The Laval Rouge et Or have taken a top-three spot in the U Sports football rankings after clinching first place in the RSEQ standings with a 28-0 win over the Sherbrooke Vert et Or.
Arnaud Desjardins threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns in the win, capping a dominant season at the helm for Laval. Angel Vital rushed 19 times for 141 yards in the win, while Natan Charron had an excellent day on the defensive side of the ball, making three tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one sack.
The win clinched first place in the RSEQ standings for the Rouge et Or, who will host the Concordia Stingers in this weekend’s semifinal game. Laval was ranked No. 4 nationally this past week but leapfrogged the Western Mustangs to reach the top three. Western fell one spot after beating the McMaster Marauders in the OUA quarterfinals by a score of 46-10.
The Guelph Gryphons rose from No. 7 to No. 5 following a 26-15 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees, marking their first playoff win since 2021. The Bishop’s Gaiters fell from No. 6 to No. 5 despite routing the Mount Allison Mounties 51-14 to finish 8-0 in the regular season for the first time this century.
The Manitoba Bisons rose from No. 8 to No. 7 after beating the UBC Thunderbirds 51-38, making them the highest-ranked Canada West team heading into the playoffs. UBC fell from No. 6 to No. 9 following the loss, while their opponent for this weekend’s conference semifinal, the Saskatchewan Huskies, moved onto the rankings at No. 10.
The Queen’s Gaels moved up one spot from No. 9 to No. 8 after scoring a last-minute touchdown to upset the Windsor Lancers 22-19. Russell Weir hit Logan Walton for a 39-yard touchdown with five seconds left in the game, giving the Gaels a berth in the OUA semifinals for the fourth straight year.
The St. FX X-Men fell off the rankings after narrowly beating the Saint Mary’s Huskies, making them one of six remaining active teams that aren’t nationally ranked. The others are the Regina Rams, Acadia Axemen, Huskies, Concordia Stingers, and McGill Redbirds.
Click here for a full recap of this past weekend’s U Sports action.
Playoffs schedule
Atlantic University Sports (AUS)
Saint Mary’s Huskies at St. FX X-Men (Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. EDT)
Acadia Axemen at Bishop’s Gaiters (Nov. 2, 2:00 p.m. EDT)
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
Queen’s Gaels at Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. EDT)
Guelph Gryphons at Western Mustangs (Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. EDT)
Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)
Concordia Stingers at Laval Rouge et Or (Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m. EDT)
McGill Redbirds at Montreal Carabins (Nov. 2, 3:00 p.m. EDT)
Canada West
Regina Rams at Manitoba Bisons (Nov. 2, 3:00 p.m. EDT)
Saskatchewan Huskies at UBC Thunderbirds (Nov. 2, 3:00 p.m. EDT)
Standings
Atlantic University Sports (AUS)
Bishop’s Gaiters 8-0
St. FX X-Men 5-3
Saint Mary’s Huskies 4-4
Acadia Axemen 2-6
Mount Allison Mounties 1-7
Ontario University Athletics (OUA)
Laurier Golden Hawks 8-0
Western Mustangs 7-1
Guelph Gryphons 6-2
Queen’s Gaels 5-3
Windsor Lancers 5-3
McMaster Marauders 4-4
Ottawa Gee-Gees 4-4
Carleton Ravens 2-6
York Lions 2-6
Toronto Varsity Blues 1-7
Waterloo Warriors 0-8
Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)
Laval Rouge et Or 7-1
Montreal Carabins 7-1
McGill Redbirds 3-5
Concordia Stingers 2-6
Sherbrooke Vert et Or 1-7
Canada West
Manitoba Bisons 7-1
UBC Thunderbirds 5-3
Saskatchewan Huskies 5-3
Regina Rams 3-5
Alberta Golden Bears 2-6
Calgary Dinos 2-6
