Canuck U: Benefield, Jones fall short of titles; Elad joins 4 Canadian teammates at Rutgers

Ty Benefield and Boise State couldn’t overcome the odds on New Year’s Eve, as Penn State eliminated the Broncos from the College Football Playoff in the final hours of 2024.

Penn State beat Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, 31-14, by keying on running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty and forcing the offense to lean on the air attack. Jeanty still got 30 carries and 104 yards, but didn’t make the same impact he’s used to in the Mountain West. 

Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen threw for 304 yards — almost doubling Nittany Lions QB Drew Allar’s 171 — but threw three costly interceptions with only one touchdown to make up for it.

Benefield, a sophomore safety from Vancouver, British Columbia, led the Boise State defense with nine tackles, including six solo. But the Canadian struggled in coverage against Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, allowing two touchdowns against the likely 2025 first-round NFL Draft pick.

Five Canadians remain in the CFP, including Notre Dame defensive linemen Armel Mukam (La Prairie, Quebec), Sean Sevillano (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Devan Houstan (Mississauga, Ontario), and Ohio State TE Maxence LeBlanc (St-Bruno, Quebec) and punter Anthony Venneri (Hamilton, Ontario).

Rohan Jones, Montana State lose FCS national championship

No Canadians won the FCS national title on Monday night, as Rohan Jones and Montana State lost their first game of the year in the biggest moment of the season to North Dakota State, 35-32.

North Dakota State jumped to a 21-3 lead until Montana State finally started getting into the endzone just before the midway point of the third quarter. The Bobcats scored 15 unanswered points — including six from Jones, a junior h-back from Montreal, Quebec — to get within three points, 21-18. 

Both teams exchanged two TDs, but North Dakota State sealed it with a rare walk-off punt. 

The Bison downed the ball with no time left after Montana State tried to block the punt by sending the house without a returner.

Jett Elad teams up with 4 Canadians on Rutgers after UNLV transfer

Jett Elad, a senior safety from Mississauga, Ontario, has transferred to Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights announced last Thursday.

Elad is moving on from UNLV, where he spent the last two seasons following a one-year stint with Garden City Community College and his first two years of college football with Ohio. It was because of his time at Garden City that he’s eligible to play one more season — the NCAA announced a new rule change, allowing former junior college football players extended eligibility for the 2025-26 season.

He will be joining four other Canadians at Rutgers: linebacker Dariel Djabome (Longueuil, Quebec), running back Antwan Raymond (Montreal, Quebec), and Montreal-bred defensive linemen Djibril Abdou Rahman and Farell Gnago. 

There were seven Canucks on the Rutgers roster this season but three went into the transfer portal in December: defensive linemen Tyclean Luman and Tycoolhill Luman, both from Montreal, Quebec, entered the portal on Dec. 28, and another DL, Wesley Bailey (Ottawa, Ontario), transferred to Louisville on Dec. 14, reuniting with former Rutgers teammate and DL Rene Konga (Ottawa, Ontario).

Jaylen Smith breaks 100-tackle mark in First Responder Bowl

Jaylen Smith’s North Texas team lost the First Responder Bowl to Texas State, 30-28, on Friday, but the Hamilton, Ontario native still had something to celebrate. 

Smith, a senior linebacker, made nine tackles and jumped over the triple-digit milestone, finishing with 106 in the 2024-25 season. He’s the second Canadian to break 100 this season after Djabome hit 105.

Smith’s tackling numbers significantly improved since taking on a leadership role this season, going from 24 in 2023 to more than four times that just a year later. He also made more tackles (16) in a game against East Carolina on Nov. 23 than he did in either of his first two seasons — 14 in 2021 and 15 in 2022.

Kurtis Rourke played 2024 season with re-torn ACL

Kurtis Rourke played the entire Indiana season with a torn ACL, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

According to Pelissero, the Canadian QB from Oakville, Ontario re-tore his ACL in August after first tearing it in 2022 when he was with Ohio. Despite the injury, he led Indiana to its most successful season in school history, clinching a CFP spot.

Rourke also had surgery on his throwing hand after shattering his thumbnail during a game against Nebraska on Oct. 19. He returned less than two weeks later to start against Michigan State and threw four TDs for 263 passing yards.