The Laval Rouge et Or have added to their lead atop the Canadian university football record book. Heading into Saturday’s 57th Vanier Cup against the Saskatchewan Huskies, the Rouge et Or had won a record 10 national titles. (The Western Mustangs are second with eight.) And with a 30-24 win over the Huskies in the Mustangs’ home of London, Ontario Saturday, the Rouge et Or improved that number to 11:
The @rougeetor are your 2022 Vanier Cup Champions !!!
Le @rougeetor sont vos champions de Coupe Vanier 2022 !!! pic.twitter.com/n03HXyu37W
— U SPORTS Football (@USPORTS_FB) November 26, 2022
On the day, Laval quarterback Arnaud Desjardins completed 27 of 36 passes (75.0 percent) for 396 yards, with receiver Kevin Mittal (this year’s winner of the Hec Crighton Award as the top U SPORTS player) hauling in eight catches for a team-high 142 yards and completing his only pass attempt (on a trick play) for a one-yard touchdown to David Dallaire. Desjardins also rushed four times for 31 yards, while Kalenga Muganda added 19 carries for 76 yards (4.0 yards per carry) and a touchdown. For Saskatchewan, quarterback Mason Nyjus had 34 completions on 43 attempts (79.1 percent) for 344 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
This victory adds to Laval’s dominance over the Canadian university football scene. Their 11 national titles in 27 seasons since their 1996 inception are impressive, as are their 16 Dunsmore Cup (Quebec) championships. But this is the first Vanier Cup title for the Rouge et Or since 2018. So it’s certainly notable to see them add to that all-time lead in Vanier titles.
[CBC; image from U SPORTS Football on Twitter]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.