60th Vanier Cup LIVE: Montreal Carabins defeat Saskatchewan Huskies

Photo courtesy: James Hajjar/Carabins

Welcome to the 3DownNation 60th Vanier Cup live blog, courtesy of longtime contributor and managing editor J.C. Abbott! We’ll have up-to-the-second news, insight, and analysis all afternoon for your enjoyment as the Saskatchewan Huskies and Montreal Carabins play at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

Editor’s note: this page does not automatically refresh. Please do so manually to see the latest from this year’s Vanier Cup.

5:40 p.m. EST — That’s it for me today! Thanks for joining me on this LIVE blog journey, and make sure to keep it locked on 3DownNation for more in-depth coverage as the day progresses.

5:34 p.m. EST — The Ted Morris Memorial Trophy for Vanier Cup MVP has been awarded to quarterback Pepe Gonzalez. He completed 27-of-33 passes for 344 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing three times for 25 yards. He is just the fourth first-year QB to win a Vanier Cup, joining St. FX’s Terry Dolan (1966), UBC’s Michael O’Connor (2015), and Western’s Evan Hillock (2021).

5:32 p.m. EST — Cornerback Louis-Philippe Gauthier receives the Bruce Coulter Award as the game’s top defensive player. He had six tackles, two pass breakups, and an interception. Keep an eye out for him in the 2026 CFL Draft!

5:30 p.m. EST — That is four straight Vanier Cup victories for the RSEQ — two from Laval and two from Montreal. Canadian university football is just different in Quebec.

5:24 p.m. EST — Devastation for the Huskies on home soil. This is their ninth Vanier Cup loss this century, without a win to show for it.

5:23 p.m. EST — The Montreal Carabins have won the 60th Vanier Cup, defeating the Saskatchewan Huskies 30-16. It is the third national title in program history.

5:22 p.m. EST — Ryker Frank tackled short of the sticks on third down. That’s the game!

5:18 p.m. EST — The Huskies will get one more crack at this. They need to score 14 points in 45 seconds.

5:15 p.m. EST — Mukendi Jhonathan Mutombo and Mohamed Elshal get home for the sack on third down. Turnover on downs. That should almost do it for the Carabins.

5:14 p.m. EST — Guillaume Perrier *nearly* picks that pass off. His toe just barely grazes the white stripe.

5:13 p.m. EST — Saskatchewan converts! Dawson Lennea picks up six.

5:11 p.m. EST — The Huskies call a timeout before a critical third-and-five, but Gabriel Maisonneuve didn’t hear the whistle. He smoked Jake Farrell after the play was waived off.

5:10 p.m. EST — Benjamin McDougall gets a mitt on the foot on second down. This could be it.

5:09 p.m. EST — The Huskies need to air it out here. The question is: does Jake Farrell have the arm for it?

5:04 p.m. EST — That’s the dagger! Pepe Gonzalez stands in against pressure and throws it up for Simon Larose in the end zone. The seven-yard touchdown makes it 30-16 for Montreal.

5:03 p.m. EST — Mathieu Barsalou takes us inside the three-minute warning with another third-down sneak inside the red zone. Maybe the Alouettes should take a cue from the Carabins and get a fullback to run their short-yardage package. It couldn’t be worse, right?

4:59 p.m. EST — The Carabins’ offensive line is getting hats on hats all across the board. Lucas Dembele Bertet didn’t get touched until the second level on that 13-yard run.

4:57 p.m. EST — Montreal just keeps churning out yards. Enrique Jaimes Leclair and Hassane Dosso with consecutive big plays, but Jean-Darius Nendou knocks off 15 with a bad facemask penalty.

4:50 p.m. EST — Louis-Philippe Gauthier breaks up a pass and Benjamin McDougall hauls down Jake Farrell for a short gain. Saskatchewan has to punt again, and Montreal is instantly in plus territory.

4:47 p.m. EST — A costly block in the back from John Stoll erases a good return from Daniel Kubongo. The Huskies are back behind the eight-ball to start this key drive.

4:45 p.m. EST — Big-time players make big-time plays in big moments! Seth Hundeby notches his second sack to stifle the Carabins’ response and draws an unnecessary roughness penalty to push them back even further. Saskatchewan has the ball back.

