2023 U Sports football season#All-Canadian Team
{{Infobox league season
| title = 2023 U Sports football season
| league = U Sports
| sport = Canadian football
| duration = August 25, 2023 – October 28, 2023
| MVP_link = Hec Crighton Trophy
| MVP =
|playoffs=Playoffs
|conf1= Hardy Cup
|conf1_link= Hardy Trophy
|conf1_champ=UBC Thunderbirds
|conf2= Yates Cup
|conf2_link= Yates Cup
|conf2_champ=Western Mustangs
|conf3= Dunsmore Cup
|conf3_link= Dunsmore Cup
|conf3_champ=Montreal Carabins
|conf4= Loney Bowl
|conf4_link= Jewett Trophy
|conf4_champ=St. Francis Xavier X-Men
|conf5= Mitchell Bowl
|conf5_link= Mitchell Bowl
|conf5_champ=UBC Thunderbirds
|conf6= Uteck Bowl
|conf6_link= Uteck Bowl
|conf6_champ=Montreal Carabins
| finals = Vanier Cup
| finals_date = November 25, 2023
| finals_venue = Richardson Memorial Stadium
(Kingston, Ontario)
| finals_champ = Montreal Carabins
| prevseason_year = 2022
| nextseason_year = 2024
}}
The 2023 U Sports football season began on August 25, 2023, with the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. On the following day, ten Ontario University Athletics teams, four Atlantic University Sport teams, and two RSEQ opened their schedules on August 26, 2023.{{cite web|url=https://oua.ca/news/2023/1/19/football-new-oua-season-kicks-off-august-26th.aspx |title=New OUA football season kicks off August 26th |publisher=Ontario University Athletics |date=January 19, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/genrel/2023_AUS_fall_sports_schedules_released |title=2023 AUS fall sports schedules released |publisher=Atlantic University Sport |date=April 20, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://mcgillathletics.ca/news/2023/4/27/football-m-schedule-announced-for-151st-year-of-mcgill-football-program.aspx |title=Schedule announced for 151st year of McGill football program |publisher=McGill Redmen |date=April 27, 2023}} On the following weekend, the six Canada West teams opened their seasons on September 1, 2023.{{cite web|url=https://canada-west.prezly.com/fb-2023-season-kicks-off-across-canada-west-on-september-1st |title=2023 season kicks off across Canada West on September 1st |publisher=Canada West |date=April 25, 2023}}
The conference championships were played on the weekend of November 11, 2023, and the season concluded on November 25, 2023, with the 58th Vanier Cup championship. The Vanier Cup game was held at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ontario, for the first time in its history.{{Cite web |title=Queen's University to host the 2023 and 2024 Vanier Cup |url=https://usports.ca/en/championships/vanier-cup/m/news/2023/03/477471313/queen-s-university-to-host-the-2023-and-2024-u-sports-vanier-cup |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=U Sports |language=en}} 27 university teams in Canada played U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.{{cite web|url=https://usports.ca/en/sports/football/m/teams |title=U Sports Championship Information |publisher=U Sports |access-date=January 21, 2023}}
On September 23, 2023, Manitoba Bisons kicker Maya Turner became the first woman to play in a U Sports regular season football game. She kicked the game winning field goal in overtime for the Bisons in their game against the Regina Rams.{{Cite web |title=Maya Turner kicks OT winner after becoming 1st woman to play regular-season U Sports football game |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/university/maya-turner-debut-manitoba-bisons-football-usports-1.6976696 |access-date=2023-09-24|website=CBC News |language=en}}
Schedules
On January 19, 2023, the OUA released their schedule which featured no major changes from the 2022 season, with 11 teams playing eight regular season games over nine weeks. The regular season will start on August 26, 2023, and end on October 21, 2023. Seven teams will qualify for the playoffs, which begin on October 28, 2023, with the top seed having a first-round bye. The 115th Yates Cup game is scheduled to be played on November 11, 2023.
On April 20, 2023, the AUS schedule was revealed with the first two games scheduled to be played on August 26, 2023. Five AUS teams will play eight games over 10 weeks with each team receiving two bye weeks. In a format change this year, the top four teams will qualify for the AUS playoffs rather than three, with two semi-final games determining the participants for the AUS championship.{{cite web|url=https://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/genrel/2023-24_AUS_format_updates |title=Atlantic University Sport regular season competition set to kick off this weekend |publisher=Atlantic University Sport |date=August 23, 2023}} The Canada West schedule was announced on April 25, 2023, and the RSEQ schedule was revealed on April 27, 2023, with no major scheduling changes from the 2022 U Sports football season.
