UBC captures Uteck Bowl, off to first Vanier Cup since 1997 [stats]

The UBC Thunderbirds’ Cinderella season just won’t end.

A week after claiming their first Canada West Hardy Cup title since 1997, the T-Birds magical season continued Saturday in Antigonish, N.S., as UBC earned a dominating 36-9 victory over the host St. FX X-Men in the Uteck Bowl.

With the win, the T-Birds advance to the Vanier Cup, where they’ll face the defending national champion Montreal Carabins. Montreal punched their return ticket to the Vanier with 25-10 win over the Guelph Gryphons Saturday in the other national semifinal – the Mitchell Bowl.

Leading the way for the Thunderbirds was veteran running backBrandon Deschamps, who racked up 128 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and a touchdown to claim the Uteck Bowl MVP honour.

Also key for the Thunderbirds offensively was former Penn State quarterback Michael O’Connor, who picked apart the St. FX defence.

O’Connor – first-year head coach Blake Nill‘s prize recruit in the offseason – was on point against the X-Men, tossing two touchdown passes and 272 passing yards.

Defensively, UBC took advantage of St. FX’s numerous miscues, securing half a dozen turnovers, as the X-Men couldn’t find the endzone until the dying moments in front of a rain-soaked home crowd at Oland Stadium.

Much like O’Connor on offence, it was a Nill recruit that stole the spotlight defensively for UBC, as former Boise State safety Taylor Loffler recorded six tackles an interception and fumble recovery for the T-Birds.

Led on the field by the likes of O’Connor, it’s been a remarkable turnaround season for UBC in 2015, as the pivot has been a major reason UBC went from a 2-6 team in 2014 to a Vanier Cup finalist just a year later.

The rapid rebuild has owed in large part to the work of Nill and the rest of his coaching staff, who have gotten every ounce of potential out of a UBC team that was just the second in conference history since 1999 to go from outside the playoffs one year to second the next, joining SFU who did it in 2003.

Following conference playoff wins over the Manitoba Bisons in the Hardy Cup Semis and subsequently the No. 1-ranked Calgary Dinos in the 79th Hardy Cup, Nill’s squad is now headed to Canadian university football’s biggest stage, as the program looks for a fourth national title and their first since 1997 when they downed Ottawa 39-23.

The Thunderbirds are also in search of Canada West’s first Vanier Cup win since the Bisons downed the Saint Mary’s Huskies in 2007.

The 51st Vanier Cup goes Saturday, November 28 at Telus Stadium in Quebec City. The game can be seen live on Sportsnet at 10 a.m. PT.

NOTES: The game was the first national semifinal to be hosted in Antigonish…UBC will carry a seven-game win streak into the Vanier Cup…UBC opened 2015 with 41-16 preseason win over Laval on August 29 at Telus Stadium, the site of the Vanier Cup.

UBC in the Vanier Cup
Appearances: Five
Record: 3-2
First appearance: 1978, 16-3 L vs. Queen’s
First win: 1982, 39-14 vs. Western
Last appearance: 1997
Last win: 1997, 39-23 vs. Ottawa

Year / Score / Location
1997: UBC 39 – Ottawa 23 / SkyDome – Toronto ON
1987: McGill 47 – UBC 11 / Varsity Stadium –Toronto, ON
1986: UBC 25 – Western 23 / Varsity Stadium –Toronto, ON
1982: UBC 39 – Western 14/ Varsity Stadium –Toronto, ON
1978: Queen’s 16 – UBC 3 / Varsity Stadium – Toronto, ON
Source: Canada West Sports Information

UBC vs. StFX at Antigonish, NS
11/21/2015 at 5:06 PM
UBC
36
StFX
9
SCORING 1 2 3 4 FINAL
UBC (9-2, 7-2) 9 7 11 9 36
StFX (7-4, 8-2) 1 0 1 7 9
Antigonish, NS | Oland Stadium

 

