2008 CIS Football Season
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2008 CIS football season began on August 23, 2008, and concluded with the 44th
Vanier Cup The Vanier Cup (french: Coupe Vanier) is the championship of Canadian university football. It is organized by U Sports football and is currently played between the winners of the Uteck Bowl and the Mitchell Bowl. It is named after Georges Vanier, ...
national championship on November 22 at
Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium (formerly Civic Stadium) was a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The stadium was the home of the Hamilton Tiger ...
in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
, with the
Laval Rouge et Or The Laval Rouge et Or (, ''Red and Gold'') are the athletic teams that represent Université Laval, located in Quebec City, Quebec. Home games are all held in the PEPS indoor and outdoor sports facilities. Varsity teams Laval Rouge et Or teams c ...
winning their fifth championship. Twenty-seven
universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
across
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
compete in
CIS football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confer ...
, the highest level of amateur play in
Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...
, under the auspices of
Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Can ...
(CIS).


Schedule

The regular-season schedule began early with a single
Canada West Universities Athletic Association Canada West is a regional membership association for universities in Western Canada which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providing contact information, schedules, results, and releases abo ...
game in week one on Saturday, August 23, between the
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thu ...
and the
Simon Fraser Clan The SFU Red Leafs or Simon Fraser Red Leafs teams (formerly the Simon Fraser Clan) represent Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Canadian university affiliated ...
at Swangard Stadium in
Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...
. The
Ontario University Athletics Ontario University Athletics (OUA; french: Sports universitaires de l'Ontario) is a regional membership association for Canadian universities which assists in co-ordinating competition between their university level athletic programs and providin ...
and remaining CWUAA teams got underway the following week during the
Labour Day Labour Day ('' Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...
weekend and the
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
and
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
conferences beginning their matches the week following that. The regular-season concluded in Week 10 on the weekend of October 24/25 for all but the Ontario conference, who had concluded the previous week and held their conference quarter-finals. All conferences held their semi-finals the weekend of November 1/2, and conference championships the weekend of November 8/9. This year, the National Semi-Finals took place on November 16. The
Calgary Dinos The Calgary Dinos are the athletic teams that represent the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. They were known as the "Dinosaurs" but usually referred to as the "Dinos" until 1999, when the name was officially shortened. Some of its venue ...
, the
Hardy Trophy The Hardy Trophy is a Canadian sport trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association Football Conference of U Sports, the country's governing body for university athletics. It is named for Evan Hard ...
-winning Canada West team travelled to Quebec City to take on the
Dunsmore Cup The Dunsmore Cup (french: Coupe Dunsmore) is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the university-level football competition conducted by Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), the governing body for all student sport ...
winning
Laval Rouge-et-Or The Laval Rouge et Or (, ''Red and Gold'') are the athletic teams that represent Université Laval, located in Quebec City, Quebec. Home games are all held in the PEPS indoor and outdoor sports facilities. Varsity teams Laval Rouge et Or teams c ...
of the Quebec conference for the
Uteck Bowl The Uteck Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the easternmost of the two semifinal venues. The Uteck Bowl champion moves on to f ...
and the Atlantic conference's
Saint Mary's Huskies The Saint Mary's Huskies are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary home turf is Huskies Stadium located in the centre of the University's campus. In September 2 ...
Jewett Trophy The Jewett Trophy is a Canadian sports trophy, in honour of Dr. B. L. Jewett, presented annually to the winner of the Atlantic University Sport Football Conference of U Sports. Unlike the other three conference championship games, the game in whi ...
winners visited the
Western Ontario Mustangs The Western Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. The school's athletic program supports 46 varsity teams. Their mascot is a Mustang named J.W. and the school colours are purple and white. ...
, Ontario's
Yates Cup The Yates Cup (french: La Coupe Yates) is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of U Sports. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back ...
winners, in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for the
Mitchell Bowl The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this game ...
. Finally the Bowl winners, Laval and Western, met for the Vanier Cup national championship on Saturday, November 22, in Hamilton, the day before the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
's
96th Grey Cup The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal, Quebec at Olympic Stadium on November 23, 2008. The East Division champion Montreal Alouettes hosted the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders. The Stampeders won the game 22–14, with quarterback Henry ...
in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. Laval won the game 44-21 and became the just the twelfth CIS team to finish a season undefeated. 2007 marked the first year that the Vanier Cup and Grey Cup were played on the same weekend but they both took place in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
's
Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...
as part of the
95th Grey Cup The 95th Grey Cup was held in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on November 25, 2007. The Grey Cup, first awarded in 1909, is the championship game of the Canadian Football League. It was played between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg ...
celebrations. Dating back to 1973, previous Vanier Cups had always been played the week following the Grey Cup.