Regular season
= Standings =
| cellpadding="5" |
| style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{2023 AUS football standings}} | {{2023 RSEQ football standings}} |
| style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{2023 OUA football standings}} | {{2023 CWUAA football standings}} |
{{clear}}
Post-season awards
= Award-winners =
| class="wikitable"
|+ ! !Quebec !Ontario !Atlantic !Canada West !National |
| Hec Crighton Trophy
|align="center"|Jonathan Sénécal |align="center"|Taylor Elgersma |align="center"|Silas Fagnan |align="center"|Matthew Peterson |align="center"|Jonathan Sénécal |
|---|
| Presidents' Trophy
|align="center"|Harold Miessan |align="center"|Max Charbonneau |align="center"|Daniel Bell |align="center"|Nick Wiebe |align="center"|Harold Miessan |
| J. P. Metras Trophy
|align="center"|Christopher Fontenard |align="center"|Tyson Hergott |align="center"|Alex Fedchun |align="center"|Theo Benedet |align="center"|Theo Benedet |
| Peter Gorman Trophy
|align="center"|Justin Cloutier |align="center"|Ethan Gregorcic |align="center"|Mikaël Pattin |align="center"|Owen Sieben |align="center"|Justin Cloutier |
| Russ Jackson Award
|align="center"|N/A |align="center"|Alex Cheng |align="center"|Spencer Richard |align="center"|Mark Rauhaus |align="center"|Mark Rauhaus |
| Frank Tindall Trophy
|align="center"|Marco Iadeluca |align="center"|Michael Faulds |align="center"|Gary Waterman |align="center"|Chris Morris |align="center"|Chris Morris |
| Gino Fracas Award
|align="center"|Émilie Pfeiffer Badoux |align="center"|Zach Scotto |align="center"|Matt Elliott |align="center"|Vaughan Mitchell |align="center"|Vaughan Mitchell |
{{Cite web|url=http://rseq.ca/sports/football/universitaire/nouvelles/football-universitaire-jonathan-s%C3%A9n%C3%A9cal-est-choisi-joueur-par-excellence/ |title=Football universitaire : Jonathan Sénécal est choisi joueur par excellence |publisher=RSEQ |date=November 10, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://oua.ca/sports/fball/2023-24/releases/awards |title=Elgersma earns MVP honours to headline quartet of Golden Hawk award winners |publisher=Ontario University Athletics |date=November 8, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/fball/2023-24/releases/20231103i46dqe |title=2023 AUS football major award winners and all-stars announced |publisher=Atlantic University Sport |date=November 3, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://canada-west.prezly.com/fb-albertas-peterson-named-cw-player-of-the-year |title=Alberta's Peterson named CW Player of the Year |publisher=Canada West |date=November 9, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://usports.ca/en/awards/news/2023/11/1319968847/montreal-s-jonathan-senecal-wins-2023-hec-crighton-award |title=Montréal’s Jonathan Sénécal wins 2023 Hec Crighton Award |publisher=U Sports |date=November 24, 2023}}
= All-Canadian Team =
| class="wikitable"
|+Offence ! !First Team !Second Team |
| Quarterback
|Jonathan Sénécal (Montreal) |Taylor Elgersma (Laurier) |
|---|
| Running Back
|Matthew Peterson (Alberta) Jared Chisari (Queen's) |Malcolm Bussey (St. Francis Xavier) Amlicar Polk (Ottawa) |
| Receiver
|Ethan Jordan (Laurier) Darius Simmons (McGill) Savaughn Magnaye-Jones (Western) A. K. Gassama (Manitoba) |Raidan Thorne (Laurier) Kaseem Ferdinand (Carleton) Ben Harrington (St. Francis Xavier) Hassane Dosso (Montreal) |
| Centre
|Daniel Shin (Alberta) |Ryan Berta (Queen's) |
| Guard
|Giordano Vaccaro (Manitoba) Alassane Diouf (Montreal) |Matthew Ljuden (Alberta) Evan Floren (Queen's) |
| Tackle
|Theo Benedet (UBC) Erik Andersen (Western) |Giovanni Manu (UBC) Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay (Laval) |
| Utility
|Lucas Robertson (UBC) |Niklas Henning (Queen's) |
| class="wikitable"
|+Defence ! !First Team !Second Team |
| Defensive Tackle
|Christopher Fontenard (Montreal) Darien Newell (Queen's) |Muftah Ageli (Windsor) Kyle Samson (UBC) |
|---|
| Defensive End
|Jeremiah Ojo (Montreal) Tyson Hergott (Waterloo) |Kolade Amusan (Windsor) George Idoko (Saskatchewan) |
| Linebacker
|Harold Miessan (Montreal) Nick Wiebe (Saskatchewan) Ife Onyemenam (Laurier) |Nicky Farinaccio (Montreal) Max Charbonneau (Ottawa) Lourenz Bowers-Kane (Western) |
| Free Safety
|Jackson Findlay (Western) |Jonathan Giustini (Alberta) |
| Defensive Halfback
|Bruno Lagacé (Montreal) Eric Cumberbatch (Ottawa) |Cristophe Beaulieu (Laval) Daniel Bell (Mount Allison) |
| Cornerback
|Kaylyn St-Cyr (Montreal) Katley Joseph (Saskatchewan) |Jassin States-McClean (Saint Mary's) Louis Lavaud (Carleton) |
| class="wikitable"
|+Special Teams ! !First Team !Second Team |
| Kicker
|Ben Hadley (St. Francis Xavier) |Vincent Blanchard (Laval) |
|---|
| Punter
|Aldo Galvan (Regina) |Michael Horvat (McMaster) |
| Returner
|Javonni Cunningham (Windsor) |Guillaume Cauchon (Laval) |
| Rush/Cover
|Charles-Eliot Boulianne (Montreal) |Skyler Griffith (UBC) |
Post-season
The Vanier Cup was played between the champions of the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl, the national semi-final games. In 2023, as per the rotating schedule, the Atlantic conference's Loney Bowl championship team, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, visited the Canada West Hardy Trophy winners, the UBC Thunderbirds for the Mitchell Bowl. The Yates Cup Ontario conference championship team, the Western Mustangs, visited the Québec conference Dunsmore Cup winners, the Montreal Carabins, for the Uteck Bowl.{{cite web |date=September 13, 2022 |title=U Sports Championship Information |url=https://usports.ca/hq/championship-information/calendar |access-date=January 21, 2023 |publisher=U Sports}} These games were played on November 18, 2023, while the Vanier Cup was played on November 25, 2023.
