1 week Ago By Taylor Shire
Article content The Regina Rams fell just short in the quest to continue their storybook season. Despite holding a 14-10 lead late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Mitchell Bowl, the Rams fell 17-14 to the Laval Rouge et Or in the U Sports national football semifinal at Mosaic Stadium. With the win, Laval advances to the Vanier Cup where they in Kingston, Ont.
on Nov 23 where they will take on the Laurier Golden Hawks who beat the Bishop’s Gaiters 48-24 in the Uteck Bowl. After getting into the playoffs in the final week of the regular season with a 3-5 record, the Rams upset the top-seeded Manitoba Bisons in the semifinal before beating the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Canada West championship, becoming the first team with a record below .500 to win the Hardy Cup, which was Regina’s first since 2000.
Meanwhile, Laval put together a 7-1 regular season record before capturing the Dunsmore Cup with a win over the Montreal Carabins in the Quebec final to advance to the Mitchell Bowl. As for Saturday’s Mitchell Bowl, it was a defensive battle in the opening quarter on Saturday as Regina held Laval to just 15 yards of offence while forcing three straight punts. Laval’s defence also came to play as they forced two punts and a turnover on downs in the opening 15 minutes before being called for roughing-the-kicker which extended Regina’s fourth drive of the game.
After generating a first down through the air, the Rams couldn’t find the end zone as Isaac Wegner came on to kick a 20-yard field goal early in the second quarter to make it 3-0 Rams. Following another punt by Laval, Regina’s offence started to roll as quarterback Noah Pelletier hit Renzel Arinaza for a 20-yard gain before running back Christian Katende picked up a 12-yard gain along the ground. After the drive stalled out, Wegner was wide on a 33-yard field goal attempt which went through the back of the end zone for a rouge to make it 4-0 Regina.
On Laval’s next play, the Rouge et Or found a spark as quarterback Arnaud Desjardins found Olivier Cool for a 75-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors up 7-4 with the convert. After another punt by Laval, the Rams picked up a big play as Pelletier threw a swing pass to Marshall Erichson before the running back rumbled 61 yards to get into scoring range. However, the Rams couldn’t score a touchdown as Wegner kicked a 14-yard field goal to tie the game 7-7.
In the third quarter, after hitting the uprights on a 30-yard field goal attempt on their opening drive, Laval was looking to take the lead midway through the quarter but Desjardins was intercepted by Rams defensive back Michael Jourdan in the end zone. After the Rams were forced to punt it away following the turnover, the Rouge et Or put together a long drive on their next possession before Regina’s Jacob Tkachuk popped the ball loose from Laval’s Williams Tremblay on the 10-yard line. Jourdan then jumped on the loose ball to secure the turnover for Regina.
However on the ensuing possession, the Rams gave it back as Pelletier was intercepted by Laval’s Jordan Lessard, who returned it to the Regina 28-yard line before the Rouge et Or took a 10-7 lead with a 32-yard field goal with 7:54 to go in the fourth quarter. The Rams then jumped on top with a five-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 36-yard touchdown run by Erichsen, which made it 14-10 Regina with the convert with 3:45 left. With plenty of time to work with, Laval responded with an 11-play, 85-yard drive capped off with a five-yard touchdown pass from Desjardins to Isaac Gaillardetz to put the Rouge et Or up 17-14 with 1:19 to go.
As Regina looked to put together a drive, Pelletier hit Emmett Steadman for a first down before failing to pick up a third-and-one near midfield, which secured the win for Laval. [email protected] The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day.
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