Only two teams remain standing in Canadian university football.
Montreal and McMaster earned victories on Bowl Saturday in the CIS in very different ways. The Carabins used an aerial assault to gain a lead and two defensive studs Anthony Coady and Byron Archambault combined to force and recover a fumble in the game’s waning moments to seal a victory. Meanwhile, the Marauders methodically pounded Mount Allison into submission, rushing the ball 45 times and sacking Mounties quarterback Brandon Leyh on nine occasions.
There were a numbers of takeaways from CIS semifinal Saturday, so let’s get to the goods.
Uteck Bowl
Carabins QB has a ‘live’ arm
Some pundits around the country viewed Montreal quarterback Gabriel Cousineau as a game manager, but in his school’s first ever Bowl win, he proved that he’s capable of carrying his team. The senior pivot threw for 421 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns in the Carabins 29-26 victory. On Cousineau’s first pass of the game, he let go a seed down the middle of the field to Mikhail Davidson for an 89-yard touchdown strike. It was a precision throw with plenty of velocity on the football, and Montreal’s QB was on point from there on out.
Cousineau’s Uteck Bowl performance is even more impressive when you consider he didn’t have much of a run game to help balance the Carabins offence. Outside of his rushing totals (six carries for 21 yards and one touchdown), Montreal running backs managed just 42 yards on the ground. Not only did he carve up the Bisons secondary, but he also did it when they knew he was going to throw the ball. Cousineau’s effort has to be the first reason why Montreal will play in their first ever Vanier Cup.
Grande bleu defence
Montreal’s defensive all-stars came through when needed most. Fourth-year safety Anthony Coady came on a blitz in the final minute with Manitoba on the Carabins 12-yard line and caused a fumble that Quebec Defensive Player of the Year, Byron Archaumbault, recovered. It was a tandem effort that clinched the win for Montreal.
Defensive lineman Jean-Samuel Blanc and Mathieu Girard – both RSEQ All-Stars – didn’t have the impact Montreal likely wanted and it led to the Carabins looking vulnerable against the pass – Manitoba quarterback Jordan Yantz put forth a strong showing (22-35, 320 yards and two touchdowns) – for most of the Uteck Bowl. However, with their backs literally against their own goal line they found a way to get the job done – a sign of a mentally tough unit.
Mitchell Bowl
Marauders flying to the QB
Mounties head coach Kelly Jeffrey said before the game, “You’ve got to be able to handle the pressure and hurt McMaster with a big play against it or they’ll keep bringing it.” He was right.
From the first to final whistle, the Marauders were relentless with packages and different looks aimed at terrorizing Mount Allison pivot Brandon Leyh. On the second snap of the game, defensive back Andrew Surya dropped Leyh for a sack on a blitz and it started a feeding frenzy. In total, McMaster racked up nine quarterback takedowns, while pressuring and hitting the passer many times throughout the game.
McMaster sent linebackers from every different gap and defensive backs off the edges, too. With so many looks it’s not easy to determine pre-snap where the pressure might come from. It was too much for Mount Allison to handle.
Ball control to the max
Even though dynamic running back Chris Pezzetta went down grabbing his left knee on his first rush of the game – he sustained ACL injuries in 2012 and 2013 before getting healthy for this season – and spent the rest of the game on the sideline, McMaster still pounded away on the ground. Wayne Moore stepped in to shoulder the load, carrying 30 times for 146 yards. Moore’s success was part of McMaster’s game plan to keep the ball in their hands.
To start the second half, McMaster took four minutes and 11 seconds off the clock on a 10-play, 71-yard drive capped by a six-yard Moore touchdown run to take a two-score lead, 19-7. Then, in the fourth, the Marauders methodically marched 49 yards on 11 plays – chewing up five minutes and 38 seconds – that led to a field goal, which essentially put the game out of reach.
The Marauders had possession of the football for exactly 41 minutes. That’s over three-quarters of the entire 60-minute game – talk about controlling the pace and tempo.