The Laval Rouge et Or are the champions of Canadian university football once again, knocking off the previously undefeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks by a score of 22-17 in the 59th Vanier Cup on Saturday in Kingston, Ont.
The perennial RSEQ powerhouse secured the victory without scoring a single touchdown, as kicker Felipe Forteza received the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game’s Most Valuable Player. The Quebec City native hit six-of-seven field goals attempts to set a new Vanier Cup record and forced Laurier to concede a pair of safeties with punts pinned inside the 20-yard line.
The Laval defence also brought the heat against Golden Hawks’ quarterback Taylor Elgersma, who was named the Hec Crighton Trophy winner as the top player in U Sports on Thursday. The Rouge et Or produced five sacks and forced two fumbles, as the 2025 CFL Draft hopeful went 23-of-34 for 246 yards and two touchdowns.
Laval QB Arnaud Desjardins completed his first 22 consecutive passes to open the game but failed to find the end zone in the first half, as Laval built a 17-7 lead on the back of five field goals Forteza — who had already tied the U Sports championship record before the intermission. Laurier’s high-powered offence struggled to generate any traction against a stout Rouge et Or front, save for a 51-yard scamper from running back Tayshaun Jackson. That set up the only touchdown of the half, as Elgersma shoveled the ball to Ryan Hughes on an end-around for a five-yard score.
The Golden Hawks showed what they were capable of on their first series of the second half, as Elgersma engineered a six-play, 93-yard scoring drive capped by a three-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Stebbings. However, the defences continued to step up and the scoreboard remained unchanged until early in the fourth, when Laurier opted to concede a safety and then added field goal to shrink the margin to two points.
With under five minutes remaining, Elgersma was stripped by defensive end Loic Brodeur and Laval recovered. Desjardins marched the field and Forteza broke the Vanier Cup record with an 18-yard chip shot. The Hec Crighton trophy winner trotted back out with 2:31 to score a game-winning touchdown but was sacked by Natan Charron on second down, forcing a late punt. Forteza finally missed a kick to give the Golden Hawks a faint glimmer of hope with 14 seconds left but Brodeur got home for another sack and Charron scooped up the loose ball on the final desperation play to secure victory.
Desjardins took home the Bruce Coulter Award as the game’s offensive MVP, connecting on 34-of-42 passes for 320 yards and adding five carries for 27 yards on the ground. Laval running back Mathieu Roy carried the ball 19 times for a game-high 90 yards and caught 13 passes for another 66 through the air. Laurier’s Ethan Jordan led both teams with 11 receptions for 179 yards, while Golden Hawks’ linebacker Jessie Wilkins-Flaricee was credited with a whopping 18 total tackles and a fumble recovery.
This is Laval’s record 12th Vanier Cup title since the program’s inception in 1996 — four more than any other school in the country.
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