Manitoba Bisons claim Vanier Cup

Manitoba running back Matt Henry had a broken leg and was about to be taken off the field on a stretcher.

The Bisons were losing. The grimacing Henry looked up and saw quarterback John Makie among his concerned teammates.

Head coach of the University of Manitoba Bisons Brian Dobie is held up by his team after winning the Vanier Cup Friday night at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
(John Woods/Canadian Press)

"When he was down on the ground, he said, 'Go get it, you guys. Go win it for me,'" Makie would recount much later. "And we did."

A 28-14 victory over the Saint Mary's Huskies on Friday night earned Manitoba its first Canadian university football championship since 1970.

Karim Lowen, whose workload increased after Henry's right femur snapped when he was tackled late in the first quarter, had a message for Henry.

"This is for you Matt," said Lowen, who played his last college game. "We've got to get you better and next year you guys will get the chance to come back and do this again."

Makie threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Steve Gronick and ran seven yards to score himself, and Scott Dixon kicked four field goals for the Bisons, who pulled away after trailing 7-0.

Mike Howard, the five-foot-nine defensive back who like Lowen was appearing in his last college game, tied a title game record by intercepting three passes in front of a Rogers Centre crowd of 26,787.

"It's awesome," Howard said of helping end the 37-year drought.

Lowen ran 19 times for 88 yards. He kept drives going time and again by barging through holes created by his offensive linemen.

"This is the best way to go out," he said.

The Bisons offensive line won the war in the trenches, and it was a determining factor in the outcome.

"Those guys don't get a lot of credit because they don't score touchdowns or run with the ball but, without them, we can't do anything," said Lowen. "They did a great job.

"Any yards I got, it's because of the O-line. They did all the hard work in the trenches."

Manitoba coach Brian Dobie finally won the big one in his 12th year at the helm. He lauded Makie's efforts through the whole season. Makie completed 16 of 31 passes for 261 yards Friday.

"They talk about everyone else except John Makie," said Dobie. "He's 22-1 as a starter and he's won a Vanier Cup now. "Slow as molasses but gets it done."

Howard congratulated his coach.

"That's the best feeling in the world," he said. "That guy takes a lot of flack for recruiting guys [out of junior football].

"People say we're old but he saves us. We play junior football because we don't have the education, we don't have the money.

"He deserves this more than anybody."

Ted Abraham, a leftie getting his first start at quarterback for Saint Mary's in place of injured national MVP Erik Glavic, threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Fraser O'Neil to give the Huskies the early lead, but Manitoba was ahead to stay before Abraham found Shawn White for an eight-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Abraham produced a valiant effort. He was 15 for 32 for 192 yards. The loss wasn't his fault, said coach Steve Sumarah.

Manitoba completed its season as the only undefeated team in the country at 12-0.

Saint Mary's finished with a 9-2 record. Beating No. 1 Laval in the semis will stand as the highlight of its season.

Coach Steve Sumarah knew when Glavic went down against Laval that his Huskies would be the underdogs.

"Our kids at least played hard," said Sumarah.

Jacques Lumbala rushed 14 times for 98 yards for the Huskies.

"They were the better team," Lumbala said of the Bisons.

Saint Mary's scored in the sixth minute after marching 71 yards on eight plays. Lumbala's 18- and 19-yard rushes and three Abraham pass completions, including the 13-yard scoring toss to O'Neil, highlighted the drive.

Dixon kicked a 40-yard field goal and then added a 27-yarder as
time expired in the first quarter.

Henry was injured when he was tackled by Jeff Zelinski after a 31-yard scamper during the drive leading to the second field goal.

There was a delay while medical personnel cared for Henry, who was placed on a stretcher and taken off on a motorized cart. It was a tough end to the game for the native of nearby Mississauga, Ont., who had dozens of friends and family members under the dome.

The Huskies threatened again early in the second quarter after O'Neil made a circus catch for a 38-yard gain, but Howard intercepted the ball in his end zone two plays later.

The Huskies got the ball back a minute later on a punt, and Howard made another interception. Four plays later, Gronick got behind Marc Beswick and galloped in after catching a Makie bomb, giving Manitoba a 13-7 lead.

It was 13-8 after Saint Mary's kicker Justin Palardy was wide right on a 30-yard field goal attempt.

The Bisons moved ahead 20-8 by going 52 yards on seven plays on their first possession of the second half. A roughing the passer penalty against Clayton Chiurka fuelled the drive, and Makie dove into the end zone after being hit. It was Makie's first rushing touchdown of the year.

The Bisons were on the march again after Howard's third
interception.

It was 26-8 after Dixon kicked a 32-yard field goal at 11:59 of the third quarter and a 33-yarder 54 seconds into the fourth.

A Dixon punt pinned the Huskies at their own one with five minutes left and they conceded a safety that put the Bisons up 28-14.