The University of Montreal Carabins accomplished their mission at Laval University’s Rouge et Or field with a 31-14 victory before a packed FIFO crowd of 18,216 on Sunday afternoon.
The Carabins caused no less than seven turnovers and only gave Laval’s attack crumbs during the 2my half.
Guillaume Perrier made the play of the game for the Carabins by returning an interception at the 4my fourth to give Montreal the lead for the first time in the game.
“I got to the end zone, I jumped with my teammates. Moments like this, not everyone can experience them. You have to enjoy it, it was incredible,” Perrier rejoiced at the end of the match.
Quarterback Jonathan Sénécal didn’t make an impact as a passer, but his nine carries for 124 yards made the difference in important moments. During a sequence in the third quarter, Sénécal made three runs for first downs while his team was in opposing territory.
Sénécal completed 18 of 32 passes for 157 yards and two interceptions, but the Rouge et Or were unable to capitalize with touchdowns after recovering the ball in opposing territory each time.
The one-point defeat in last year’s Dunsmore Cup final was still fresh in the players’ minds. For the Carabineros quarterback, the feeling of revenge was very present.
“Everyone worked hard during the preseason just for this moment,” Sénécal said after the game. It feels great to come to PEPS and get a win like that.”
Precision kicker Philippe Voyer made five field goals in six attempts to give the “Blues” 15 points in the game.
For his part, Glen Constantin couldn’t ignore the amount of turnovers his players are experiencing when he met with reporters.
“That’s still eight turnovers… We were a little limited offensively. You have to give credit to Montreal, they played a good game,” said the coach.
Laval pass catcher Kevin Mital, returning to the game after a one-game suspension, briefly left the game in 2my half before returning to the game with a bandage on his right calf.
“I hurt my ankle and we’ll see if I can play in the next game,” said Mital, who finished the game with five receptions for 43 yards.
The Reds and Gold players and coaches will have a few weeks to find answers before the next meeting with rivals the Carabineros. The next duel is scheduled for October 14, at CEPSUM.
“I said it all week, I wanted to come here and see where our team was in their progress,” Carabins head coach Marco Iadeluca said. We wanted to experience the adversity of the field because last year I didn’t think we did a good job in the regular season. This year we wanted to start well and live well this year. »
By winning by 17 points, the Carabins give themselves a good chance to host the Dunsmore Cup in the event of a tie in the standings with their eternal rival at the end of the season. The Red and Gold would need to win by at least 18 points to host the Quebec championship game.
