JUSTIN FAUTEUX
CUP Sports Bureau Chief

Laval defeated the Calgary Dinos in the Vanier Cup last year.

Since late August, the star McMaster Marauders quarterback has dealt with lofty expectations for his team, a crushing early-season loss to Ontario powerhouse Western and a three-game suspension after an altercation involving an undercover police officer.

But in Friday night’s Uteck Bowl, all that mattered was what Quinlan saw on the scoreboard: his team trailing the Acadia Axemen 14-0 late in the first quarter. That was when the Ontario University Athletics first-team all-star and the Marauders sprang into action.

Mac would rattle off 38 consecutive points, including 24 in the second quarter alone, on their way to a 45-21 win over the Axemen and a berth in the Vanier Cup final — the team’s first since 1967.

“I didn’t have to say much after we fell behind early,” McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek told reporters after the game. “The guys are proud. And they knew that if they didn’t start playing like they’re capable of, the game would be over quickly.”

Quinlan — once he and the Marauders found their stride — was, in a word, brilliant. He completed 23 of his 35 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns, adding another 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Rookie running back Chris Pezzetta ran for 147 yards, while fourth-year receiver Brad Fochesato caught five passes for 159 and two touchdowns.

The win brings the Marauders’ winning streak, dating back to the regular season, to nine; all but one of those wins have been by margins of more than 15 points. But no win was more impressive than the upset of the No. 3 Western Mustangs in last weekend’s Yates Cup.

The Marauders shocked the Mustangs, at home, 40-19, avenging their only loss of the season, which came at Western in week two.

Now the Marauders will need that momentum to carry them to another upset — waiting for them in the Vanier Cup final is the Laval Rouge et Or, a team that has won three of the last five national titles.

Much like the Marauders, the Rouge et Or fell behind early in their national semifinal and found themselves trailing the Calgary Dinos in a rematch of last year’s Vanier Cup.

It was 10-3 for Calgary after the opening quarter but Laval came back with a 24-point second quarter of their own. Once the Dinos’ Chris Dobko fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half and the Rouge et Or’s Jérémie Chrétien scooped it up for a touchdown, the game was essentially over.

Calgary wouldn’t score another point after the 10 they put up in the first quarter and Laval punched their ticket to the national title game with a convincing 41-10 Mitchell Bowl win.

The Vanier Cup matchup will actually mark the second meeting of the season for the Rouge et Or and the Maruaders as the teams played an exhibition game at Laval’s PEPS stadium on Aug. 24. The Rouge et Or took that contest 24-10.

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Photo: Yan Doublet/Universite Laval