VANCOUVER – It would have been the biggest comeback in Vanier Cup history.
The Laval Rouge et Or’s rally from a 23-0 half-time deficit fell just short as they lost the Vanier Cup 41-38 in double overtime Friday to the McMaster Marauders.
“We can’t spot a team like that 23 points,” said Laval coach Glen Constantin, whose team was dethroned after winning the title last year. “We’re very proud of our kids. We just fell short today.”
Constantin was denied a record sixth Vanier Cup crown while his club missed out on its third in four years.
Before Tyler Crapigna kicked the winning 20-yard field goal, the Rouge et Or looked like they were going to make history. No club had ever come back from such a large deficit to win the Canadian Interuniversity Sport football title.
In the previous 46 years, teams had only come back from first-half shutouts twice to win the Vanier Cup. Laval had was one of the teams that had done so, with a 7-1 win over Saskatchewan in 2004. Saskatchewan had staged the only other miracle finish, rallying to beat St. Francis Xavier 31-12 in 1997 after allowing a dozen points in the first half.
“We just said, ‘Let’s die on the field,'” said Laval defensive end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon of the conversation at half-time.
The biggest halftime deficit that a team has overcome in the Vanier Cup is 18 points. Queen’s trailed Calgary 25-7 in the 2009 final but came back to win 33-31.
Laval took the lead 24-23 on star running back Sebastien Levesque’s 44-year touchdown in the fourth quarter, but could not turn the tide for good. The Rouge et Or tied the game 31-31 on Julian Gudino’s five-yard touchdown reception and created a tie again, at 38-38 in overtime, as Adam Thibault hauled in a 33-yard touchdown pass after the ball bounced off his chest and his arms.
“We tried to come back against a really good team,” said Gascon-Nadon, wiping back tears. “We showed we’re a great team ourselves.”
McMaster defensive back Steven Ventresca finally snuffed out Laval’s never-say-die rally as he intercepted a Bruno Prud’homme pass in the second extra session to set the stage for Crapigna’s heroics.
“It’s tough in overtime — it starts from the 35 (yard line) and that’s all there is,” said Prud’homme, who completed 21 of 30 passes for 239 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. “It was tough for me, I put my teammates in trouble.”
Moments later, a distraught Prud’homme, who completed his university eligibility, apologized to Constantin and sobbed on his coach’s shoulder. The coach responded by giving him a pat on the back for never quitting.
When Crapigna booted a 24-yard field goal to put the Marauders ahead 23-0 and Prud’homme was sacked on back-to-back plays, it looked like the Ontario squad would coast through the rest of the game.
But Laval quickly rallied in the second half. Guillaume Rioux returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown. Then Frederic Pierius ran back an interception for a 37-yard touchdown, reducing Laval’s deficit to 23-14, sparking a rally that people will be talking about for a long time.
“We weren’t comfortable with that (half-time) lead, to say the least,” said McMaster quarterback Kyle Quinlan, who was chosen as the game’s most valuable player. “This is as good as it gets in the country. We knew that they would make a game of it.”
Notes” After a slow start, Levesque led all rushers with 136 yards.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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