The Université de Montréal Carabins scored 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat Université Rouge et Or de Laval 31-14 in a game played this afternoon in a packed PEPS with 18,216 spectators.
The Rouge et Or committed seven turnovers (three fumbles, three interceptions and a fumble on a kickoff) and the offense accumulated just 64 yards and seven first downs in the second half to turn around a close game where Laval led by two points after three quarters. in an easy victory for the Blues, who thus avenged their one-point defeat in the 2022 Dunsmore Cup.
“I don’t know what happened in the second half, but it was more than that,” head coach Glen Constantin said. If you had told me Montreal would score its first offensive touchdown late in the game, I would have done it, but you can’t win by committing that many turnovers.
“We lost our winger (Étienne Amiot) in the first play of the game and several offensive formations were no longer available,” continued the Laval driver. We were handcuffed offensively, but the credit goes to Montreal, who played a good game.”
Amiot returned to the game after missing the first two games of the season. In Amiot’s absence, the Rouge et Or used offensive lineman Nicolas Genest in strong formations.
The game of his career.
With a score of 14-14, Guillaume Perrier changed the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Hitting in relief of the injured Isaac Auger, the defensive back made an interception that he returned 21 yards for the touchdown. The Blues never looked back.
“I’m living a dream,” Perrier said. It is his life experience. After the interception, all the guys were jumping into the end zone and we were enjoying the moment. “Not everyone can live those moments.”
Despite the score, Marco Iadeluca put things into perspective. “There is a difference of 17 points, but it is not a one-sided game,” said the Blues coach. We wanted to see where our team was and how the guys would react to adversity. During our three losses last year, we slept in the hotel the day before and the guys didn’t react well, and this time they did well.
“It’s intimidating to play in PEPS in front of 18,000 spectators and the boys were nervous in the first half, chasing Iadeluca. With a tight score (11-9 in the first half), the boys saw that they were in the game and it was easier in the second half.
One match at a time
With a 17-point victory, the Carabins are serious about hosting the Dunsmore Cup at CEPSUM. Laval must win by 18 points in the October 14 match at CEPSUM to earn the tiebreaker.
“There is a lot, a lot of parity on the circuit and there are still five games left,” he said. “We take it one game at a time.”
When asked if the Red and Gold could change the point difference for and against, Constantin had the following answer. “There is nothing impossible,” he said. I’m sure we have the team to compete. As for my post-match speech, I’ll keep that to myself.”
Kevin Mital injured
In addition to the loss, the Rouge et Or lost the services of star receiver Kevin Mital, who was injured in the third quarter. The slotback returned later in the game before retiring because the game was out of reach for him.
“I injured my ankle and we’ll see if I can play the next game,” he said. We couldn’t get into a rhythm and we can’t afford to lose so many losses. The Carabins won the offensive and special teams battles. This afternoon we will digest the defeat and return to work on Monday. “We will see the Carabins twice this season.”
Mital was limited to five receptions for 43 yards.
