The Rouge et Or got their revenge in front of the home crowd.
Laval quarter back Hugo Richard was sharp today, and threw two touchdown passes and ran one in himself as Laval cruised to a 34-20 win over the Mustangs in the 2018 Vanier Cup.
It didn’t take long for the home town squad to strike first. Richard connected with Vincent Forbes-Mombleau for a 46 yard touchdown bomb in the first minute of the game. Laval didn’t let up on the gas for the rest of the game.
The defense of the Rouge et Or managed to keep Western QB Chris Merchant quiet- holding him to only one touchdown pass and picking him off three times. They also forced Western to kick three field goals- one of them being blocked.
Photo taken by Jacques Boissinot of the Canadian Press
Western struggled to gain traction on the offensive end of the ball. The Mustangs were quickly down 10-0 in the first quarter. They cut the deficit down to 17-13 at the half thanks to a one yard touchdown run by Cedric Joseph, but were then shut out until the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.
Merchant finished the game passing for 358 years, and completing 26 of 46 attempts. Richard finished with a similar stat line- completing 23 of 31 passes for 348 yards in what was his final university football game.
For Laval, this is their 10th Vanier Cup, and the second time they have beaten Western in the championship game. They also managed to break Western’s streak of 23 undefeated games.