Awards and records


Awards

*
Hec Crighton Trophy The Hec Crighton Trophy (sometimes referred to as the Hec Crighton Award) is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian football player in U Sports. The trophy is named after the late Hec Crighton - teacher, coach, referee, and author of th ...
Benoit Groulx, Laval *
Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...
Thaine Carter, Queen's *
Russ Jackson Award The Russ Jackson Award is presented to the U Sports Football player best exemplifying the attributes of academic achievement, football skill, and citizenship and is named in honour of Canadian Football League Hall of Famer and former Ottawa Rough ...
– David Hamilton, University of Toronto *
J. P. Metras Trophy The J. P. Metras Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding down lineman in U Sports football. The award was first initiated in 1974 and is named after John Pius Metras. Metras was a former coach of the Western Mustangs from 1939 to 1969 ...
Étienne Légaré Étienne "The Rock" Légaré (born March 15, 1984 in Saint-Raymond, Quebec) is a professional Canadian football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Toronto Argonauts in the first round of the 2009 CFL Draft. He pl ...
, Laval *
Peter Gorman Trophy The Peter Gorman Trophy is awarded to the Rookie of the Year in U Sports Football. The Trophy acknowledges the great contribution Peter Gorman has made to the development of Canadian University Football. As founder of the Canadian College Bowl, his ...
Jordan Verdone, Waterloo


All-Canadian Team


First Team

;Offence : Benoit Groulx, QB, Laval : Michael Giffin, RB, Queen's :
Jamall Lee Jamall Lee (born March 13, 1987) is a former professional Canadian football running back who played for three seasons for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League as an un ...
, RB, Bishop's : Julian Feoli Gudino, WR, Laval : Scott Valberg, WR, Queen's :
Erik Galas Erik Galas (born July 16, 1986) is a former professional Canadian football slotback. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Alouettes in 2009. He played CIS football for the McGill Redmen. Galas is the all-time leader for catches ...
, IR, McGill : Gary Ross, IR, Mount Allison : Louis-David Gagne, C, Laval : Simeon Rottier, OT, Alberta :
Steve Myddelton Steve Myddelton (born July 27, 1986 in Barrie, Ontario) is a retired professional Canadian football offensive lineman. He was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the fourth round of the 2009 CFL Draft and played for parts of five seasons for that ...
, OT, St. Francis Xavier : Vincent Turgeon, G, Laval :
Luc Brodeur-Jourdain Luc Brodeur-Jourdain (born March 17, 1983) is a Canadian football offensive line coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Prior to his coaching career, he played in 11 seasons as an offensive lineman for the Alouette ...
, G, Laval ;Defence :
Étienne Légaré Étienne "The Rock" Légaré (born March 15, 1984 in Saint-Raymond, Quebec) is a professional Canadian football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Toronto Argonauts in the first round of the 2009 CFL Draft. He pl ...
, DT, Laval : Dedrick Sterling, DT, Queen's : Scott McCuaig, DE, British Columbia : Osie Ukwuoma, DE, Queen's : Thaine Carter, LB, Queen's :
Andrea Bonaventura Andrea Bonaventura (born March 11, 1986) is a professional Canadian football linebacker. He was drafted by the Edmonton Eskimos in the third round of the 2009 CFL Draft. He played CIS football for the Calgary Dinos, where he was named All-Canadian ...
, LB, Calgary : Joash Gesse, LB, Montreal : Callan Exeter, FS, Mount Allison : Maxime Bérubé, DB, Laval : James Savoie, DB, Guelph : Hamid Mahmoudi, CB, Montreal :
Jeff Zelinski Jeff Zelinski (born September 16, 1982) is a former Canadian football defensive back. He played CIS Football at Saint Mary's, where he played cornerback. He was selected in the fifth round (40th overall) of the 2008 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan R ...
, CB, Saint Mary's ;Special Teams :
Rob Maver Rob Maver (born March 12, 1986) is a retired professional Canadian football Punter (football), Punter, having played his entire 10-year football career with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted fifth overal ...
, P, Guelph :
Christopher Milo Christopher Milo (born November 2, 1986) is a former professional Canadian football placekicker. He was drafted 30th overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2011 CFL Draft and signed with the team on June 1, 2011. He played CIS football fo ...
, K, Laval : Jim Allin, RET, Queen's