PRD TIME SCORING SUMMARY UBC – STFX
1 14:55 StFX – J. Heidebrecht rouge point. 0 – 1
1 09:43 UBC – Team safety 2 – 1
1 03:19 UBC – B. Deschamps 1 yd run. (Q. van Gylswyk kick is good).
Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards in 3:06.
9 – 1
2 02:39 UBC – Trivel Pinto 8 yd pass from M. O’Connor. (Q. van Gylswyk kick is good).
Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards in 1:18.
16 – 1
3 15:00 UBC – Q. van Gylswyk rouge point. 17 – 1
3 12:02 UBC – Trivel Pinto 16 yd pass from M. O’Connor. (Q. van Gylswyk kick is good).
Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards in 1:34.
24 – 1
3 06:28 StFX – J. Heidebrecht rouge point. 24 – 2
3 03:47 UBC – Q. van Gylswyk 26 yd field goal.
Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards in 2:41.
27 – 2
4 13:21 UBC – Q. van Gylswyk 20 yd field goal.
Drive: 4 plays, 16 yards in 1:23.
30 – 2
4 09:55 UBC – Q. van Gylswyk 14 yd field goal.
Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards in 2:19.
33 – 2
4 02:25 UBC – Q. van Gylswyk 25 yd field goal.
Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards in 0:54.
36 – 2
4 01:03 StFX – Donald Tabor 22 yd pass from Tivon Cook. (J. Heidebrecht kick is good).
Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards in 1:22.
36 – 9
UBC STATISTICS STFX
28 FIRST DOWNS 20
14
12
2
Passing
Rushing
Penalty
11
6
3
388 TOTAL OFFENSE 291
70
5.5
Total Offensive Plays
Average gain per play
61
4.8
272 NET YARDS PASSING 250
21-33
8.2
1-7
2
Completions-Attempts
Net yards per pass play
Sacked: Number-Yards
Had intercepted
24-37
6.8
1-8
3
191 NET YARDS RUSHING 49
36
5.3
Rushing Attempts
Average gain per rush
23
2.1
4-142 PUNTS: Number-Yards 6-175
35.5 Average 29.2
123 TOTAL RETURN YARDS 97
3-53
3-26
3-44
Punt Returns: Number-Yards
Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards
Interception Returns: Number-Yards
4-24
4-35
2-38
9-84 PENALTIES: Number-Yards 12-168
2-1 FUMBLES: Number-Lost 5-4
1-8 SACKS: Number-Yards 1-7
3-44 INTERCEPTIONS: Number-Yards 2-38
32:03 TIME OF POSSESSION 26:54