4:43 p.m. EST — A massive play from the Montreal defence! Former Presidents’ Trophy winner Harold Miessan picks off the pass intended for Daniel Wiebe in his final U Sports game.

4:41 p.m. EST — After a timeout, Philippe Boyer milks some clock and runs out of the back of the end zone to concede a safety. Montreal now leads by just seven points, 23-16.

4:39 p.m. EST — FINALLY!!! Seth Hundeby gets home on the blitz for Saskatchewan’s first sack of the game, and the Carabins are forced to punt from deep in their own end.

4:35 p.m. EST — Mohamed Elshal with the biggest hit of the game to stop Ryker Frank short of the first down. The Egyptian national put his whole soul into contact, and Saskatchewan is punting. They can’t afford many more of those.

4:33 p.m. EST — Mathis Berube read that screen to Daniel Wiebe like a book! Blows him up for a two-yard loss.

4:28 p.m. EST — That’s an unfortunate penalty from Dosso on the touchdown celebration. You don’t want to be giving away yards because of finger-guns in a championship game!

4:27 p.m. EST — You’re telling me this kid is a rookie?! Pepe Gonzalez drops a 32-yard dime to fifth-year receiver Hassane Dosso for the touchdown. The Huskies had great coverage, but the pass was better. 23-14 Carabins to end the third quarter.

4:25 p.m. EST — The Huskie faithful aren’t going to love that roughing the passer call on Riece Kack. Montreal gets a fresh set of downs.

4:24 p.m. EST — More easy pitch and catch from Pepe Gonzalez to Simon Larose. He has been huge for the Carabins today.

4:20 p.m. EST — Lots of pressure on Jake Farrell, and he gets tripped up for a sack. Bradley Nseka will get credited with forcing the Saskatchewan punt.

4:18 p.m. EST — That is a nice 23-yard catch from Daniel Wiebe to move the chains. The Canada West MVP had Louis-Philippe Gauthier all over him on the comeback.

4:15 p.m. EST — Saskatchewan holds firm on the Montreal drive, but Philippe Boyer hits a 60-yard punt for his third rouge of the day. Carabins are up 16-14.

4:09 p.m. EST — Lukas Scott hits a 32-yard field goal. Saskatchewan trails Montreal by a single point, 15-14.

4:07 p.m. EST — That’s a huge play! Liam Piccinin gets free for a 46-yard catch up the seam, and the Huskies are in scoring position already!

4:02 p.m. EST — The Huskies are finally getting pressure on Pepe Gonzalez. He scrambles but can’t reach the sticks on second-and-15. Another Montreal punt to come.

3:55 p.m. EST — Another near miss by Montreal! Simon Larose had a step on Lucas Scheck, but he couldn’t quite reach the would-be touchdown! These missed deep shots could loom large if Montreal can’t maintain its lead.

3:53 p.m. EST — Back-to-back first-down throws from Gonzalex to Enrique Jaimes Leclair to open the third quarter. He was shockingly quiet in the first half.

3:52 p.m. EST — The Tilted Kilts are done, and football has resumed!

3:47 p.m. EST — Notably, the vaunted Saskatchewan defence has been light on big plays. Seth Hundeby has just three tackles, and Charlie Parks has yet to make an impact rushing the passer. That has to change in the second quarter.

3:42 p.m. EST — Pepe Gonzalez has 190 yards passing at halftime, while Jake Farrell has 134. Ryker Frank has run for 42 yards, while Lucas Dembele Bertet has 46. Simon Larose is the game’s leading receiver with 81 yards, and Dawson Lennea is the top Huskie with just 33.

3:32 p.m. EST — The Carabins stay conservative and Philippe Boyer hits a 10-yard field goal to go up 15-11 at the break. Stay tuned for halftime!

3:30 p.m. EST — That is a massive tackle from Lucas Scheck to track Louis Drolet across formation into the flat and save a touchdown!

3:28 p.m. EST — Larose again! This time he high points an impressive contested catch for 23 yards. The Carabins are inside the 10-yard line with seconds remaining in the half.

3:26 p.m. EST — Simon Larose keeps Montreal marching with an impressive 29-yard catch and run. He may have scored if he hadn’t tripped over his own feet.

