University of Regina Rams head coach Mark McConkey looks on during the first half of the U Sports Canada West Hardy Cup football championship action against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon on Saturday, November 9, 2024. The underdog role suits Rams head coach McConkey just fine.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
The underdog role suits Regina Rams head coach Mark McConkey just fine.
His team has thrived against favoured competition in the U Sports football playoffs. Now armed with a Canada West title, the Rams are looking for another upset win Saturday against the Laval Rouge et Or in the Mitchell Bowl.
“I don’t think many people are going to give us a chance and we like it that way,” McConkey said of his .500 team. “Let’s just keep that story going and be the underdog. Just keep proving people wrong.
“That’s what we’ve been doing for the last three weeks.”
The Rams pulled off a comeback win over Alberta in their season finale to squeak into the playoffs at 3-5 before topping Manitoba and provincial rival Saskatchewan on the road.
Next up is a national semifinal against a confident Rouge et Or side that knocked off the defending Vanier Cup champion Montreal Carabins last weekend.
“Those guys play hard and they play tough football,” Laval head coach Glen Constantin said of the Rams. “They get every ounce out of it.”
The other semifinal features a matchup of undefeated teams. The Ontario champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks will visit the Atlantic champion Bishop’s Gaiters in a battle of 10-0 squads.
It will be the first time the schools have met in the Uteck Bowl.
The Golden Hawks won the Yates Cup last weekend with a convincing win over the Western Mustangs while the Gaiters pulled off a victory over the Saint Mary’s Huskies to secure their first final four appearance since 1994.
“As I told our guys (last week) it would be a darn shame to make it this far and not respect this week and give it our best shot,” said Laurier head coach Michael Faulds.
Xavier Gervais booted a 25-yard field goal in triple overtime to give the Gaiters a 25-22 win in the Loney Bowl. He forced OT with a 16-yard boot with six seconds left in regulation after Gabriel Royer forced a Huskies fumble.
It made for a memorable afternoon at the intimate Coulter Field in Lennoxville, Que., a venue that seats about 2,200 spectators.
The semifinal winners will advance to the Nov. 23 Vanier Cup at Kingston, Ont.
“I think the enthusiasm is out of this world right now in the community and in the region here,” said Bishop’s head coach Cherif Nicolas. “I expect it’s going to be wild.”
The Rams finished the regular season outside the top 10 in the U Sports rankings at 3-5, although three of their five losses were by three points or fewer.
The Canada West title was their first conference crown since 2000. Laval, meanwhile, a perennial Quebec power, won the Dunsmore Cup for the 17th time.
Laval (9-1) had the stingiest defence in U Sports with just 106 points allowed in the regular season. The Rams, meanwhile, gave up 20 more points over the regular season than they scored.
“They’ve got nothing to lose but we can’t be worried about that,” Constantin said. “We need to worry about our standard and playing our (style of) football.”
Regina will host the game at Mosaic Stadium, home of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“You just have to get into the playoffs and get hot at the right time,” McConkey said. “Fortunately for us, this has been our year and everything has aligned perfectly for us.
“We’re running with it.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2024.
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