RSEQ PREVIEW (2X) : Carabins ready for first game of season, 135th season at McGill set to open

Carabins ready for the first game of the season this Saturday night in Quebec City

Montreal – The wait is almost over for the Carabins. They begin a new, yet expected strong season this Saturday night in Quebec City against the Laval Rouge et Or. After training camp, the Carabins are ready.

The first meeting will be a rematch of last year’s Dunsmore Cup final, which the Carabins won 12-9 in overtime at Laval University. Nearly ten months later, the Blues and the Reds, respectively, occupy the top two spots in the CIS Top 10 which was unveiled Tuesday. For the first time, two Quebec teams occupy the top two positions in the opening rankings this season.

However, the Carabins are reserved.

“For us, this is the first game of the season and we do not think about what happened in the past,” said Carabins Head Coach Danny Maciocia. “We know that these are two teams that are still in the top 10, but we will know soon as we confront them twice this season whether anything has changed or not.”

Last year, the two teams had exchanged wins.  The Rouge et Or won the opening game in Québec by a score of 40-13, while the Carabins were victorious at CEPSUM in the beginning of November, 13-9.

In total, the two teams gave met 11 times in the last four seasons and the Carabins earned four wins during that stretch.

The fruits of training camp

The Carabins have worked tirelessly during their training camp for the past two weeks and the balance is positive.

“We were able to get answers and we know now what will our team will be this season,” added Maciocia. “I think our defense is a little faster, but we also have to be aggressive.”

“And on offense, I believe that our new players are very well integrated and our air attack should do well again. ”

In particular, quarterback Gabriel Cousineau will be at the helm for his fifth and final year. Last season, he finished first in the country with a 71.9 percentage in completions. He also set team records with 14 touchdowns and 2311 yards.

“After two weeks of playing each other, we look forward to facing real opponents and we know it’s going to begin on Saturday,” said Cousineau.” The games from last season are forgotten.”

“It will be two new teams on the field. The counters are reset to zero and we have a lot of work to do. ”

This camp was also marked for a preseason game in which the Carabins dominated the Gee-Gees 36-3 in front of nearly 3,500 spectators at CEPSUM.

“We saw during the preseason game that our veterans could fill the roles of the players who left,” said linebacker Alex Cromer-Émond “We continue to work to maintain our reputation as a solid defensive team defense.”

“I often remind that we do not have the most talented team, but the one who works harder.”

“This game-there can only help us,” said Maciocia. “Our recruits now know what to expect.”

“As with every start of the season, we feel our players have been enthusiastic in meetings and training. I am sure they will give everything they have on the field. ”

The Carabins first game of the season is scheduled Saturday at 7:00pm  Laval University’s PEPS. It will be broadcast live on TVA Sports 2.

With files from Mathieu Dauphinais.

Outlook for 135th season at McGill as Redmen set to open against Gaiters

MONTREAL — The McGill Redmen have embarked upon their 135th season of football and will officially open the campaign with their league home opener against Bishop’s on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. This year also marks the centennial for Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, which opened on Oct. 22, 1915 with an intercollegiate track & field meet. The event will be celebrated as part of the McGill Homecoming game versus Concordia on Oct. 24.

The Redmen are coming off a disappointing 0-8 last-place finish in the tough six-team Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec conference, which has produced the Vanier Cup national champion in eight of the last 12 seasons. Recently-appointed head coach and defensive coordinator Ronald Hilaire has had a fruitful recruiting year with 36 freshmen in camp. His opening-day roster will feature 41 returnees including seven seniors, 18 juniors and 16 sophomores.

“We have a young committed team, improved our talent base, strength and conditioning and had a solid recruiting year, so I am expecting this group to be very much in contention for a playoff berth,” says Coach Hilaire, who took over as co-head coach on Sept. 30 last season when Clint Uttleystepped down.

McGill is slated to play Bishop’s (1-7) and Concordia (5-3) twice apiece, with single contests against Acadia (3-5), Sherbrooke (5-3), Laval (7-1) and Montreal (7-1). The post-season begins on Nov. 7, culminated by the 51st presentation of the Vanier Cup national championship from Laval’s Telus Stadium, Nov. 28.

