The Rouge et Or players had not yet returned to the locker room when they had already decided to meet on Monday for a team meeting without a coach.
“We’re going to look in the mirror and tell ourselves what’s really happening,” said slotback Kevin Mital, who was limited to three balls for 35 yards. We will return to Quebec, rest, have a beer and meet on Monday without the coaches. It’s boring but Sherbrooke will volley because they are the team that will stand in our way in the next game.
“We will sort this out as a family,” adds looter Félix Petit. We have to talk to each other and look at each other’s faces.”
In addition to the defensive line lacking several elements, quarterback Arnaud Desjardins and Mital were not at their best. Desjardins has been dealing with a shoulder injury since the Concordia game and hasn’t practiced much this week.
“That’s not an excuse and it doesn’t explain the result, but I didn’t have a great week of practice,” said the third-year pivot, who completed 10 of his 18 passes for 100 yards. During the interception, I aimed at my troubleshooter (Alex Duff) and never saw Farinaccio. We emphasized coverage with two deep defensive backs this week, but that didn’t work. We have to throw better, protect better and run better routes.”
“When Arnaud could throw in training, it was me who couldn’t run,” added Mital.
Trust intact
Despite the clear defeat, Desjardins remains confident that Rouge et Or can get back on its feet. “I am 100 percent convinced that we can change that. This isn’t the first time we’ve had problems since I’ve been in Laval and we’ve always bounced back. There is no doubt that we can come back strong.”
At the end of the game, Desjardins recruit Victor Charland was relieved to experience his baptism into the university ranks. He completed 4 of his 5 passes for 37 yards.
Glen Constantin agrees and draws a comparison to 2022. “We easily beat Montreal 22-3 at the end of the season and it took everything we had to win the Dunsmore Cup by one point.”
Without speaking to each other, the other person gave the same speech. “We had quite a thaw in Quebec last year and came back strong in the Dunsmore Cup,” said Marco Iadeluca. Laval knows how to win and they will be able to get back up.”