Second Team

;Offence : Danny Brannagan, QB, Queen's :
Matt Walter Matthew John Walter (born July 20, 1989) is a retired professional Canadian football running back. Walter spent 4 seasons with the Calgary Stampeders, he was most recently a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football Le ...
, RB, Calgary : James Green, RB, St. Francis Xavier :
Jedd Gardner Jedd Gardner (born July 22, 1988, in Niagara Falls, Ontario) is a Canadian football wide receiver for the Guelph Gryphons. He was selected to compete in the East–West bowl and in the 2011 CFL combine. He was drafted 28th overall by the T ...
, WR, Guelph :
Nathan Coehoorn Nathan Joel Coehoorn (born September 17, 1986) is a former Canadian football wide receiver who played his entire professional career for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. After the 2010 CIS football season, 2010 CIS season, he w ...
, WR, Calgary : Mark Stinson, IR, Toronto : Alain Dorval, IR, Sherbrooke : Kurtis Stolth, C, Manitoba : Scott Evans, OT, Laurier : Bryan Jordan, OT, Saint Mary's : Hubert Buydens, G, Saskatchewan : Vincenzo De Civita, G, Queen's ;Defence : Dan Schutte, DT, Saint Mary's : Don Oramasionwu, DT, Manitoba : Mathieu Brossard, DE, Montreal : Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier, DE, Laval : John Surla, LB, Western : Henoc Muamba, LB, St. Francis Xavier : James Yurichuk, LB, Bishop's : Matthew Carapella, FS, Western : Corey McNair, DB, Western :
Joel Lipinski Joel Lipinski (born July 29, 1985 in Regina, Saskatchewan) is a professional Canadian football defensive back who most recently played in 2011 with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free ag ...
, DB, Saint Mary's : Jon Krahenbil, CB, Saskatchewan : Anthony DesLauriers, CB, Simon Fraser ;Special Teams : Hugh O'Neill, P, Alberta :
Rob Maver Rob Maver (born March 12, 1986) is a retired professional Canadian football Punter (football), Punter, having played his entire 10-year football career with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted fifth overal ...
, K, Guelph : Gary Ross, RET, Mount Allison
The
Laval Rouge-et-Or The Laval Rouge et Or (, ''Red and Gold'') are the athletic teams that represent Université Laval, located in Quebec City, Quebec. Home games are all held in the PEPS indoor and outdoor sports facilities. Varsity teams Laval Rouge et Or teams c ...
had a record eight first team all-Canadians on offence, defence and special teams.


Career records

27 new top-ten achievements were added to the all-time career record books in 2008 including five new records as running back
Daryl Stephenson Daryl Stephenson (born October 8, 1985) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He was originally drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2008 and played with that franchise for three seasons. Stephenson then played for two seaso ...
completed his record career at Windsor and several passing/receiving records were set at McGill. ;All-purpose touchdowns :
Daryl Stephenson Daryl Stephenson (born October 8, 1985) is a former professional Canadian football running back. He was originally drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2008 and played with that franchise for three seasons. Stephenson then played for two seaso ...
of Windsor completed his CIS career at eighth place all-time with 39 touchdowns. :Mike Giffin of Queen's is close behind tied for ninth with 37 but both are well behind Paul Brule's 1964–1967 record of 51. ;Rushing yards :Daryl Stephenson set a new record of 5163 career rushing yards beating Dominic Zagari's 1991–1995 record of 4738. :Jamall Lee of Bishop's reached 4296 yards for fourth place all-time :Joseph Mroué set a mark of 3779 yards to take tenth place during his career at Montreal (2003–06) and Sherbrooke (2008). ;Rushing touchdowns :Daryl Stephenson ended his career tied for sixth place with 36 rushing touchdowns behind Paul Brule's record of 49. :Jamall Lee reached eighth place with 35 rushing touchdowns so far since 2005. ;Passing yards :Matt Connell of McGill set a new record of 10455 passing yards beating
Ben Chapdelaine Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin (name), Benjamin, Benedict (given name), Benedict, Bennett (name), Bennett or Benson (given name), Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (Hebrew), Ben (in ...
's 1997–2001 record of 9974. :Josh Sacobie of Ottawa ended up in third place overall with 9885 yards. :
Teale Orban Teale Orban is a former Canadian football quarterback for the University of Regina Rams. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football t ...
of Regina reached fourth place all-time with 9449. ;Passing touchdowns :Josh Sacobie was unable to beat Chris Flynn's 1987–1990 all-time record of 87 but still managed to make second place with 79. :Teale Orban made third place with 76. :Matt Connell accomplished a tie for seventh overall with 63. :Dan Brannagan of Queen's tied the eighth overall mark of 62 passing touchdowns. ;Passing attempts :Matt Connell set the new record of 1364 pass attempts as well in 2008 passing Greg Vavra's old record of 1200 set between 1979 and 1983. :Teale Orban finished just shy of second place with 1198. :Josh Sacobie made third place with 1111. ;Passing completions The passing completions record book was completely re-written in 2008 as three players beat Greg Vavra's 25-year-old record of 611. :Matt Connell finished in first place with 816 pass completions all-time. :Teale Orban made second place with 685. :Josh Sacobie's 637 completions puts him in third place overall. :
Michael Faulds Michael Faulds (born November 11, 1983) is a former Canadian football quarterback and the current head coach for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team. After serving three years as the offensive coordinator for the York Lions, he ...
of Western makes it up to eighth place so far with 561 completions since 2005. ;Receptions :
Erik Galas Erik Galas (born July 16, 1986) is a former professional Canadian football slotback. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Alouettes in 2009. He played CIS football for the McGill Redmen. Galas is the all-time leader for catches ...
of McGill helped with those pass completions by setting a new record of 194 receptions beating Andy Fantuz's mark of 189. :Chad Goldie was able to tie for sixth place all-time by catching 173 in his career at Regina. ;Receiving touchdowns :Ivan Birungi finished his CIS career at second place all-time with 33 receiving touchdowns in his time split between Acadia and Ottawa missing Andy Fantuz's record of 41. :Scott Valberg of Queen's is tied for eighth with 23. ;Interceptions :Matt Carapella of Western was able to steal a tie for second place in career interceptions with 21 missing Bob Coffin's 1970–1974 record of 24. ;Field goals :Shawn McIsaac of UBC kicked up to fourth place in the career record book with 63 field goals behind all-time record holder Frank Jagas's 70 set between 1990 and 1994.


