TORONTO (CIS) – In front of the largest crowd since 1995, the first-ranked Saint Mary’s Huskies and third-ranked Manitoba Bisons met at Toronto’s SkyDome for the 37th showing of the Vanier Cup. Led by Vanier Cup offensive MVP quarterback Ryan Jones’ three touchdowns, the Huskies completed the first undefeated season since the 1994 Western Mustangs, winning by a score of 42-16.

Returning to the scene of 1999’s 14-10 loss to Laval, Saint Mary’s won their first Vanier Cup since 1973’s 14-6 win over McGill. The key to Saint Mary’s success all year was their dominating offence and pulverizing defence. Both were in abundance on Saturday, and were evident right from the start.

The opening drive started off roughly for Manitoba quarterback Shane Munson (Thunder Bay, ON), who would finish the day 14-34 for 156 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was sacked, and two plays later, running back Max Irabor fumbled to give Saint Mary’s the football. The Huskies wasted no time in marching down the field and Domenico Bartolacci (Halifax, NS) nailed a 32-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.

Another fumble by Manitoba gave Saint Mary’s Jones (Halifax, NS) the opportunity to toss his first touchdown of the day, as he was on his way to a 19-32 afternoon with 290 yards passing to go with his three touchdowns. After establishing the running game with Hec Crighton nominee Luis Perez (Brampton, ON), he would then turn to his favorite receiver of the opening quarter, Pat Thibeault (Baie-Comeau, QC), who caught a 19-yard pass to put the Huskies up by a score of 10-0 after the convert by Bartolacci.

With the Huskies in control, Jones looked to add to the early lead, but found a nemesis in Bison Jamie Boreham (Burnaby, BC), who intercepted a pass and ran for 17 yards. Five plays later, the versatile Boreham, who has the role of kicker/punter/safety/kick returner for the Bisons, put his team on the board with a 21-yard field goal to pull his team within seven.

In the dying minutes of the first quarter, a 54-yard punt by the Huskies, and Boreham’s failed attempt to short-hop the ball, resulted in the Bison’s taking possession on their own one-yard line. After two incomplete passes by Munson, Saint Mary’s added a safety to increase their lead to 12-3.

Heading into the second quarter, Munson knew he needed to put a touchdown on the board to get his team back in the hunt for the Vanier Cup. Five minutes in, Munson found slotback Mike Miller (Calgary, AB) for a five-yard pass to trim the lead to 12-10 after the convert.

After the defences for both teams took control of the ball, Manitoba put Saint Mary’s in unfamiliar territory – trailing for only the second time this year, as Boreham added his second field goal of the game to give the Bisons’ their first lead at 13-12.

This seemed to wake the Saint Mary’s offence, as Jones and wide receiver Dave Stala (Halifax, NS) went to work on restoring the Huskies’ lead. On a long pass, Stala made a stunning one-handed grab which brought the crowd to its feet and set up an 11-yard TD pass from Jones to Jason Currie (Halifax, NS) on the next drive. Currie would enjoy a solid game, with 7 catches for 91 yards. Trying to bolster their lead, Saint Mary’s tried for the two-point convert but failed, and headed into the half with an 18-13 lead.

Despite their lead at half-time, Saint Mary’s could not help but ask what their lead could have been if they had not set a new CIS Vanier Cup record for most penalties in game with 16 in the first half, totaling 138 yards. The old record of 13 was set in 1991 by the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks after 60 minutes of football! By the end of the game, the record would be smashed as 23 penalties by Saint Mary’s totaled 203 yards.

For the bulk of the third quarter, both teams were not able to move the ball down field with much success. Once Perez began to show why he was a Hec Crighton finalist, the Huskies stormed down the field. Though limited to only 45 yards on the day, his ten-yard run up the middle capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive to put Saint Mary’s up 25-13 after the convert.

The Bisons responded to the attack near the end of the third quarter by calling on the multi-talented Boreham to add his third field goal, a 23-yarder to trim the lead to 25-16. Helping their cause was yet another penalty by Saint Mary’s, this time for 15 yards.

After a Huskies field goal to put them up 28-16, the Bisons were put to rest after a Munson pass was intercepted on the first play of the ensuing drive. Defensive Game MVP DE Kyl Morrison (Pickle Lake, ON) snatched the attempt out of the air and lumbered in for the major. After Bartolacci completed yet another convert, the Huskies led by a score of 35-16. Minutes later, Saint Mary’s would regain possession and move down the field yet again. From the five-yard line Jones fired a bullet to Travis Tyler (Edmonton, AB) into the endzone to conclude the scoring at 42-16.

This victory by Head Coach Blake Nill’s Huskies completes a three-year turnaround, as he reaches perfection in his fourth season with Saint Mary’s.