Regina welcomes Laval, Laurier visits Bishop’s in U Sports football semifinals

The underdog relation suits Regina Rams caput manager Mark McConkey conscionable fine.

His squad has thrived against favoured contention successful the U Sports shot playoffs. Now equipped with a Canada West title, the Rams are looking for different upset triumph Saturday against the Laval Rouge et Or successful the Mitchell Bowl.

“I don’t deliberation galore radical are going to springiness america a accidental and we similar it that way,” McConkey said of his .500 team. “Let’s conscionable support that communicative going and beryllium the underdog. Just support proving radical wrong.

“That’s what we’ve been doing for the past 3 weeks.”

The Rams pulled disconnected a comeback triumph implicit Alberta successful their play finale to squeak into the playoffs astatine 3-5 earlier topping Manitoba and provincial rival Saskatchewan connected the road.

Next up is simply a nationalist semifinal against a assured Rouge et Or broadside that knocked disconnected the defending Vanier Cup champion Montreal Carabins past weekend.

“Those guys play hard and they play pugnacious football,” Laval caput manager Glen Constantin said of the Rams. “They get each ounce retired of it.”

The different semifinal features a matchup of undefeated teams. The Ontario champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks volition sojourn the Atlantic champion Bishop’s Gaiters successful a conflict of 10-0 squads.

It volition beryllium the archetypal clip the schools person met successful the Uteck Bowl.

The Golden Hawks won the Yates Cup past play with a convincing triumph implicit the Western Mustangs portion the Gaiters pulled disconnected a triumph implicit the Saint Mary’s Huskies to unafraid their archetypal last 4 quality since 1994.

“As I told our guys (last week) it would beryllium a darn shame to marque it this acold and not respect this week and springiness it our champion shot,” said Laurier caput manager Michael Faulds.

Xavier Gervais booted a 25-yard tract extremity successful triple overtime to springiness the Gaiters a 25-22 triumph successful the Loney Bowl. He forced OT with a 16-yard footwear with six seconds near successful regularisation aft Gabriel Royer forced a Huskies fumble.

It made for a memorable day astatine the intimate Coulter Field successful Lennoxville, Que., a venue that seats astir 2,200 spectators.

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The semifinal winners volition beforehand to the Nov. 23 Vanier Cup astatine Kingston, Ont.

“I deliberation the enthusiasm is retired of this satellite close present successful the assemblage and successful the portion here,” said Bishop’s caput manager Cherif Nicolas. “I expect it’s going to beryllium wild.”

The Rams finished the regular play extracurricular the apical 10 successful the U Sports rankings astatine 3-5, though 3 of their 5 losses were by 3 points oregon fewer.

The Canada West rubric was their archetypal league crown since 2000. Laval, meanwhile, a perennial Quebec power, won the Dunsmore Cup for the 17th time.

Laval (9-1) had the stingiest defence successful U Sports with conscionable 106 points allowed successful the regular season. The Rams, meanwhile, gave up 20 much points implicit the regular play than they scored.

“They’ve got thing to suffer but we can’t beryllium disquieted astir that,” Constantin said. “We request to interest astir our modular and playing our (style of) football.”

Regina volition big the crippled astatine Mosaic Stadium, location of the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“You conscionable person to get into the playoffs and get blistery astatine the close time,” McConkey said. “Fortunately for us, this has been our twelvemonth and everything has aligned perfectly for us.

“We’re moving with it.”