Cheetahs survive mistakes to grab tough road win

Despite the four turnovers, Vanier's physical offensive line and defence took over the game, limiting the Cougars' offensive chances and tiring out their defence.

Head coach Peter Chryssomalis said his squad must cut down on mistakes going into an early-season clash with the arch-rival Vieux-Montreal Spartiates. "We have to play a much more focused game and a much more physical football games if we're going to win this weekend," he said.

The Cougars opened the scoring at Coulter Field with a 33-yard William Dion field goal on the first drive of the game, and the Cheetahs answered with a touchdown just before halftime. Gibbon sneaked over from the 2-yard line, but the big play on the drive belonged to slotback Chris Campbell, whose diving catch of a 27-yard Gibbon pass drew cheers and raves.

The 7-3 halftime lead wouldn't hold up, however. The Cougars managed to string together two rare completions in a row, and receiver Saidou Junior Haidara made a miraculous catch in tight coverage to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

That's when the Vanier offence started to work overtime, giving tailbacks Remi Biakabutuka and John Jean-Baptiste space to run before White's TD catch capped the drive. The big Vanier offensive line – led by Matt Norman, Daryl Rankin and Ryan White -- began to rip open holes in a tired Cougars defence. "I think the encouraging thing for us was the way we got better as the game went on," said Chryssomalis. "Lennoxville is a tough place to win anytime you go down there, and we dominated the game fro the mid-point of the third quarter on both sides of the football. That tells you our players are mentally strong," he said.

Another Gibbon touchdown pass, this one to Sanchez Deschamps, and a 1-yard Remi Biakabutuka touchdown in the fourth quarter salted the game away for Vanier, whose meeting with the Spartiates looms large. "We need our third-year guys to make plays, and we expect to win every time we step on the field because of how we think as a football team. The culture has changed. In the past, maybe three or four years ago, the kids wanted to win, but I don’t know if they knew how to win. These kids know how to win, and I think that's going to come out and reflect on the way we run our program."

The Cheetahs' home opener is slated for Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. against Francois-Xavier Garneau at Vanier College.