Ferguson: Five takeaways from the 2023 Vanier Cup

Marshall Ferguson

CFL.ca

@TSN_Marsh

This past weekend saw the Vanier Cup make it’s first ever hosting appearance at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Fuelled by the adrenaline still pumping from a thrilling 110th Grey Cup eight days ago, and being a Kingston native, I snuck home with my son to experience the Vanier on a field I was once lucky to win a city championship on via a punt single. That was a quintessentially wacky way to win a Canadian football game.

Here are my five takeaways from the weekend that was!

Queen’s did it right

Hosting a Vanier Cup is no small task. Bringing in football rosters from across the country on a few days notice requires immense volunteer support and planning. Queen’s is well versed in the national showcase in other sports as they have been able to wrangle a trio of national championships to showcase the finally completed – and spectacular – Richardson Stadium.

It wasn’t just Richardson though, the fan fest Friday night at Kingston’s Market Square and tailgates surrounding the field from 9:00 a.m. were all top notch with live music, food and of course plenty of available concessions to keep everyone from my little guy to the Montreal men dressed up as Santa happy long after the final whistle.

The addition of the new Lang Pavillion was especially great as fans embraced many CFL stadiums ‘standing room only’ concourse social experience. It was a wonderful standard set for Regina, who will host their own first Vanier Cup next November.

Sénécal is for real

🏈VANIER: Jonathan Sénécal of @Carabins punches it in for 6! Kick is good.

🏈VANIER : Jonathan Sénécal ajoute 6 pour les @Carabins ! Botté est réussi.@Carabins: 16@ubctbirds: 6#ChaseTheGlory | #ViserHaut pic.twitter.com/chNvJDvPeB

— U SPORTS Football (@USPORTS_FB) November 25, 2023

I’ve admired Jonathan Sénécal’s game from afar from some time now, but watching him live proved that the Canadian Quarterback movement is far from over with Nathan Rourke and Tre Ford splashing onto the CFL scene in short order.

There are names on both sides of the border that bring promise and Sénécal’s should be amongst the top. His quick release, quick feet, and natural ability to extend plays all flashed in person. His stats weren’t exceptional but against a tough UBC defence and some windy conditions completing 171 yards worth of passing and wisely using his legs for another 50 yards, including the game winning touchdown, all hit the right notes for me as Sénécal was named the game’s MVP.

Canadian line play is healthy as ever

It goes without saying that a game of this level would feature some incredible talent in the trenches, a fact only reinforced by the four All-Canadians involved in the game from the nine available defensive line and offensive line spots honoured in Kingston this week.

Seeing the coaching come to life, body types at play and incredible one-on-one battles from field level was worth the price of admission without factoring in all the other positives of a top flight Vanier Cup between two titans of U SPORTS football.

Montreal success

I don’t really have to explain this one. It’s been a magical week for Montreal football pro and amateur as they claimed the Vanier and Grey double for the first time in one city since Edmonton did in 1980.

What really made this special was Alouettes head coach Jason Maas, quarterback coach Anthony Calvillo, and general manager Danny Maciocia were all there to share the experience. Many on social media were impressed by the live scouting effort, but there were plenty of teams there. This was just another chance to show their support for the Carabins and RSEQ programs at large as the Alouettes look to corner the market on football fandom at all levels. Well done by all involved, not to mention that crazy Carabins tailgate full of multiple fan buses making the trip to Kingston as the Als’ brass shook plenty a hand.

More cross-country play please

It’s a request that’s been much discussed, but I love getting excited for an Oregon-Ohio State or USC-Notre Dame game. Seeing iconic colours on the same field taps into some engrained passion we all have for this great game and U SPORTS football has plenty of great programs and brands. I’d love to see them get on the field against each other more often, while being mindful of the challenges associated.

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