=Conference championships=
==Atlantic University Sport==
{{4TeamBracket
|boldwinner=high
| RD1= November 4
Semi-finals
| RD2= November 11
32nd Loney Bowl
| RD1-seed1= 1
| RD1-team1= St. Francis Xavier
| RD1-score1= 36
| RD1-seed2= 4
| RD1-team2=St. Mary's
| RD1-score2= 20
| RD1-seed3= 2
| RD1-team3= Bishop's
| RD1-score3= 34
| RD1-seed4= 3
| RD1-team4= Mount Allison
| RD1-score4= 15
| RD2-seed1= 1
| RD2-team1= St. Francis Xavier
| RD2-score1= 34
| RD2-seed2= 2
| RD2-team2= Bishop's
| RD2-score2= 23
}}
==Canada West==
{{4TeamBracket
|boldwinner=high
| RD1= November 4
Semi-finals
| RD2= November 11
86th Hardy Trophy
| RD1-seed1= 1
| RD1-team1= UBC
| RD1-score1= 29
| RD1-seed2= 4
| RD1-team2=Manitoba
| RD1-score2= 21
| RD1-seed3= 2
| RD1-team3= Alberta
| RD1-score3= 40
| RD1-seed4= 3
| RD1-team4= Saskatchewan
| RD1-score4= 17
| RD2-seed1= 1
| RD2-team1= UBC
| RD2-score1= 28
| RD2-seed2= 2
| RD2-team2= Alberta
| RD2-score2= 27
}}
==Ontario University Athletics==
{{7TeamBracket
|boldwinner=high
| RD1= October 28
Quarter-finals
| RD2= November 4
Semi-finals
| RD3= November 11
115th Yates Cup
| RD1-seed1= 4
| RD1-team1= Queen's
| RD1-score1= 15
| RD1-seed2= 5
| RD1-team2=Ottawa
| RD1-score2= 10
| RD1-seed3= 2
| RD1-team3= Laurier
| RD1-score3= 69
| RD1-seed4= 7
| RD1-team4= Waterloo
| RD1-score4= 0
| RD1-seed5= 3
| RD1-team5= Windsor
| RD1-score5= 14
| RD1-seed6= 6
| RD1-team6= Carleton
| RD1-score6= 11
| RD2-seed1= 1
| RD2-team1= Western
| RD2-score1= 47
| RD2-seed2= 4
| RD2-team2= Queen's
| RD2-score2= 20
| RD2-seed3= 2
| RD2-team3= Laurier
| RD2-score3= 21
| RD2-seed4= 3
| RD2-team4= Windsor
| RD2-score4= 14
| RD3-seed1= 1
| RD3-team1= Western
| RD3-score1= 29
| RD3-seed2= 2
| RD3-team2= Laurier
| RD3-score2= 14
}}
==Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec==
{{4TeamBracket
|boldwinner=high
| RD1= November 4
Demi-finales
| RD2= November 11
42e Coupe Dunsmore
| RD1-seed1= 1
| RD1-team1= Montréal
| RD1-score1= 54
| RD1-seed2= 4
| RD1-team2=Sherbrooke
| RD1-score2= 3
| RD1-seed3= 2
| RD1-team3= Laval
| RD1-score3= 34
| RD1-seed4= 3
| RD1-team4= Concordia
| RD1-score4= 27
| RD2-seed1= 1
| RD2-team1= Montréal
| RD2-score1= 12
| RD2-seed2= 2
| RD2-team2= Laval
| RD2-score2= 6
}}
=National championship=
{{#invoke:RoundN|N4
|style=white-space:nowrap|widescore=no|bold_winner=high|3rdplace=no
|RD1=November 18th
Semi-finals
|RD2=November 25th
Final
|Uteck Bowl – Montreal, QC|Montreal|29|Western|3
|Mitchell Bowl – Vancouver, BC|UBC|47|St. Francis Xavier|17
|Vanier Cup – Kingston, ON|Montreal|16|UBC|9
}}