In a battle of two quarterbacks wearing #11 on 11/11/11, second-year Calgary pivot Eric Dzwilewski emerged victorious over conference MVP Billy Greene and the UBC Thunderbirds.
Dzwilewski engineered yet another 500-plus yards outing for the Dinos, who captured their fourth consecutive Hardy Cup title with a 62-13 whitewash of the upstart T-Birds. Surgical and efficient was his passing, 9-for-13 for 112 yards and a touchdown – but it was with his feet that the 2010 CIS rookie of the year made the most noise. Dzwilewski carried the ball 14 times for 101 yards and a whopping four touchdowns – a CIS record for rushing TDs by a quarterback in a playoff game. His majors of seven, three, five, and seven yards gave the Dinos a 21-point lead, and the defence took it from there with a pair of pick-six touchdowns in a 35-point fourth quarter.
It was Dzwilewski’s best rushing performance of the season, and it sets up a Vanier Cup rematch with the Laval Rouge et Or Friday night, Nov. 18 in the Mitchell Bowl at McMahon Stadium, with the winner advancing to next week’s Vanier Cup in Vancouver.