47th Vanier Cup


The 2011 Vanier Cup, the 47th edition of the Canadian university football championship, took place on Friday, November 25, 2011 at BC Place in Vancouver. The McMaster Marauders defeated the Laval Rouge et Or 41–38 in only the second ever Vanier Cup to go into overtime. The Marauders won their first ever national championship while the Rouge et Or lost a Vanier Cup game for the first time. BC Place underwent a renovation, including a retractable roof, and hosted the Vanier Cup on the same weekend it hosted the Grey Cup. This marked the first time the two games were played at the same venue on the same weekend since 2007. This Vanier Cup is notable for being considered one of the best Canadian football games ever played.
McMaster quarterback Kyle Quinlan was named the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy winner after completing 36 of 55 passes for 482 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 106 yards on 14 carries, accounting for 588 of the team's 675 total offensive yards. His 36 completions and 482 passing yards were both the second best totals ever recorded in a Vanier Cup game. McMaster linebacker Aram Eisho was named the top defensive player and awarded the Bruce Coulter Award after recording 11.5 tackles and one forced fumble.

Game summary

Laval Rouge et Or – TDs, Guillaume Rioux, Frédéric Plesius, Sébastien Lévesque, Julian Feoli-Gudino, Adam Thibault; FGs Boris Bede ; cons., Bede.
McMaster Marauders – TDs, James Hill, Chris Pezzetta, Matthew Peressini, Brad Fochesato; FGs Tyler Crapigna ; cons., Crapigna ; two-point cons., Peressini.

Scoring summary

;First Quarter
;Second Quarter
;Third Quarter
;Fourth Quarter
;Overtime

Notable game facts

The Vanier Cup is played between the champions of the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl, the national semi-final games. In 2011, according to the rotating schedule, the Atlantic conference Loney Bowl champion Acadia Axemen met the Ontario conference's Yates Cup champion McMaster Marauders for the Uteck Bowl. The winners of the Canada West conference Hardy Trophy, the Calgary Dinos, hosted the Dunsmore Cup Quebec champion Laval Rouge et Or for the Mitchell Bowl.

Playoff bracket