The last weekend of Canadian football for the year is almost upon us.
One game is all that remains on the 2025 U SPORTS football calendar, and the stakes could not be any higher.
It will have been exactly 100 days since the season started when the Vanier Cup gets underway in Regina, but for both the Saskatchewan Huskies and Montreal Carabins, the journey to this point started years ago.
The Saskatchewan Huskies are back in the championship game for the third time in five years and looking to win their first title since 1998.
Meanwhile, the Montreal Carabins are searching for their second banner in three years after winning the Vanier Cup in 2023 against UBC.
In a place many in the province of Saskatchewan might call the cathedral of Canadian football, Mosaic Stadium will play host to Canadian university football's biggest game on November 22, as the Saskatchewan Huskies take on the Montreal Carabins in Canada's football heartland for the 60th Vanier Cup.
Carabins searching for second title in three years
Montreal comes in with a 9-2 record and as one of the best offences in the nation. The Carabins, led by the rookie quarterback sensation Pepe Gonzalez, finished fourth in U SPORTS with 2539 passing yards and the fourth-most passing touchdowns with 19.
Second-year wideout Enrique Jaimes Leclair anchored the team's receiving corps and led the team with 578 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns through the regular season. Jaimes Leclair collected 136 receiving yards on 11 receptions in the Dunsmore Cup against Laval and led the team in receiving yards once again the following week, with 68 and one touchdown on eight catches in the Uteck Bowl.
Following closely in second and third are third-year Simon Larose and fifth-year Hassane Dosso. Larose caught 17 passes and racked up 397 receiving yards, beating out Dosso's 393 on 26 receptions. So far, Dosso has been the clear second option at wide receiver for Montreal in the playoffs.
The senior recorded the second-most receiving yards in the Uteck bowl with 32 on three catches after collecting 89 on seven receptions in the Dunsmore Cup.
However, where the Carabins have excelled the most this postseason has been on the ground. It is surprising considering Montreal finished in the bottom five in rushing attempts nationwide, but November has changed all of that for the Carabins. The team has scored 10 rushing touchdowns through three games — four of them coming via Mathieu Barsalou last week — and is a crucial part of the team's red zone offence.
The run game has been by committee through the playoffs, and there should be no doubt around that continuing on Saturday. Who will get the most carries is anyone's guess, considering a different player has led in rushing attempts in each playoff game. Expect Montreal to drop back and hand the ball off often when they get close to the goal line.
Switching to the opposite side of the ball, the Carabins' defence allowed the fourth-fewest points per game in the country and allowed the fifth-fewest passing and rushing yards per game. Montreal also picked off opposing quarterbacks 11 times, good enough for the sixth-most in the country.
Defensive lineman Gabriel Maisonneuve collected 4.5 sacks in the regular season and spearheaded what was one of the best pass rushes in the nation. Two other linemen — Mukendi Jhonathan Mutombo and Christophe Martin — also recorded three or more sacks and should prove a formidable challenge to stop from getting into the backfield.
Expect Montreal to disrupt Saskatchewan's passing game, especially early on. The Carabins are the best defence the Huskies have faced all year, and Montreal has thrived on luring teams into low-scoring affairs in the past — the 2022 Vanier Cup being a perfect example.
Huskies hoping for Vanier Cup redemption
Saskatchewan finished the year with a 10-1 record and ranked among the best teams in the country on both offence and defence.
The Huskies have put their trust in second-year quarterback Jake Farrell to take them to the promised land after the team announced Anton Amundrud was sidelined earlier in the season due to being diagnosed with lymphoma.
Farrell has risen to the occasion and guided the team to six consecutive wins in his time as the starter. The signal caller has also tossed 13 touchdowns in that span and hit the 200-plus passing yard mark in four of six games.
Farrell is surrounded by weapons on offence, from 2025 Canada West Player of the Year Daniel Wiebe to Canada West All-Star running back Ryker Frank, and the abundance of talent has helped him become accustomed to the role.
The Huskies rank 11th in the country in passing yards per game with 286 and second in passing touchdowns with 22. A significant factor in helping those numbers come to be was Daniel Wiebe. The fifth-year wideout caught a U SPORTS-leading 11 touchdowns and the second-most receiving yards with 926.
However, relying on Wiebe to get the job done has not been what has won the Huskies games during this playoff run. Ryker Frank has taken his game to a new level in November.
The fifth-year back averaged 90 yards per game on the ground through the regular season and recorded three touchdowns. In the three playoff games, Frank has racked up 425 rushing yards and 111 receiving yards.
Expect the Huskies to continue that trend and continue feeding number 34 with the championship on the line.
Defence was also a strong suit for Saskatchewan. They allowed the fifth-fewest points per game and the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game — a stat they will need to rely on to stop the Carabins in the red zone. Where the team struggled, though, was with defending the passing game. The Huskies allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game. A stat that proved they were bending but not breaking when it came to allowing points.
Just like Montreal, Saskatchewan was also known for its pass rush this year. The Dogs got to the opposing team's quarterback 20 times and recovered six fumbles in the regular season. Eight of those sacks came from the Canada West Outstanding Lineman, Charlie Parks, and Canada West Outstanding Defensive Player, Seth Hundeby.
However, Parks and Hundeby only begin to scratch the surface of how deep this Huskies' defence is. Defensive lineman Reece McCormick and defensive back Anesu Latmore were also named to the conference all-star team. And don't forget about linebacker Jacob Goldstone, who finished third in the country with 56 total tackles, and defensive back Cameron Kaun, who had 25 total tackles and seven pass breakups in the regular season.
The Huskies are a deep team and may have the better overall roster. But that only will take you so far. If there were a fitting end to this chapter of the Saskatchewan Huskies, it would close with fifth-years Daniel Wiebe, Ryker Frank and Seth Hundeby — all of whom played in the 2021 Vanier Cup — winning it in their last game with the team. They started their careers coming so close to tasting victory and have battled back to earn their moment.
Previous matchups
This will be the second meeting between these two schools. The other time was back in the 2021 Uteck Bowl when the Huskies defeated the Carabins 14-10 in Montreal.
Keys to the game
Montreal
- Run the ball in the red zone
- Don't let Ryker Frank get open lanes
- Force pressure on Jake Farrell
Saskatchewan
- Stop the red zone run
- Keep Ryker Frank hot, but feed Daniel Wiebe when possible
- Limit Montreal's passing game
Game information
Saturday, November 22, 1:00 p.m. CST
Mosaic Stadium, Regina
TV: CBC