The University of Guelph beat Western University by only one point during the college football playoffs in Canada on Saturday. It came down to a walk-off missed field goal that was not advanced out of the end zone, otherwise known as a rouge.
This exact sequence of events can only happen outside of the United States.
The rules of college football are completely different in Canada. The outcome of an entire game can be decided by a one-point play, like what happened in Ontario over the weekend.
Guelph beat Western because of the most unique Canadian football rule.
Guelph and Western met in the quarterfinal round of the Ontario University Athletics football playoffs. The Gryphons are the No. 7 seed. The Mustangs were the No. 2 seed.
Western actually held a 17-3 lead halfway through the fourth quarter but Guelph rallied to tie the game with just over four minutes remaining. Neither team could break the tie until there was exactly one second left on the clock.
The Gryphons lined up for a game-winning field goal from 30 yards out.
In the United States, there is only one way to win in that scenario. If the kick goes between the uprights, the game is over. If the kick does not go between the uprights, the game goes to overtime.
That is not the case in Canada! Gueleph missed the field goal and still won the game.
GUELPH ELIMINATES WESTERN FROM THE PLAYOFFS ON A MISSED FG ROUGE 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
— PRSVRE (@PRSVRE_) October 25, 2025
(Via OUA TV) https://t.co/lAmZ4zNxqS pic.twitter.com/sgPk2gjDBH
It will now take on the top-ranked team in Ontario with a trip to the Yates Cup on the line.
What is a rouge?
If you are confused by the way in which the Gryphons defeated the Mustangs, you are not alone. This unique rule applies only to Canadian football.
In Canada, a “rouge” is worth one point.
A rouge happens when the ball is kicked into the opponent’s end zone and the opponent does not advance the ball back out of the end zone. This can occur on a punt, a missed field goal or a kickoff.
Let’s try to break it down even further.
End zones in Canada are 20 yards deep compared to 10-yard end zones in the United States. The return team must place a kick returner in the end zone on every kick that might land within the boundary.
If a field goal, punt or kickoff reaches the end zone, the return team must catch the ball in the end zone and run the ball back beyond the goal line to at least the one-yard-line. Nonnegotiable.
If the kick lands in the end zone but the return team cannot get back into the field of play, the kicking team is awarded one single point. That one point is called a rouge.
Guelph missed the field goal as time expired but the ball landed in the end zone. Western could not get the ball out of the end zone before the returner was tackled. As a result, Guelph got one point and won the game. If Western had reached the one-yard-line on the missed field goal kick return, the game would’ve continued to overtime.