3:25 p.m. EST — That’s a critical blown call by the officials. Pepe Gonzalez was well past the line of scrimmage on the pass to Simon Larose, but they picked up the flag. Saskatchewan is not happy!

3:22 p.m. EST — Lukas Scott nearly had that punt blocked, but barely gets it away. Carabins have solid field position to start inside of three minutes.

3:20 p.m. EST — Daniel Wiebe is a knitter? Please, please, please let him make Corey Mace a toque for the sidelines next year.

3:15 p.m. EST — Philippe Boyer shanks a 39-yard field goal attempt, but the line drive goes for a rouge. Just like they drew it up! The Carabins lead 12-11.

3:10 p.m. EST — Veteran Carabins receiver Brandon Gourgon is down, and trainers appear to be looking at his nose. He made that spectacular touchdown catch earlier in the game.

3:07 p.m. EST — Lucas Dembele Bertet shows some wiggle to make the first tackler miss on a 15-yard run. Then, Gonzalez hits Enrique Jaimes Leclair for a 12-yard gain. The Carabins will need more of both of those things if they want to hoist the Vanier.

3:04 p.m. EST — Big props to right tackle Braiden DeGroot and defensive lineman-turned-sixth offensive lineman Jaxson Kramchynski for the key blocks on Frank’s major. They had their defenders on lock!

3:03 p.m. EST — Lukas Scott booms the kickoff 85 yards for a rouge and we have a tie game!

3:02 p.m. EST — Get out of that man’s way! Ryker Frank takes advantage of a massive hole on the right side of the line and bowls over safety Elijah Cramiax on a four-yard touchdown run. Huskies hit the convert and trail 11-10.

3:00 p.m. EST — Ryker Frank ran through at least five defenders on that 17-yard run. The fifth-year back isn’t the biggest, but his heart is the size of an elephant’s.

2:57 p.m. EST — That’s a nice 19-yard connection from Farrell to Dawson Lennea. The absence of SAM linebacker Nicholas Roy for the Carabins is an underrated storyline.

2:56 p.m. EST — In classic U Sports fashion, the live stats page has accidentally reversed the rosters and is recording gains for either team as a loss for the corresponding number on the other team. Just perfect. No notes.

2:50 p.m. EST — WHAT A CATCH!!! Brandon Gourgon beat Cameron Kaun deep and absolutely laid out for a 41-yard touchdown catch! Montreal hits the convert to lead 11-3.

2:48 p.m. EST — They needed the chains to confirm, but fullback Mathieu Barsalou converted on third-and-one to open the second quarter.

2:45 p.m. EST — We have reached the end of the first quarter. Montreal leads Saskatchewan 4-3.

2:42 p.m. EST — Pepe Gonzalez *just* misses Simon Larose streaking wide open down the field on a broken play. Those are the moments you dream about — and the ones you’ll be haunted by if you lose!

2:38 p.m. EST — Lukas Scott pumps in a 20-yarder for Saskatchewan’s first points of the game.

2:37 p.m. EST — Jake ‘Johnny-on-the-spot’ Farrell recovers from a snap at his ankle and somehow picks up five yards. Not enough for a first down, though. The field goal team has come out.

2:35 p.m. EST — Gauthier nearly redeems himself two plays later, breaking on an out route by Liam Piccinin. It was inches away from his second interception of the game.

2:34 p.m. EST — That’s a huge unnecessary roughness penalty against Louis-Philippe Gauthier after the Ryker Frank screen. The Huskies are now in plus territory.

2:30 p.m. EST — Philippe Boyer knocks through a 24-yard field goal to extend the Montreal lead to 4-0.

2:27 p.m. EST — What a cutback by Lucas Dembele Bertet on that zone run! He picked up 24 yards and nearly broke free for a touchdown.

2:25 p.m. EST — First-year pass rusher Benjamin McDougall gets to Jake Farrell for a drive-ending sack. You could make an argument that he was the second-best rookie in the country this year, behind only his own quarterback.

2:23 p.m. EST — The Huskies were very fortunate to get that first down. Cohen Wright was stopped on the initial short-yardage surge before receiving a little tush-push from Ryker Frank.

2:19 p.m. EST — The Carabins can’t capitalize on the turnover, and Philippe Boyer booms a punt that Daniel Kubongo barely gets out of the end zone.

