David Moll

The 55th Vanier Cup

By Ben Matchett; Assistant Athletic Director (Communications)

11/25/2019 7:48:00 PM

The UCalgary Dinos captured their fifth Vanier Cup championship Saturday with a 27-13 win over the Montreal Carabins at Stade TELUS-UL in Quebec City.

Here's how the game unfolded.

FIRST QUARTER

After a helicopter flyover by the Canadian Forces, Niko DiFonte kicked off the 55th Vanier Cup.

Just two plays into the game, a scary moment for the Dinos as linebacker Charlie Moore went down after a tackle and was attended to by the Calgary medical staff. After a delay of nearly 10 minutes, Moore walked off the field on his own, but did not return to the game. Fifth-year senior Ross DeLauw checked into the contest as Moore’s replacement.

The teams traded missed field goals on a windy afternoon, and the Vanier Cup headed to the second quarter scoreless.

To see that warrior go down...he's one of our fearless leaders, one of our best players...it was tough for our team. We just had to keep going, do it for him, do it for our team."

Adam Sinagra, to CBC Sports

SECOND QUARTER

The second quarter opened with Adam Sinagra finding Jalen Philpot for a 28-yard gain down the sideline. That led to a 23-yard Niko DiFonte field goal as the Dinos struck first. After forcing a Montreal two-and-out, DiFonte hit another field goal, this time from 38 yards, to give the Dinos a 6-0 lead.

A Sinagra fumble on the following Dinos drive set up the Carabins for the first touchdown of the afternoon. After successfully converting a fake field goal on third down, Montreal’s Reda Malki found the end zone - just - from a yard out to give the Carabins a 7-6 lead. Late in the drive, the Dinos suffered another loss on defence as Treshaun Abrahams-Webster was shaken up and did not return.

The Dinos needed a response, and respond they did. Calgary drove 70 yards downfield in just 1:22, bookending the drive with completions to Jalen Philpot, with the All-Canadian receiver hauling in a 13-yard TD pass in the back of the end zone as Calgary reestablished its lead, taking a 13-7 advantage into halftime.

THIRD QUARTER

With the wind at their backs and possession for more than 11 minutes in the period, Montreal managed just a single field goal in the third as Calgary’s defence limited their output. The Dinos’ offence sputtered in the third facing the wind, with Sinagra throwing his lone interception of the day on an unlucky play where the ball was tipped at the line and deflected into the waiting arms of a defender. Still, the Dinos led 13-10 heading to the fourth.

FOURTH QUARTER

Calgary started with the ball and Robinson Rodrigues put his stamp on the game on the Dinos’ 10-play, 87-yard touchdown drive. The tailback accounted for 50 yards on the drive, with Hunter Karl making a pair of key catches: a 17-yard grab on the sidelines to successfully convert a 2nd-and-14 situation, then a nine-yard touchdown across the middle as the Dinos extended their lead to 20-10.

The Carabins added a field goal in the final three minutes to pull within a touchdown. The Dinos were able to flip the field on their ensuing drive, highlighted by a diving 32-yard catch by Tyson Philpot to move the chains on second-and-long, and DiFonte pinned Montreal inside its own 10-yard line.

The Dinos defence then stepped up with a trio of consecutive knockdowns from DeLauw, Matthew Lucyshyn, and Jacob Biggs, and after turning it over on downs the Carabins took an unnecessary roughness penalty to place the ball at the 1-yard line. Sinagra handed off to Rodriguez, who sealed Calgary’s fifth Vanier Cup title with a 1-yard touchdown, making the final 27-13.

Sinagra was presented the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game’s MVP, completing 22 of 28 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns in his final U SPORTS football game.

This is for all the Dinos, all the alumni, everyone who has been a part of this program. Twenty-five years...we're bringing it home!"

Adam Sinagra

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