Results


Regular season standings

''Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points'' ''Teams in bold have earned playoff berths.''


Top 10

Ranks in ''italics'' are teams not ranked in the top 10 poll but received votes. NR = Not Ranked, received no votes.


Championships

The Vanier Cup is played between the champions of the
Mitchell Bowl The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this game ...
and the
Uteck Bowl The Uteck Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the easternmost of the two semifinal venues. The Uteck Bowl champion moves on to f ...
, the national semi-final games. In 2008, according to the rotating schedule, the winners of the Atlantic conference Loney Bowl meet the Ontario conference's
Yates Cup The Yates Cup (french: La Coupe Yates) is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of U Sports. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back ...
champion for the Mitchell Bowl. The winners of the Canada West conference
Hardy Trophy The Hardy Trophy is a Canadian sport trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association Football Conference of U Sports, the country's governing body for university athletics. It is named for Evan Hard ...
travel to the
Dunsmore Cup The Dunsmore Cup (french: Coupe Dunsmore) is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the university-level football competition conducted by Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), the governing body for all student sport ...
Quebec championship team for the Uteck Bowl. The Canada West play-offs start with the top four placed teams from the regular season, with the top placed team hosting the fourth place and the second place team hosting the third placed. The winners of those semi-finals then compete for the Hardy Cup championship who then travels to the Quebec champion for a national semi-final game. The Quebec play-offs similarly play-off the top four placed teams with the Dunsmore Cup champions moving on to host the Uteck Bowl against the Canada West champions. The Ontario conference started out with the top six placed teams from the regular season. The third placed team hosted the sixth place team and the fourth placed team hosted the team in fifth place. The winners then took on the top two placed teams in the conference semi-finals and the semi-final champions compete for the Yates Cup. According to the rotating CIS Bowl schedule, the Ontario champions, in 2008, host the Atlantic conference champions for the Mitchell Bowl national semi-final game. In the Atlantic conference play-offs, the second place
St. Francis Xavier X-Men The St. Francis Xavier X-Men and X-Women are the men's and women's athletic teams that represent St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary home turf is Oland Stadium located at the University's campus. His ...
defeated the third placed
Mount Allison Mounties The Mount Allison Mounties are the varsity athletic teams that represent Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. The Mounties sports teams play their matches at Alumni Field which seats 2,500. Athletics and recreations Th ...
to move on to face the first place Saint Mary's Huskies at the Loney Bowl for the
Jewett Trophy The Jewett Trophy is a Canadian sports trophy, in honour of Dr. B. L. Jewett, presented annually to the winner of the Atlantic University Sport Football Conference of U Sports. Unlike the other three conference championship games, the game in whi ...
. Saint Mary's victory means that they then travel to the Ontario champion Western Ontario Mustangs to meet in the Mitchell Bowl. The 2008 Uteck Bowl saw the number one ranked Laval Rouge-et-Or dominate the sixth-ranked Calgary Dinos with a 59 to 10 win. With the win, Laval continues their streak of winning all four Bowl games played at
PEPS The ("Laval University Sports and Physical Education Complex"), usually called PEPS for short, is a sports complex located in Quebec City, Quebec, on the Université Laval campus. PEPS opened in 1970 and includes an outdoor stadium, an indoor st ...
Stadium and hope to continue their record of being undefeated in all four previous appearances at the Vanier Cup. At home at
TD Waterhouse Stadium Western Alumni Stadium (formerly TD Stadium) is an 8,000-seat Canadian football stadium located on the campus of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. It is home to the Western Mustangs football team and is one of the largest stad ...
, the number three ranked Western Ontario Mustangs defeated the number five ranked Saint Mary's Huskies to win the Mitchell Bowl with a score of 28 to 12. Western lost in the 2007 Mitchell Bowl to
Manitoba Bisons The Manitoba Bisons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The football team plays their games at Investors Group Field. The soccer team play their home games at the University of Manit ...
and last won a Vanier Cup in 1994.