2:16 p.m. EST — That’s not how you want to start a game… Jake Farrell’s first pass is picked off by a leaping Louis-Philippe Gauthier.

2:15 p.m. EST — The Montreal Carabins have kicked off against the Saskatchewan Huskies, and Philippe Boyer has already scored a rouge! Its a start to the game so Canadian, I might cry.

2:14 p.m. EST — R.I.P. to painted stripes on footballs, I guess?

2:12 p.m. EST — The Grey Cup is in attendance at Mosaic Stadium along with a number of Saskatchewan Roughriders. I wonder if they are still buzzed from the parade?

2:10 p.m. EST — The return of running back Lucas Dembele Bertet to the starting lineup today could be huge for the Carabins. That kid can scoot!

2:07 p.m. EST — Turf toe is no joke! Daniel Wiebe is a warrior for battling through that injury.

2:05 p.m. EST — The TV broadcast side of Mosaic Stadium is reportedly filling up nicely. That’s where the Huskies faithful are sitting.

2:01 p.m. EST — JUSTIN DUNK SIGHTING! Everyone take a shot of wheatgrass with a quinoa chaser!

2:00 p.m. EST — The CBC broadcast has finally commenced, which means it is almost time for the action to commence!

1:50 p.m. EST — The Huskies can make history with a win today, as the Grey Cup, Vanier Cup, and Canadian Bowl champions have never before come from the same province. The Saskatchewan Roughriders took care of business in the CFL, while the Saskatoon Hilltops did the same in the CJFL. The Saskatoon Valkyriess of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League also won a title in June. There is clearly some magic in that Saskatchewan wheat!

1:45 p.m. EST — Two national award winners will also be on the field. Huskies linebacker Seth Hundeby won the Presidents’ Trophy as the country’s top stand-up defensive player, and Carabins quarterback Pepe Gonzalez took home the Peter Gorman Trophy as the top rookie in U Sports.

1:40 p.m. EST — There are a total of seven All-Canadian selections set to play in this game. For Saskatchewan, linebacker Seth Hundeby, receiver Daniel Wiebe, and defensive end Charlie Parks all made the first team, while defensive tackle Reece McCormick was on the second. For Montreal, guard Alassane Diouf and defensive end Gabriel Maisonneuve cracked the top squad, while offensive tackle Jean-Darius Nendou made the second team.

1:35 p.m. EST — The Montreal Carabins enter this game having won two Vanier Cups in program history, the last coming just two years ago in 2023. The Saskatchewan Huskies have won three national titles, but none since 1998. For context, the Carabins didn’t launch their program until four years later in 2002!

1:30 p.m. EST — There are three 2025 CFL Draft picks suiting up in this game after returning to school this year. Huskies linebacker Seth Hundeby and receiver Daniel Wiebe were both selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, while Carabins defensive end Gabriel Maisonneuve was picked by the Montreal Alouettes.

1:25 p.m. EST — I can’t start this LIVE blog properly without extending my sincerest well-wishes to Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud, who is unable to play this game after being diagnosed with cancer. It remains unclear whether he’ll be able to make the trip to Regina as he continues his first round of chemotherapy in the hospital. A GoFundMe set up to support him and his family has already raised over $65,000, and is still collecting donations from anyone looking to help out.

1:15 p.m. EST — For anyone interested in the betting line for this game, Coolbet has the Montreal Carabins as six-point favourites ahead of kickoff. The over/under is 46.5 points, which seems optimistic given the inexperience of the two quarterbacks and the dominance of both defences.

1:05 p.m. EST — I will be performing live-blogging duties from the comfort of my living room, courtesy of the CBC broadcast. However, 3DownNation does have boots on the ground in Regina, with Joel Gasson and Brendan McGuire both in stadium.

1:00 p.m. EST — We are just over an hour away from kickoff at the 60th Vanier Cup, where the champion of Canadian university football will be crowned in the home of the champions of Canadian professional football! In many ways, this game is a spiritual sequel to the Grey Cup, as Saskatchewan looks to replicate the Riders’ celebration and Montreal hopes to avoid the same fate as the Alouettes.

This year’s Vanier Cup can be viewed on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca, and CBC Sports YouTube, as well as in French on TVA Sports.