University of Calgary Dinos quarterback Erik Glavic throws a pass during team practice at Laval University in Quebec City November 25, 2010. The Dinos will play the Laval University Rouge et Or for the Vanier Cup on November 27. REUTERS/Mathieu BelangerMATHIEU BELANGER/Reuters
Bad knees or not, Erik Glavic wants to leave university football in a blaze of glory.
The University of Calgary quarterback gets his last shot at a Vanier Cup when the Dinos take on the hometown Laval Rouge et Or at PEPS Stadium on Saturday (TSN, 11:45 a.m. ET). Then he expects to hang up the spikes for good.
The Pickering, Ont., native is in his fifth and last year of eligibility and, despite two Hec Crighton trophies as the top football player in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, was never drafted by a Canadian Football League team. Retirement as a player beckons.
"This will essentially be my last game of contact football, but I'm trying not to look at it that way," Glavic said Thursday. "I'm a pretty emotional guy, I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I try to take that emotion out of it and stay on an even keel and hopefully lead this team to a victory.
"Now, with the knee situations, even if someone was interested I don't think I'd pursue it. My knees are really not doing well. I'm hoping to be walking when I'm 40. I think it's best for me to step away from the game, even though it kills me. I love playing. But it's best for me."
Once a dynamic scrambler, Glavic rarely runs the ball any more, but coach Blake Nill says he has compensated with a better all-around game, making better reads in the pocket and letting the offensive line and star running back Steven Lumbala take care of the ground game.
He will need all his weapons as the Dinos, a solid offensive side, go up against a Laval defence that is widely recognized as the best in the country.
The Rouge et Or conceded only 6.4 points per game to opponents while going 10-0 this season and they have picked off 14 passes in their three post-season games.
"It's a challenge to our offensive line," said Glavic. "Their front seven's really good and their defensive backs fly around.
"But I think we're up to the task. We've got a pretty good offence. It's a good match-up."
Both quarterbacks go into the game hurting. Laval's Bruno Prud'homme had his bell rung by a wicked hit late in the Rouge et Or's 13-11 win over Western in the Uteck Bowl last week but is OK to play.
Prud'homme, who struggled to move his offence, is glad to see much of the pre-game attention going to Glavic.
"It's normal when you get to this point that the quarterbacks get more attention but if most of that is directed at him I'm OK with that," said Prud'homme. "I just want to concentrate on playing my game and do what I need to do on the field."
Glavic missed half the regular season with a bad knee and hopes the joint will hold up for one more game.
He has been to the Vanier Cup twice in his career, in 2007 with St. Mary's and 2009 with Calgary, and lost both times, including a close defeat last year to Queen's - a game also played at PEPS Stadium.
"I haven't been as mobile as I once was, as shown by the one or two rushing yards I've had in the past five games compared to a 60-or-70 yard average before," said Glavic. "I'm just hoping it doesn't knock me out of the game.
"It's obviously not 100 per cent. As long as I don't take a shot down low or get forced to make a big cut, I'm hoping it will allow me to hang in and play the whole game."
If not, the Dinos have Canada West rookie of the year Eric Dzwilewski as back-up.
A lot looks stacked in Laval's favour, including the noise that will be generated by 14,000-plus fans. The Rouge et Or are on a 43-game home winning streak and are 5-0 in Vanier Cup games, with their most recent win in 2008.
"It's a great incentive for us to perform well," Lumbala said of Laval's home record. "But we can't let outside factors affect our game plan."
Nill is expecting a battle in the trenches, where he has an all-star-studded offensive line led by tackle Paul Swiston that will need to keep Laval's ace rush end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon out of the backfield.
"Mostly it's going to be the line play," said Nill. "I don't think our offensive line has faced a defensive line like this yet."
"That's going to be a big sign. It'll be a long day if our guys can't neutralize those guys at least to some degree."
The early start could also be a problem for the Dinos, who already faced a two-hour time difference by travelling to the east. But it's their second year in a row with the same problem and Nill said he has his team up extra early this week to adjust.