The 2024 U Sports football season came to an end on November 23, as Laval University hoisted the Vanier Cup before a crowd of 9,500 people at Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Ontario. A 22–17 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks secured the Laval Rouge et Or’s their 12th Vanier Cup title — more than any Canadian team — further solidifying themselves as the country’s most dominant post-secondary football team of the past 25 years.
It was a different story this season for the Varsity Blues. Expectations were high as first-year Head Coach Darrell Adams took the reins. The Blues began the season with a promising 31–29 victory over the Waterloo Warriors in week one, propelled by the explosive running from Garrett Ellis and Jack Nyrose who grabbed 99 and 45 rushing yards respectively.
The rest of the season did not unfold as the team planned. Other teams outmatched the Blues in all the latter’s next seven games, losing most by a wide margin. Despite the early success against the Waterloo Warriors, the rushing attack remained a consistent weak point down the stretch — the Blues finished the year with 829 rushing yards, nearly 1,000 fewer than league-leading Western’s 1,822. The team performed well against rival York Lions but couldn’t secure a victory, falling 17–19 at home in a heartbreaking game.
None of their other matchups were close, and the Blues ended the season in 10th place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) with a 1–7 record.
Injury bug hamstrings team
No player or coach is ever satisfied with a losing record — at this level, the only statistics that matter are wins and losses. Still, it must be acknowledged that the Blues didn’t get any help from the football gods this year. Injuries plagued the team, losing many of their veteran players early on.
“I’m not someone to make excuses,” said Adams in an interview with The Varsity, “[but] each week we were rotating guys at key spots: receiver, linebacker, offensive line, defensive-back, you name it, we had injuries all over the place.” The team relied on many first- and second-year players, including OUA All-Rookie defensive back Oskar McPhie, who performed admirably in the secondary, collecting 12 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
Nonetheless, the team’s youth was evident against their more experienced OUA opponents, and the end of season statistics reflect this disparity. On offence, the Blues scored the fewest points with 91 and gained the fewest yards with 2,123 total yards in the OUA. The defence didn’t fare much better, allowing the second-most points with 331, and second-most yards per game with 446.6 in the province. That said, the Blues had their share of statistical outliers; third-year receiver Chris Joseph recorded 515 receiving yards and 17.2 yards per catch, ranking seventh and fourth best in the province respectively.
Nevertheless, there was a significant gap in statistical production between the Golden Hawks, the Yates Cup champions as the top team in Ontario this season, and the Blues. In the regular season, the Golden Hawks produced 306 total points and gained 4,004 yards of offence. On defence, they allowed only 180 points and 397.5 yards per game. The Blues must narrow these statistical gaps if they are to make the postseason in 2025.
What’s next?
While the Blues didn’t light up the scoreboard this season, there is much to be hopeful about in 2025. The team will be a year older and boast a roster full of seasoned, young starters. Adams will return to the helm with a full offseason to prepare his team. Most importantly, the Blues will be playing with a chip on their shoulders. “We kept the receipts,” remarked Adams. “We understand that we lost seven in a row by an average of 35. We didn’t forget… We’re putting that all in the bank to motivate us to squat one more rep, to bench one more, to run one more sprint, to study for another hour… because our time will come and I firmly believe that.”
A Vanier Cup might be a longshot for now, but a gritty, more seasoned team might very well prove the naysayers wrong in 2025.
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