Laval β Laval Rouge et Or won the Dunsmore Cup on Saturday afternoon at Laval Universityβs Telus Stadium by defeated the Montreal Carabins 14-11. It was a 11th coronation for Laval and the 12th in their history.
The Rouge et Or have extended their consecutive unbeaten streak to 64 games which is a Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) record. Laval has not lost at home since September 2004.
“It’s fun,β said Rouge et Or Head Coach Glen Constantin.Β βWe knew it was going to be two good defenses that would compete.β
βIt was difficult and arduous. The field position was super important. It went very well in the first half, but we had more trouble in the second.Β We moved the ball well on the ground. We had to make our game through the air better as some balls escaped us and we also had some passes that lacked precision. Our quarterback was a little nervous. It will take more and more experience but it bodes well for the next match.β
Battle of the trenches
Laval scored the first points on the board. Guillaume Rioux caught two beautiful passes from Alex Skinner and the team positioned within striking distance of the end zone. Boris Bede easily put the ball between the posts on a 25 yard field goal attempt and it was 3-0 Laval after a little more than two minutes of play.
The Carabins responded immediately to their next possession. Manuel Crisi-Lauzon closed a 75 yard Carabins drive with a 10 yard touchdown run, bringing the score to 7-3 in favor of the visitors.
The Rouge et Or threatened on the next offensive sequence. While they inched near the 25 yard line, Skinner was intercepted in the end zone by Fode Yansane.
After two safeties conceded by the Carabins, Bede kicked a 17 yard field goal, and Laval regained the lead, 10-7 with just under five minutes left to play the half. Another safety was conceded by the Carabins and the Rouge et Or took a 12-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, the Carabins failed on their 29 yard field goal attempt but added another three points on a successful 36 yard field goal.Β After three quarters, it was 12-11 Laval.
Both teams refused to concede anything to their opponent in the fourth quarter. Β The Rouge et Or got another safety with just over two minutes to play in the game, allowing them to breathe a little easier. The defense took care of the rest, allowing the Rouge et Or to gain the victory.
Quarterback Alex Skinner completed 15 passes in 25 attempts for 242 passing yards. Felix Faubert-Lussier caught five of those passes for 71 yards.
On the ground, Guillaume Bourassa carried the ball 11 times out of a total of 78 rushing yards. On defense, Vincent Desloges turned in a personal best performance with seven solo tackles and one assisted. 4.5 of those tackles were made ββfor losses. The defensive lineman also recorded three sacks and a forced fumble.
The Rouge et Or will travel to Sackville, New Brunswick on Saturday to take on the Mount Allison Mounties, champions of the Atlantic University Sport. Both teams will compete in the Uteck Bowl and
the winner will get a ticket to the TELUS Vanier Cup on Nov. 23.
Photo credits: Β Yan Doublet
With files from Stephane Jobin
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