SHERBROOKE The Rouge et Or won an easy 37-14 win over the Vert & Or in Sherbrooke on Friday, but it was a tackle to the head against quarterback Arnaud Desjardins that got all the attention.
Midway through the second quarter, Desjardins slipped to the ground after a first down, but safety Benjamin Huot hit him in the head. Blocker Jean-Antoine Dean Rios came to his defense and was thrown out of play, while Huot received only a 15-yard roughing penalty. An ejection for a hit to the head (“targeting”) should have been “called”.
Glen Constantin still couldn’t believe his eyes after the match. “I don’t think the Sherbrooke player intended to hurt Arnaud, but we have to protect the quarterbacks,” the Rouge et Or pilot said. “All leagues protect their quarterbacks except us.”
“It’s nothing against the player who’s a good person that we’ve recruited or Sherbrooke, but the videotape will end up at RSEQ to proceed, Constantin. We need to send a message that this type of action is unacceptable and that player safety is important. We have five good quarterbacks in our league and we have to protect them.
No injury but great frustration
Although he felt no symptoms and was able to continue the game without any problems, Desjardins regretted Huot’s gesture. “It’s frustrating when I’ve obviously slipped on the floor,” said the Rouge et Or pivot, who completed 22 of his 32 passes for 296 yards and three majors. I don’t want to bother the player who is certainly aware that this isn’t their best game, but such a sequence has no place. I thanked Jean-Antoine for caring about my safety and standing up for me.
Another game angered Konstantin. After scoring a field goal in the final seconds of the game, Vert & Or executed a short free kick. “This move had no effect on the game and the safety of the players was at stake,” he lamented. Whether it’s a decision by the referees or the coaches, we have to protect the players.
Difficult first quarter
The Rouge et Or conceded five straight penalties in the first quarter, finishing on a first down and 40 yards from goal. “Because we didn’t play any preparatory game or simulation games, I was afraid that we would lack cohesion and that’s exactly what happened,” said Constantin. However, the guys remained calm and everything fell into place. I was also afraid of breakaways, but we protected the ball well.
“I give us a rating of 6.5 or 7 out of ten,” Constantin continues. We need to run better, especially against a light defensive box, and we’re not putting much pressure on the quarterback. The free week will allow us to work on the aspects that we need to improve.
Desjardins liked how the offense recovered. “We won’t be able to afford such a first quarter in the future, but we’ve recovered well.” The defense did a great job.
Desjardin’s favorite target was again Kevin Mital, who caught eight passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Flowers for the Reds and OR
In the opposing camp, Mathieu Lecompte paid tribute to his opponents. “In that first game we faced the reigning Vanier Cup champions and saw the standards we need to achieve if we want to go all the way to the top. We have to play better. We made several turnovers that put our defense in bad situations. This is the first step in our ascension and we will grow from this game.
From the outset, the Vert & Or attempted to assert themselves by running, but the Rouge et Or’s defensive front was ready. “We were 100 percent confident that the Vert & Or would try to run away and we were ready,” said inside linebacker Charles-Alexandre Jacques, who dominated the Rouge et Or with five tackles, including one against a 3rd down at the carries goals in addition to interceptions. We had seen old Garneau movies when Dominic Picard was their offensive coordinator.
The Rouge et Or defense had three interceptions and twice stopped Vert & Or in third down situations. “We’ve done some big plays and that’s the identity we want to have,” Jacques said. We want to give the ball back to our offense. We played a good first game considering we didn’t play a pre-season game, but we still have a lot of work to do.