UBC

StFX

PASSING C-A YDS TD INT
Michael O’Connor 21-31 272 2 1
Trevor Casey 0-2 0 0 1
PASSING C-A YDS TD INT
Tivon Cook 24-37 250 1 3
RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
Brandon Deschamps 20 128 6.4 19 1
Dwayne Neustaeter 7 36 5.1 17 0
Michael O’Connor 1 24 24.0 24 0
Trevor Casey 2 3 1.5 2 0
Marcus Davis 3 1 0.3 3 0
Liam Haime 1 1 1.0 1 0
TEAM 2 -2 -1.0 0 0
RUSHING ATT YDS AVG LG TD
Ashton Dickson 18 52 2.9 14 0
Tivon Cook 3 8 2.7 4 0
TEAM 2 -11 -5.5 0 0
RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD
Trivel Pinto 4 73 18.3 39 2
Marcus Davis 6 66 11.0 19 0
Brandon Deschamps 3 50 16.7 26 0
Alex Morrison 3 33 11.0 13 0
Ben Cummings 2 23 11.5 13 0
Will Watson 1 19 19.0 19 0
Malcom Lee 1 4 4.0 4 0
Liam Haime 1 4 4.0 4 0
RECEIVING NO YDS AVG LG TD
Randy Roseway 5 61 12.2 28 0
Tyler Wilson 5 54 10.8 21 0
C. Ridley 4 41 10.3 23 0
Donald Tabor 4 39 9.8 22 1
Keon Hughes 4 34 8.5 10 0
Ashton Dickson 1 11 11.0 11 0
Dejaun Martin 1 10 10.0 10 0
KICKING FG LG XP RG PTS
Quinn van Gylswyk 4/5 26 3/3 1 16
KICKING FG LG XP RG PTS
J. Heidebrecht 0/1 0 1/1 2 3
PUNTING NO YDS AVG LG TB -20
Quinn van Gylswyk 4 142 35.5 47 0 3
PUNTING NO YDS AVG LG TB -20
Jeremy Ford 6 175 29.2 37 0 1
KICKOFFS NO YDS AVG TB OB
Quinn van Gylswyk 4 229 57.3 0 0
KICKOFFS NO YDS AVG TB OB
J. Heidebrecht 3 192 64.0 0 0
KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
Marcus Davis 1 18 18.0 18 0
Yianni Cabylis 1 8 8.0 8 0
Trivel Pinto 1 0 0.0 0 0
KICKOFF RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
Ashton Dickson 3 35 11.7 18 0
Keon Hughes 1 0 0.0 0 0
PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
Trivel Pinto 1 38 38.0 38 0
Marcus Davis 2 15 7.5 11 0
PUNT RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
Randy Roseway 3 21 7.0 11 0
Tyler Wilson 1 3 3.0 0 0
INTERCEPTION RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
Taylor Loffler 1 31 31.0 31 0
Stavros Katsantonis 1 10 10.0 10 0
Terrell Davis 1 3 3.0 3 0
INTERCEPTION RETURNS NO YDS AVG LG TD
D. Tshiamala 1 18 18.0 18 0
Paolo Edwards 1 20 20.0 22 0
FUMBLES NO LOST
Marcus Davis 1 1
Alex Morrison 1 0
FUMBLES NO LOST
Tivon Cook 1 1
Ashton Dickson 1 1
Paolo Edwards 1 1
J. Heidebrecht 1 1
Tyler Wilson 1 0
DEFENSIVE STATISTICS
# UBC SOLO AST TOTAL SACKS-YDS TFL-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS BRUP BLKS QBH
10 Taylor Loffler 6 0 6 1 – 1 1-0 1-31
24 Terrell Davis 4 4 6 0.5 – 2 1 1-3
30 Dylan Chapdelaine 4 2 5
9 Mitch Barnett 2 4 4 0.5 – 4 1 – 6 1 1
18 Stavros Katsantonis 4 0 4 1-10 1
23 Dominique Termansen 3 2 4
56 Dante Vigini 2 3 3.5 1 – 3 1 1
35 A. J. blackwell 2 1 2.5
90 Boyd Richardson 2 0 2 1-0
93 Nico Repole 0 4 2 0.5 – 0
3 Kevin Wiens 1 1 1.5 0.5 – 1 1
27 Yianni Cabylis 1 1 1.5 0.5 – 4 1.5 – 9
32 Kyle Miller 1 1 1.5
47 Evan Horton 1 1 1.5
1 Trivel Pinto 1 0 1 1
17 Trevor Casey 1 0 1
20 Chris Adams 1 0 1
28 Warren Reece 1 0 1
85 Alex Morrison 1 0 1
94 Treymont Levy 1 0 1
TM TEAM
87 Liam Haime 1-0
38 Jeff Lavis 1
15 Michael O’Connor 1-0
TOTALS 39 24 51 1 – 8 6 – 22 4 4-0 3-44 4 1
# STFX SOLO AST TOTAL SACKS-YDS TFL-YDS FF FR-YDS INT-YDS BRUP BLKS QBH
32 Mike Miller 8 2 9 2 – 3
14 Dylan Bell 7 0 7 1
3 D. Tshiamala 4 5 6.5 0.5 – 1 1 1-0 1-18
91 J. Cunningham 5 3 6.5
52 Adam Kuntz 4 3 5.5
17 Kadel King 3 2 4
10 Hayden Peters 2 2 3
94 Mete Konya 3 0 3 1 – 7 1 – 7
95 Kyle Forde 2 1 2.5
98 Kay Okafor 0 4 2 0.5 – 1
99 John Tewelde 2 0 2
8 Ashton Dickson 1 0 1
15 Keon Hughes 1 0 1
20 Paolo Edwards 1 0 1 1-20 1
25 Justin Holland 0 1 0.5
27 Jordyn Mittoo 0 1 0.5
TOTALS 43 24 55 1 – 7 4 – 12 2 1-0 2-38 1
OTHER INFORMATION
Location: Antigonish, NS
Stadium: Oland Stadium
Attendance: 2700
Weather: Overcast, drizzle
Temperature: 8 C
Wind: 8 kph SE
Referee: Al Gates
Umpire: J. Popplestone
Head Linesman: Pat Fairweather
Line Judge: Jordan Titosky
Back Judge: David Kendall
Field Judge: Jack Skerry
Side Judge: Barry DeBaie
Scorekeeper: John McGowan

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