U SPORTS football national semifinal matchups set
There will be a new U SPORTS football champion in 2024 the Road to the Vanier Cup heats up heading into the national semifinals next Saturday as U SPORTS announced on Saturday evening the matchups for the Uteck and Mitchell Bowls.
The Laval Rouge et Or (x-x regular season, 2-0 playoffs) captured their record 15th RSEQ Dunsmore Cup on Saturday, eliminating the defending champion Montreal Carabins 22-17, to advance to the Mitchell Bowlagainst the Regina Rams (3-5 regular season, 2-0 playoffs) who travelled to Saskatoon to upset the Saskatchewan Huskies 19-14 for their first Canada West Hardy Cup since 2000.
The Uteck Bowl will feature a pair of undefeated teams as the Laurier Golden Hawks (8-0 season, 2-0 playoffs) soared past Western Mustangs 51-31 to earn their first OUA Yates Cup championship since 2016 and head to Lennoxville, Que. to face Bishop’s Gaiters (8-0 season, 2-0 playoffs) who eked out a thrilling 25-22 triple-overtime win over the Saint Mary’s Huskies to earn the first AUS Loney Bowl championship in school history.
U SPORTS national semifinals – Saturday, November 16, 2023
- Uteck Bowl: Laurier Golden Hawks at Bishop’s Gaiters, 12:07 p.m. Eastern (CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca, TVA Sports)
- Mitchell Bowl: Laval Rouge et Or at Regina Ram, 3:15 p.m. Eastern (CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca, TVA Sports)
Both games will be shown on CBC’s digital platforms in English, and TVA Sports in French
The pairings and sites of the two bowl games are determined via a six-year rotation, during which each conference hosts each other conference once and visits each other conference once.
2024 Uteck Bowl
Named in honour of Larry Uteck, former head coach (1983-97) and athletic director (1995-2002) of the Saint Mary’s Huskies, the Uteck Bowl is easternmost of the two bowl games. This year’s contest features the Bishop’s Gaiters hosting the Laurier Golden Hawks in the first matchup between the two institutions.
The Golden Hawks capped a perfect OUA season (8-0 regular, 2-0 playoffs) defeating the Western Mustangs 51-31 in front of a sellout crowd of 5 000 fans at Laurier Stadium to win the 116th Yates Cup. Taylor Elgersma completed 18 of 30 passes for 306 yards and four majors to lead his team to the national semifinal. The Gaiters avoided the upset as Gabriel Royer forced a fumble deep in Saint Mary’s territory with 16 seconds remaining in regulation time, setting up a Xavier Gervais 16-yard field goal with seven seconds on the clock to force extra time. Germain finished the game 6/6 on field goals, booting three of them in overtime including the game winning 25-yard kick.
This is Bishop’s first appearance in a U SPORTS Bowl Game since 1994, as it vies for its first trip to the Vanier Cup in school history. The Gaiters are 0-5 all time in national semifinal games, while Laurier has an all-time Bowl record of 2-5, including a 1-2 record in the Uteck Bowl.
2024 Mitchell Bowl
The Mitchell Bowl honours the late Doug Mitchell, former CFL Commissioner (1984-88), who played for the UBC Thunderbirds and the B.C. Lions. He also founded the U SPORTS Athletes of the Year Awards (Lois and Doug Mitchell Awards). This year’s Mitchell Bowl will be the first time any U SPORTS Bowl Game has been held in Regina, marking the second time the U of R has advanced out of Canada West.
The Rams clinched their first Hardy Cup championship in 24 years with a 19-14 road upset of their provincial rivals, the Saskatchewan Huskies in front of a sellout crowd of 6 355 fans at Griffiths Stadium. Noah Pelletierwent 23 for 33, throwing for 228 yards and a touchdown, while Carson Sombach returned an interception 45-yards for the game-winning touchdown five minutes into the fourth quarter to clinch the Canada West title for the Regina.
Regina’s only Bowl game appearance was in 2000, when the Rams defeated Saint Mary’s in the Atlantic Bowl to advance to the Vanier Cup championship game.
Meanwhile, the Laval Rouge et Or advanced to their fourth Mitchell Bowl with a 22-17 win over the defending Vanier Cup champion Montreal Carabins in front of 17 990 loyal fans at Stade Telus-Université Laval in Québec City. Veteran quarterback Arnaud Desjardins completed 27 of his 37 passes for 259 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown strike to Olivier Cool to cap the second half's opening drive to power the Rouge et Or to their record 15th Dunsmore Cup title.
Laval is 4-2 all-time in the Mitchell Bowl and 13-4 all time in Bowl games, having won eight straight heading into Saturday clash with Regina.
Broadcast details, along with game previews, will be published on USPORTS.ca later this week.