The Laval University Rouge et Or has in its lineup a player who knows the Laurier Golden Hawks very well having faced them four times in 2022 and 2023.
After two seasons with the Western Mustangs where he defeated the Golden Hawks in the Yates Cup final on each occasion, linebacker Olivier Ruet returned home where he lined up with the Rouge et Or this year.
“As is the case for the games against Montreal, the preparation exceeds the usual standards in the meetings between Western and Laurier,” explained Ruet. I want to make sure I share all my knowledge from these hours of preparation with my teammates and the coaches.
“It’s a team that has good systems, but that relies a lot on the athletic qualities of its players,” he said. They have a lot of talent and are very physical.
A hotly contested match
Another one who knows the Golden Hawks very well is Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall. The latter believes that the Vanier Cup will provide a good match and that the Rouge et Or can compete with the powerful offensive of the Ontario champions.
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“There will be more points than at the Mitchell Cup where Laval won 17-14,” Marshall said at the outset. “It’s difficult to prepare well against a team you’ve never faced. I watched the Mitchell Cup and the Rams surprised a lot of people.”
The ground attack must produce
Despite the quality of both teams’ aerial play, Marshall is confident that the ground game will be an important factor in which team lifts the big trophy at the end of the day.
“Both teams will need to establish themselves on the ground to win,” he said. Laval had difficulty running in the first half against Regina and will have to be able to do so on a regular basis.
Ontario’s MVP, 6’6″ quarterback Taylor Elgersma leaves no one indifferent. “He’s a quarterback you don’t want to give a short field to or find yourself punting a lot after just two plays,” Marshall said. Queen’s provided strong opposition to Laurier, but they responded with three quick touchdowns in the second half. For our part, we moved the ball well, but we were never able to stop them at the Yates Cup (51-31 defeat). They are better than us this year.
Difficult comparisons between two excellent pivots
At the Uteck Cup last year, Marshall saw in person the potential of Jonathan Sénécal of the Université de Montréal Carabins in a heavy defeat at CEPSUM. Both eligible for the next draft, which of the two pivots is the best according to the veteran coach?
“It’s hard to say because they’re two different quarterbacks, but Taylor is very good,” Marshall said. He doesn’t run like Sénécal, but he moves well for a 6’6″ guy. He has good vision and good anticipation. He places the ball very well even if it means taking a good hit. He’s impressive and one of the best quarterbacks I’ve seen. He can play in the CFL. He gets hit a lot, but he’s always ready for the next play.”
Marshall warns that the Rouge et Or will not be able to devote all their resources to stopping their aerial play. “The difference this season with the Golden Hawks is that they have a balanced offense,” he explained. They rely on four good receivers, but they can also run with an experienced offensive line.
This offensive line will have to slow down the defensive front of the Rouge et Or. “The defensive line of the Rouge et Or is very solid and we will have to see if Laval will be able to exert pressure with four players. If you regularly bring six players under pressure like Bishop’s at the Uteck Cup, you make yourself vulnerable to one-on-one in deep areas.
What about Laurier’s defense? “They have younger defensive players, but they are very good on the secondary line,” Marshall summarized. Their defensive line and linebackers are good. We didn’t run well enough to beat them.”
Duty of neutrality
Who will win the ultimate encounter? “I will remain neutral,” Marshall said. Glen is a very good friend and I am very proud of Michael (Faulds) who is a special person. As much as I wanted to win the Yates Cup, I’m happy for him.”
Faulds played from 2007 to 2009 under Marshall at Western.
