Queens University Golden Gaels quarterback Danny Brannagan passes during a practice session on Thursday at Laval University in Quebec City. Queens University Golden Gaels quarterback Danny Brannagan passes during a practice session on Thursday at Laval University in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

Queen's coach Pat Sheahan and counterpart Blake Nill of the Calgary Dinos will lead their teams into the Vanier Cup carrying an arsenal of experience and several dangerous weapons.

Queen's and Calgary, both 10-1 this season, square off Saturday in the first Vanier Cup held in Quebec, with the winner the national champion of Canadian university football.

The head coaches predict the final to begin as a highly strategic tilt between teams that have only ever met once before. From there, they expect the offences to open things up.

"I suspect that this will be a little bit of a chess game — but it will be an explosive one," Sheahan said Friday before his Queen's team took to the field at PEPS Stadium for its final practice.

"The challenge is going to be for the defences to come up big at times during the game."

Sheahan and Nill are the first head coaches to lead two different CIS football programs to the Vanier Cup.

As Sheahan prepares for his second shot at the title, Nill is guiding a squad into the national championship for the fifth time.

"The experience you have in this type of game is critical because I think I'm able to control my team, I'm able to make sure that they're in the right mindset," Nill said Friday after the Dinos, ranked No. 2 in the country, left the practice field.

Nill has six all-Canadians at his disposal — including his quarterback, running back and receiver — as well as the nation's top-ranked rushing attack and the No. 3 passing offence.

On Thursday, mobile Calgary pivot Erik Glavic, who averaged 273 yards passing per game and tossed 14 touchdowns in the regular season, won the Hec Crighton Trophy as CIS football's player of the year.

The Dinos enter the Vanier Cup riding a 10-game winning streak. The team last loss on Sept. 4 to Saskatchewan by a single point.

Stunning upset

But Queen's has momentum on its side after the school's stunning upset over the top-ranked Laval Rouge et Or in last week's Mitchell Bowl.

Their roster boasts four first-team all-Canadians and brings the country's No. 2 passing attack, led by receiver Scott Valberg and quarterback Danny Brannagan. Their defence was ranked third in Canada.

Through seven regular-season matches, Brannagan averaged 369 yards passing per game and racked up a total of 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

In the national semifinal, Brannagan helped the No. 4 Gaels edge Laval 33-30, crushing the Rouge et Or's hopes of playing for the Cup on home turf.

The Burlington, Ont., native was sharp in the game, completing 24-of-41 passes for 306 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Laval's No. 1 pass defence.

The Gaels and their high-powered aerial attack hope to expose the Dinos secondary, which ranked No. 23 out of 27 teams in the country, giving up an average of 274 yards per game.

Pressure on defensive backs

Nill predicts that a key to the Dinos' success hinges on whether his youthful corps of defensive backs, which lost three veterans to graduation after last season, can slow Brannagan's assault.

"They're going to have to play the game of their lives tomorrow," said Nill, who doesn't exactly plan to sit back either when he has the ball. "All year we've countered with our offence and we're going to have to do it once again."

The former CFL player also argues that his secondary performed better than the stats indicate, noting that many teams were forced to pass against them because they built big leads.

Nill, who joined Calgary for the 2006 season, won two Vanier Cups with Saint Mary's (2001 and 2002) and has also lost twice in the final (1999 and 2003).

For his part, Sheahan, last season's CIS coach of the year, lost the 1998 Vanier Cup as head coach of the Concordia Stingers before taking over the Queen's football program in 2000.

Praise for coach

Gaels all-Canadian defensive lineman, Osie Ukwuoma, said Sheahan has kept the team on track all season.

"He's kept us loose, but very focused," said Ukwuoma. "He always preaches to us to keep [at] the task at hand."

This will be only the second time the Gaels have ever played the Dinos, both coming in the Vanier Cup. Calgary took home its first Vanier Cup with a 31-21 victory in 1983 at Toronto's Varsity Stadium.

The Dinos quarterback that year was 1983 Hec Crighton winner Greg Vavra, who happens to be offensive co-ordinator of this year's squad. Vavra is now responsible for helping guide Glavic, the reigning Hec Crighton winner, to a championship.

The coaches' sons will also duel in the national championship. Sheahan's son Devan is a receiver for the Gaels, while Nill's son Taylor is a receiver for the Dinos.

A heated sideline altercation between Nill and his son caught on camera last week got the coach into trouble. Nill later issued a public apology after he was filmed grabbing Taylor and yelling at him during the Uteck Bowl.

Calgary is making its first Vanier Cup appearance since 1995, when it walloped Western 54-24. The Gaels last appeared in the national championship in 1992, shutting out Saint Mary's 31-0.