CIS playoffs: Matchups set for Uteck and Mitchell Bowls

HAMILTON, Ont. – The No. 3 McMaster Marauders captured their third Yates Cup banner in four seasons with a 20-15 victory over the No. 5 Guelph Gryphons in the 107th Yates Cup, presented by Pioneer Energy at McMaster’s Ron Joyce Stadium before a crowd of 4,554.

Defences dominated the contest, with a combined 12 turnovers between the two teams, including five interceptions by the McMaster defenders.  For the Marauders, defensive backs Joey Cupido (Hamilton, Ont.) and Allan Dicks (Abbotsford, B.C.) each had a pair of interceptions, and defensive lineman Mike Kashak (Courtice, Ont.) returned one interception for a 30-yard touchdown.  Each squad also conceded two safety touches apiece.

Cupido’s performance earned him the Dalt White Trophy, presented by Porter Airlines, as the most valuable player of the Yates Cup game.  In addition to two interceptions he posted three solo tackles, one assist, and one late-game pass breakup in a strong McMaster defensive stand.

“To be able to win this on our home field in front of our own fans in the city I grew up in is the most special feeling in the world,” said Hamilton-native Cupido, who has now accumulated 14 career post-season appearances.  “This defence just has so many good players. At the end of the day, we just stuck to the game plan and played our best game of the year today.”

The championship marked the seventh Yates Cup title in McMaster club history, all coming from 2000 to date.  The Marauders last won the title back-to-back in 2011 and 2012, advancing to the Vanier Cup both years and winning the national title in 2011.  McMaster had downed Guelph 30-13 in the 2012 Yates Cup final.

“You win championships with defence and that was certainly true today,” said McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek, claiming his third conference title as a head coach. “Our defence played their best football when we needed it most.  I think Guelph’s quarterback played a great game but he was playing against I think the best defence in the conference.”

On offence McMaster running back Chris Pezzetta (Burlington, Ont.) amassed 144 yards on 23 carries to lead the ground attack, while quarterback Marshall Ferguson (Kingston, Ont.) completed 24 of 34 attempts for 191 yards and three interceptions.  The top Marauder receiver was Daniel Petermann (Stoney Creek, Ont.) with seven receptions for 67 yards.

For Guelph, starting pivot Jazz Lindsey (Markham, Ont.) completed just one of six passes for 13 yards and threw three interceptions before being pulled early in the second quarter.  In relief, James Roberts (Cambridge, Ont.) connected on 17 of 29 tosses, amassing 183 yards and blooping a pair of interceptions.  Receiver Alex Charette (St. Catharines, Ont.) pulled in eight passes for 108 yards.

Both defences asserted their presence from the outset, the first quarter seeing a combined six turnovers in addition to a safety touch apiece.  McMaster grabbed three interceptions, including a pair by Cupido, while the Gryphons reeled in one pick and a pair of fumble recoveries.  In the dying minutes of the quarter, Guelph’s Rob Farquharson (Niagara Falls, Ont.) scored the first touchdown of the game on a 41-yard run, giving the Gryphons a 9-2 advantage at the first intermission.

McMaster closed the gap midway through the second quarter with a 32-yard Tyler Crapigna (Nepean, Ont.) field goal, and took a 12-9 lead on the next play from scrimmage with Kashak returning a 30-yard interception for a major score.

Crapigna added a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter, and later conceded a safety on the final play of the frame, to nurse a 17-11 McMaster lead into the final intermission.

McMaster and Guelph each added a field goal in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, and a Guelph rouge on a 61-yard punt by Daniel Ferraro (Mississauga, Ont.) narrowed McMaster’s advantage 20-15.  Guelph mounted a last-ditch drive in the dying seconds, but was firmly repulsed by the Marauder defence.

With the win McMaster will now host the CIS semifinal Mitchell Bowl on Saturday, November 22, at Ron Joyce Stadium against the AUS-champion Mount Allison Mounties at 4.00 pm.

CALGARY – The University of Manitoba Bisons took advantage of 10 turnovers and an impressive defensive performance to deny the University of Calgary Dinos a seventh consecutive Hardy Cup title Saturday, winning the Canada West championship 27-15 at McMahon Stadium.

It’s the first conference title since 2007 for the Bisons, who were the last team other than Calgary to hoist the Hardy Cup. They will head east to face the Université de Montréal Carabins in an unlikely CIS Uteck Bowl next Saturday, Nov. 22 at CEPSUM in Montreal. The Carabins advanced after upsetting No. 1 Laval in Saturday’s Dunsmore Cup final.

Just 30 seconds into the game, it looked like the Dinos were ready to run away with another one as Mercer Timmis punched a hole through the Bisons defence and was off to the races for an 81-yard touchdown. That was as good as it would get on the day for the hosts, however, as their next drive portended things to come.

Jonathan Jones intercepted Canada West MVP Andrew Buckley for a 20-yard pick six less than four minutes later, and the Bisons never trailed again. It was the first of five interceptions on the day for the Manitoba defence, as later on Tyler Fong, Cam Teschuk, Jayden McKoy, and Jordan Linnen would grab errant Calgary passes.

“We had our ups and downs most of the year, and we were always able to overcome our mistakes,” said Calgary head coach Blake Nill. “But today, Manitoba was the best team. We were lucky to win one hear against them – they have a focus and a drive. I’m not saying our guys weren’t focused, but it’s not going to happen when you turn the ball over 10 times.

“They did a great job going after the football. They were looking to strip the ball, and their secondary played us well. We did not execute, and when we had a little momentum, we just shot ourselves in the foot.”

The Bisons grabbed their first lead of the game midway through the opening quarter as Kienan LaFrance eluded tacklers for a 40-yard TD run to go up 14-7. The Dinos managed to tie it up at 14-14 on a 42-yard Buckley pass to Rashaun Simonise early in the second, but the Bisons outscored the Dinos 13-1 from there and held the highest-scoring offence in the nation to just a single point in the second half.

A pair of Ryan Jones field goals from 7 and 30 yards along with a 7-yard TD pass from Jordan Yantz to Zach Regert rounded out the scoring for the Bisons, while Johnny Mark’s 78-yard single on the opening kickoff of the third quarter was all the Dinos could muster from there.

In addition to the five interceptions, the Dinos fumbled twice – one of which set up the first Jones field goal – and turned it over on downs three times. McKoy’s pick in the fourth quarter snuffed out what looked to be a promising drive for the Dinos, as he intercepted a pass from Eric Dzwilewski two yards deep in the end zone. Dzwilewski was in the game in relief of Buckley, who was sidelined midway through the third quarter with an apparent hamstring injury.

LaFrance carried the ball 30 times for 155 yards and the touchdown, while Yantz completed 17 of 26 passes for 263 yards and a major. Dustin Pedersen was the Bisons’ leading receiver with 86 yards on four catches.

Despite the adversity, the Calgary defence held firm through most of the contest, sacking Yantz five times – three of those courtesy Doctor Cassama. Adam Konar was the leading tackler for Calgary with 9.5, while DJ Lalama added seven tackles to lead the way for the Bisons.

While the Dinos watch from the sidelines, the Bisons will travel to Montreal to face the Carabins next Saturday. The winner of the Uteck Bowl will face the winner of the McMaster-Mount Allison Mitchell Bowl in the 50^th Vanier Cup, hosted for the first time in Montreal.