The Redmen have lost 11 starters, seven of them on offence, most notably OT Frederic Methot and TE Simon Gingras-Gagnon, running backs Jean-Philippe Paquette (286 all-purpose yds.), Raphael Casey (254 rushing yds.) and Pelle Jorgen (182 all-purpose yds.), as well as receivers Pascal Tshilambo (153 rec. yds.) and Damian Massey-Hirt (127 rec. yds.). On defence, key losses include DL Carl Laverdiere (14.5 tackles, 2 sacks) and LB Ricard Lubin (13 tackles, 2.5 sacks) along with DBs Simon Lamontagne (28 tackles, 1 INT) and Maxime Chaput-Dupuy (24 tackles, 2.5 sacks).

The offensive side of McGill’s game in 2015 is expected to have a new look under the guidance of first-year offensive coordinator Benoit Groulx, who will utilize his experience as a two-time Vanier Cup champion quarterback with Laval.  A veteran offensive line is in place to protect the quarterback, in addition to 2013 all-conference running back Luis Guimont-Mota and veteran receivers Louis Brouillette and Yannick Langelier-Vanasse.

The battle for the starting role at QB will be an interesting one with Joel Houle, Nicolas English andMatthew Mannarino all in the mix. Houle, a six-foot, 228-pound sophomore from Chateauguay, Que., became a starter in his freshman year and completed 95 of 190 attempts (50.0%) for 1,072 yards, one touchdown and six interceptions. He has also rushed 29 times for 116 yards, a 4.0 average and a pair of TDs.

He will be challenged by a pair of promising freshmen. English, a six-foot, 200-pound product of Collège de Saint-Jean completed 120 of 194 attempts for 1,546 yds, a whopping 17 TDs and only four interceptions. Mannarino, a 6-foot-2, 218-pounder from the QJFL’s Chateauguay Raiders was 91 for 218, 1,308 yards, five TDs and 20 picks.

Pacing the running attack is the aforementioned Guimont-Mota, a shifty, 5-foot-8, 191-pound senior from Quebec City, who played in the 2015 CIS East-West Bowl and is expected to have a bounce-back year after only suiting up for three games last season. In his freshman campaign, he led the conference in rushing with 824 yards on 147 carries, a 5.6 average and four TDs. Expected to join him in the starting backfield is freshman Mike Lusikila, a 5-foot-11, 199-pound product of College du Vieux-Montreal who rushed 136 times for 638 yards and five TDs.

Among the receiving corps, Brouillette, a six-foot, 187-pound wide-out from Sherbrooke, led the McGill pass-catchers last year with 33 receptions for 377 yards and one TD in only six games. He was one of five Redmen picked to played in the East-West Bowl last June.

Langelier-Vanasse, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound senior from Lachine, Que., possess explosive speed and also poses a double-threat as return specialist. Last year, he led the Redmen in all-purpose yards with 579 for an average of 72.4 per outing. He collected 218 yards in the air, 236 on punt returns and 125 on kickoff runbacks.

Other receivers expected to start include senior Nicholas Gaudreault (1 rec., 6 yds.) of Lachine, who also played in the East-West Bowl, junior Jonathan Mack (7 rec., 90 yds.) of St. Lambert, Que., and sophomore Remi Bertellin (7 rec., 105 yds., 1 TD), a native of France.

A pair of freshmen vying for the starting role at tight end are Jose Rodriguez (6-2, 213) out of Vanier College and Malik Gagnon (6-2, 200) from College de Rimouski.

The kicking game will be handled by newcomer Justin Lavallee, a native of Ile-Bizard, Que., who has transferred from the Ottawa Gee-Gees after previously playing for John Abbott College.

A veteran offensive line features left tackle Pierre-Olivier Daloze, a 6-foot-2, 279-pound senior who also played in the East-West Bowl, plus sophomore left guards Steven Gusew (6-2, 286) and Anis Kali (5-11, 269), senior centre Terence Gamit (5-11, 297), junior right guard Qadr Spooner (6-3, 295) and senior right tackle Timothy Mitchell (6-4, 300), who was invited to the CFL’s Ottawa RedBlacks training camp in June.

