NICK FROST
CUP Sports Bureau Chief

EDMONTON (CUP) — Capping off an undefeated season, the Université Laval Rouge et Or are the 2010 Vanier Cup champions after defeating the University of Calgary Dinos on Saturday.

In front of a sold-out home crowd at Laval’s PEPS Stadium, the Rouge et Or sailed to victory with a final score of 29”“2.

It was clear from Laval’s first series and Calgary’s first snap of the ball — a poorly communicated silent-count snap released early and mishandled by quarterback Erik Glavic — which team came ready to play in a championship game.

The first half of the Vanier Cup saw Laval jump out to an early lead with 17 unanswered points and push that gap to 24 going into the half, establishing them as the dominant side in every facet of the match.

Rouge et Or running back and Vanier Cup MVP Sebastien Levesque punched in the team’s first touchdown of the day, despite nearly being forced out of the game on the fifth play of their opening drive after his right leg bent awkwardly beneath him on a hit from the Dinos’ Tye Noble.

That only seemed to spur on the third-year native of Brassard, Que., as he put up solid numbers the rest of the way, leading all offensive players with 168 yards on 30 carries.

“He’s an outstanding runner, he’s very explosive, he’s a home-run hitter,” Laval head coach Glen Constantin said. “He’s been hurt and, when he started coming back, he’s slowly getting back. We could see during the last couple weeks that he was getting back to his cruising speed and he was obviously well-deserving of the MVP.”

Laval pivot Bruno Prud’homme was also successful in moving the ball, completing 10 passes for 163 passing yards and one touchdown, despite only throwing 13 times.

The Rouge et Or defensive line made Calgary’s rushing tandem of Steven Lumbala and Matt Walter, who helped the Dinos finish second in the league with an average 248.2 yards per game, irrelevant throughout most of the afternoon. The two running backs combined finished the first two quarters with just four carries for a measly nine yards, while the entire team could only squeeze out 62 yards on the ground all game.

Perhaps the most embarrassing aspect of the Dinos’ day was their passing game. Glavic, playing in the final game of his CIS eligibility, completed just 22 per cent of his throws, going 6-for-27 on the day.

Top wide-out Anthony Parker, meanwhile, hauled in four receptions for 43 yards, while dropping several important passes throughout the game, including a potential touchdown opportunity on 2nd and 8 at Rouge et Or’s 11-yard-line roughly eight minutes into the third quarter.

“This sort of result is obviously disappointing, but I’m really proud of my players,” Dinos head coach Blake Nill said. “They left it all on the field.”

For Laval, this championship marks their sixth in team history, and their fifth in the past seven years, demonstrating that the current iteration of the Rouge et Or program can proudly wear the label of “dynasty.”

In addition to the victory, Constantin, who has been at the helm for each of those titles, now holds the record for most Vanier Cup wins by a head coach. He exuded nothing but pride as his team celebrated a well-earned victory.

“It just means that we’re building a dynasty here and, hopefully, that we can keep on recruiting great kids — good kids with character. I’ve always thought good teams win championships, but programs build dynasties,” Constantin said.

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Photo courtesy of Yan Doublet/Université Laval