For the first time since 2014, the Université de Montreal are Vanier Cup champions, defeating the University of British Columbia 16-9 in the 58th Vanier Cup at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ont. on Saturday afternoon.
Hec Crighton award winner Jonathan Sénécal showed off the dual-threat skills that led Western head coach Greg Marshall to compare him to Edmonton Elks’ quarterback Tre Ford. He finished the game with 171 yards through the air and 50 on the ground along with what turned out to be the game-winning rushing touchdown on the way to being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Led by Bruce Coulter Award winner Nicky Farinaccio, Montreal’s defence finished off a dominant defensive season in style, holding the high-scoring UBC offence to its second-fewest points total of the season. The Carabins allowed just 21 points in four playoff games after allowing 11.6 points per game during the regular season.
The Carabins got on the board first after forcing UBC to concede a safety to take a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. On the ensuing drive, Carabins’ receiver Iraghi Muganda scored on a 15-yard run to increase the lead to 9-0.
The Thunderbirds finally got on the board in the second quarter when Kieran Flannery-Fleck hit a 32-yard field goal and later cut the Carabins’ lead to three with a 41-yarder with a little over a minute left in the first half.
Following a shanked punt by UBC, the Carabins’ offence capped a great drive with a seven-yard Sénécal touchdown run to take a 16-6 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter.
A masterful drive by the Thunderbirds stalled deep in Montreal territory and they were forced to settle for a third Flannery-Fleck field goal to cut the Carabins’ lead to 16-9 with five minutes remaining. It was the final score of the game as Montreal secured their first national championship in nine years.
This is the Carabins’ second Vanier Cup title. Montreal won their only other national championship in 2014 when they defeated the McMaster Marauders 20-19 in the 50th Vanier Cup. This was Montreal’s fourth trip to the Vanier Cup, having lost their two previous championship games to the Thunderbirds in 2015 and the University of Calgary Dinos in 2019.
The Carabins finished off the rare Canadian football double after the Alouettes won the Grey Cup a week ago with a thrilling 28-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Hamilton. Montreal becomes the first city to win both a Vanier Cup and Grey Cup in the same season since Edmonton did it in 1980.