A young defensive line features a talented group, led by junior DE Devon Stewart (5-11, 245; 32.5 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and sophomore DE Ousmane Guindo (5-10, 224; 12 tackles, 1 sack), who also played in the East-West Bowl. Battling for a starting spot at defensive tackle are rookies Rodrigue Caron (5-10, 265) from College de Rimouski, Scott MacDonald-Ducharme (6-0, 269) out of John Abbott College and Jonathan Lawson (6-2, 245), a native of  Oakville, Ont., who played at Milton Academy in Milton, Mass. Another freshman in the mix for a starting role is DE Simon Aubin-Lavoie(6-2, 210), a Montrealer out of St. Paul’s high school in Concord, N.H.

The linebacking corps will be anchored by sophomore Karl Forgues (5-9, 188; OLB), who was recently named by InstantScouting.com as a preseason all-Canadian after meriting the RSEQ conference’s defensive rookie-of-the-year honours in 2014. He led the league with 74.5 tackles in eight games last year, including eight QB sacks. Forgues added an interception, three knockdowns and a pair of forced fumbles. Also returning is sophomore Eric Gracioppo (6-2, 234; MLB; 19.5 tackles; 2 FF) and sophomore Anthony Couturier-Lagace (5-10, 204; OLB; 16.5 tackles, 1 KD). A freshman to watch out for is Dane Wagner (6-1, 228) an American import from Niceville, Fla., who played at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass.

Key returnees in the defensive backfield include sophomore CB David Polynice (5-10, 185; 13 tackles, 1 KD) of Montreal, sophomore HB Mack Dessources (5-7, 178; 26.5 tackles, 1 Sack, 4 KD) of Laval, Que., Laval transfer Alexandre Lefebvre-Tardif (5-10, 192; 3 tackles in 2 GP), a second-year safety from Montreal, junior HB Charles-William Tremblay (5-9, 206; 6.5 tackles in 2 GP) of Quebec City, junior HB Stephane Ishimwe-Baganizi (5-11, 187; 3 tackles in 4 GP) and sophomore CBJethro Sainvry (5-8, 174; 7.5 tackles in 5 GP, 2 KD, 1 FR), both native Montrealers.

The RSEQ on television
TVA Sports has taken over as the official television partner of RSEQ football. The network will broadcast nine regular season games beginning this Saturday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. with a highly-anticipated Dunsmore Cup rematch between the Vanier Cup champion Carabins at Laval. Additionally, TVA will broadcast all RSEQ post-season games.

Link to TVA Sports televised football schedule
Link to 2015 RSEQ season calendar, stats & broadcasting schedule
Link to 2014 McGill Football Stats
Link to McGill football live stats
Link to McGill football webcasts
Link to McGill football roster
Links to McGill single-game ticket info  and season tickets.

2015 McGill Football Schedule

Fri., Aug. 21        *Lost 3-36 vs Toronto (EXHIBITION)
Fri., Sept. 4        vs Bishop’s, 7 p.m. (RSEQ LEAGUE OPENER)
Fri., Sept. 11        at Montreal, 7 p.m. (SHAUGHNESSY CUP)
Sat., Sept. 19      at Concordia, 2 p.m. (SHRINE BOWL)
Sat., Sept. 26     vs Acadia, 1 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 3         at Bishop’s, 3 p.m. (TVA)
Sat., Oct. 17       at Sherbrooke, 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 24       vs. Concordia, 2 p.m. (HOMECOMING & SHAUGHNESSY CUP; TVA)
Sat., Oct. 31       vs Laval, 1 p.m. (TRIBUTE TO GRADUATING SENIORS)
Sat., Nov. 7          vs. TBC, 2 p.m. (RSEQ SEMIFINAL; TVA)
Sat., Nov. 14        vs. TBC, 2 p.m. (RSEQ DUNSMORE CUP; TVA)
Sat., Nov. 21        at OUA Champion, 1 p.m. (CIS MITCHELL BOWL)
Sat., Nov. 28        vs. TBC, 1 p.m. (CIS VANIER CUP @ Laval)

HOME GAMES IN BOLD

Source: Earl Zukerman, McGill Redmen Sports Information