, that spot wasn't a good one. Could make a difference.

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  14. Morreale brought up the 1996 Grey Cup as a comparison to these conditions. That game was also at Ivor Wynne, also snowy and cold, but to a greater degree. (It's only about -4 in Hamilton today...12 years ago, it was much less than that with a bitter windchill.)

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  15. Near the end of game they flashed an attendance figure on the screen. I believe it was in the neighborhood of 13,500. Not great seeing it is in the major pop. area of Southern Ontario and a school in the area was in it.

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  16. Yeah, the attendance wasn't the best. The stands under the press box must have been much less full than the far side. Perhaps not the best sign for the Vanier, considering that both Laval and Western have strong travelling fan bases. Still, the fans who were here were great, and many of them stuck it out to the bitter end.

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