Vanier Cup

The 44th Vanier Cup marked Western's 12th appearance at the Vanier, the most by any team. They also hold the record for the number of Vanier Cup wins with 6. It was Laval's fifth appearance at the Vanier during their ten-year history, having won each of their previous appearances. 2008 also marked the first Vanier Cup game to feature both a Quebec university and an Ontario university. Laval won the game 44-21 and gained their fifth championship since 1999 to become the just the twelfth CIS team to finish a season undefeated. Laval's victory completed their season without a single loss, the twelfth perfect season in Canadian university history, and puts them tied for second among Canadian universities with five Vanier Cups. Only Western has more with six national championships. It also marked Glen Constantin's fourth Vanier Cup victory as head coach, tying the record set by Calgary's Peter Connellan. The attendance at Ivor Wynne was 13,873 with light snow and a temperature of . The attendance at the 2007 Vanier was 26,787 at the Roger's Centre during the
95th Grey Cup The 95th Grey Cup was held in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on November 25, 2007. The Grey Cup, first awarded in 1909, is the championship game of the Canadian Football League. It was played between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg ...
weekend. The 2006 Vanier Cup was sold-out with 12,567 in
Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
's
Griffiths Stadium Griffiths Stadium is a stadium located on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The current stadium was opened on June 23, 1967 to host the Saskatchewan Huskies football team. There was previously a Griffiths ...
and the 2005 cup at Ivor Wynne had 16,827 spectators. Though there were no bids by the deadline to host the 2009 Vanier Cup, Constantin said Laval does intend to do so. Canadian Interuniversity Sport intended to discuss the issue during its December 1–2 board meetings.


Scoring summary

;First Quarter :Lav - FG Milo 33 12:25 ;Second Quarter :Lav - FG Milo 27 3:18 :Lav - TD Hernandez-Sanchez 2 run (Milo kick) 7:17 :Lav - TD Feoli Gudino 74 punt return (Milo kick) 8:50 :UWO - TD Trevail 14 pass from Faulds (Wheeler kick) 11:36 :Lav - TD Feoli Gudino 82 pass from Groulx (Milo kick) 12:27 ;Third Quarter :Lav - TD Bouvette 92 pass from Groulx (Milo kick) 4:05 :UWO - TD Bellamy 23 pass from Faulds (Wheeler kick) 6:58 :Lav - TD Levesque 63 rush (Milo kick) 12:01 ;Fourth Quarter :UWO - TD Riva 9 pass from Faulds (Wheeler kick) 0:17 :Lav - FG Milo 37 11:50 ;Notes * Attendance: 13,873 * Ted Morris Memorial Trophy (Most Outstanding Player): Julian Feoli Gudino (Laval) * Bruce Coulter Award (Most Outstanding Defensive Player): Marc-Antoine L. Fortin (Laval) * QB Benoit Groulx is the fourth CIS player to win both the
Hec Crighton Trophy The Hec Crighton Trophy (sometimes referred to as the Hec Crighton Award) is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian football player in U Sports. The trophy is named after the late Hec Crighton - teacher, coach, referee, and author of th ...
and Vanier Cup in the same season. * Western QB
Michael Faulds Michael Faulds (born November 11, 1983) is a former Canadian football quarterback and the current head coach for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team. After serving three years as the offensive coordinator for the York Lions, he ...
set a Vanier record with 37 completions and his 65 attempts and 403 yards passing are a record in regulation time, beaten only by Brent Schneider of the Saskatchewan Huskies in overtime during the 1994 Vanier Cup. * Western has both the most Vanier Cup appearances (12) and wins (6).


Playoff bracket


Notes

{{CIS football U Sports football seasons CIS football season