True to form, Prince George's Jordan Botel is more excited about a team accomplishment than he is about the biggest individual honour of his football career.
Last Saturday in Halifax, the Mount Allison University Mounties defeated the Saint Mary's University Huskies 20-17 in the Loney Bowl, the playoff championship game in Atlantic University Sport. The victory -- the first for the Mounties in the Loney Bowl since 1997 -- qualified them for the Uteck Bowl, a national semifinal game that will be played this Saturday on their home field in Sackville, N.B.
Two days before the Mounties ended the Huskies' season, Botel was selected as the outstanding player of the year in the AUS. As the conference MVP, he's now in the running for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport player of the year award, known as the Hec Crighton. For that honour, he's up against running back Mercer Timmis of the University of Calgary Dinos, quarterback Will Finch of the University of Western Ontario Mustangs and quarterback Jordan Heather of the Bishop's University Gaiters.
As happy as he is about all the recognition, Botel is focusing his thoughts on the Mounties and the fact that they're in position to do something special on Saturday.
"I would take advancing to the Uteck Bowl every time," said Botel, a second-year running back who graduated from College Heights secondary school in 2007. "Player of the year in the AUS is great -- I owe a great deal of thanks to my offensive line for making my job easier -- but the Uteck Bowl is a great team accomplishment for all of us."
In the Uteck Bowl, the Mounties will face the Laval Rouge et Or, a team that has an 11-year lock on the conference championship in Quebec. In last Saturday's Dunsmore Cup, Laval edged the Universite de Montreal Carabins 14-11. Now, either Mount Allison or Laval will play in the Vanier Cup national championship on Nov. 23 in Quebec City.
With a pass to the biggest amateur football game in the country just one win away, Botel and the rest of the Mounties are preparing for what should be a true bruiser against the Rouge et Or.
"Laval is a very good team -- well-coached, athletic players," said the five-foot-10, 195-pound Botel. "They are a winning team but we can't let that take away from our focus in preparing to be the best that we can be and controlling what we can control."
Laval was a perfect 8-0 during the season and downed Sherbrooke 32-11 in its playoff opener.
The Mounties, meanwhile, struggled to a 1-4 record to start their year but won their last three games. Their 4-4 mark placed them second in the AUS to Saint Mary's, which went 5-3. Mount Allison beat the Acadia Axemen 19-10 in the playoff semifinal round.
Given how bleak things looked in the first half of the regular schedule, Botel said it's "surreal" to now be one step away from the national final.
Botel is Mount Allison's go-to guy on the ground and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that won't change on Saturday. The 24-year-old routinely uses his athleticism and power to break tackles for extra yards. This season, he was the top rusher in the AUS with a total of 758 yards on a CIS-leading 170 carries (average of 94.8 yards per game). As well, he was second in the conference in all-purpose yards (812) and scored six touchdowns. Remarkably, Botel covered all that turf without fumbling the ball once.
Botel was also named to the AUS all-star squad for the second year in a row. Last year, as a freshman, he rumbled for 878 yards on 197 carries and averaged more yards per game (109.8) than any other player.
Mount Allison coach Kelly Jeffrey -- named coach of the year in the AUS -- loves having such a dominant and reliable rusher in uniform.
"He's an incredible running back," said Jeffrey, who originally offered Botel a spot on the team after Botel's fourth and final season with the Vancouver Island Raiders of the Canadian Junior Football League. In two of those seasons -- 2008 and 2009 -- the Raiders were national champs.
"He's got excellent vision and he's really powerful," Jeffrey continued. "He finished the season with 170 carries without a single fumble so he really is the total package. And he's a great fit for our program -- very humble, very team-oriented and has been a perfect teammate and player for us."
In the other national semifinal game, the Mitchell Bowl, the Dinos will host the Mustangs on Saturday. Both teams had 8-0 regular seasons and have been dominant through two playoff games.
