LONDON, Ont. — The Saskatchewan Huskies had their season end in heartbreak on the nation's biggest stage for the second year in a row, after the Laval Rouge et Or prevailed by a score of 30-24 to win the 57th Vanier Cup on Saturday afternoon at Western Alumni Stadium.
"It's tough right now," said Huskies head coach Scott Flory. "We've got to take a little bit of time to digest. I'm just really proud of our guys, our season and everything that we've had to overcome."
"We competed out there. That was physical. Our offensive line, the line of scrimmage — everything. That was a good football game. Unfortunately, we came up six points short."
After claiming the program's third Hardy Cup in the last four seasons, the Huskies went on to win their second-straight Uteck Bowl to punch their ticket back to the Vanier Cup for a chance of redemption. Unfortunately for the Huskies, they ultimately came up one win short.
"I don't know — I hate losing," said Flory, when asked about if this year's loss hurt more than last. "These guys are competitors. We all hate losing. It's the unfortunate reality of sport — and it's the beauty of sport. There's finality to it. There's someone that wins and someone that loses. Unfortunately, we're on the other end of it. It's not easy."
The Huskies led 17-14 with a little less than a minute remaining in the first half — thanks to Mason Nyhus touchdown passes to Everett Iverson and Rhett Vavra. But the Rouge et Or were able to work their way into field goal range and Vince Blanchard connected from 49 yards out to tie the game after two quarters.
Laval would go on to score the next 10 points — bookended by David Dallaire catching a one-yard pass from Hec Crighton winning receiver Kevin Mital. Mital lined up in wildcat before throwing a jump-pass to Dallaire, for his third touchdown in the last three weeks, giving the Rouge et Or a 27-17 lead in the early stages of the fourth-quarter.
Saskatchewan was unable to find the scoreboard in the second half until the 4:58 mark of the fourth-quarter. Nyhus connected with Daniel Wiebe for a three-yard touchdown, capping a four-play, 51-yard drive to make it a one-score game and to get the Huskies back within three.
Laval connected on a 25-yard field goal with a little less than two minutes remaining, giving the ball back to Saskatchewan — who trailed by six. But unfortunately, the Huskies were unable to orchestrate a two-minute drill, turning over the ball on downs and eventually, spelling the end to another decorated season.
Nyhus finished the day with 344 yards and three touchdowns on 34-43 passing. The loss serves as the final game of Nyhus' Huskies career. The Regina, Sask. product entered the program in the fall of 2016 and spent the next seven years in the program — including the 2019, 2021 and 2022 seasons as the team's starting quarterback.
"He's an elite calibre player," said Flory. "In my opinion, he proved he's the best quarterback in the country. He played a phenomenal game — I'm super proud of him."
Nyhus was one of four Huskies to play out their final game of their careers on Saturday, joining linebacker Tom Whiting and defensive lineman Jonathan Leggett and Carson Bell.
"These four guys have given their blood, sweat and tears to this program. I'm really proud of them," said Flory.
Arnaud Desjardins threw for 397 yards on 27-36 passing for Laval, with 142 of those yards going to Kevin Mital, who edged Nyhus out to win the Hec Crighton Trophy on Thursday night at the U SPORTS All-Canadian banquet. Kalenga Muganda racked up 76 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in the win. The aforementioned Blanchard was a perfect 5-5 on the day in the kicking game, highlighted by his 49-yard field goal make.
For Saskatchewan, receivers Caleb Morin, Daniel Perry and Vavra all were big factor's in the team's passing attack. Morin led the way with seven receptions for 97 yards. Ted Kubongo and Ryker Frank each had 65 yards rushing. Connor Delahey led the defence with 8.5 total tackles.
But in the end, the Rouge et Or prevailed to win their 11th Vanier Cup. For the Huskies, the loss continues the program's search for a fourth national championship, with the last Vanier Cup win coming in 1998.
"There's no doubt it stings," said Flory.
