As the saying goes, you don’t change a successful recipe. The Rouge et Or understood this well, again betting on their running backs committee, which allowed them to sign a convincing 36-17 win over the McGill Redbirds on Sunday afternoon.
• Also read: The Rouge et Or announcer’s anti-Quebec Solidaire comments were denounced
• Also read: A profitable local strategy
No fewer than six different carriers touched the ball on the field at TELUS-UL Stadium. They combined for a season-high 270 yards.
On average, each carry was 9.2 yards. Figures that made head coach Glen Constantin visibly happy.
Photo agency QMI, René Baillargeon
Gabriel Leblond also used the double coverage to score on the ground.
“They played a lot of man-to-man coverage. The beauty of this is that it brightens up your box and allows players to shine. The good news is that Kevin [Mital] is still the best receiver in the league. If you want to cover it properly, there are other people who will open up,” he recalled.
Among the running backs, Joanik Masse was the most successful with 91 yards.
Photo agency QMI, René Baillargeon
Joanik Masse (19) had a winning day with 91 yards against the McGill Redbirds on Sunday.
“We rely a lot on having fresh and available porters on site. Have a good rotation and always be ready to run and make good runs,” summarized Masse, author of the fall’s best performance for a Rouge et Or running back (4-1).
The ground attack’s good performance obviously made work easier for quarterback Arnaud Desjardins, who didn’t fail to point that out. His stats backed it up, as Desjardins threw for 345 yards and added two touchdowns to his record.
Photo agency QMI, René Baillargeon
“It draws a lot more people into the penalty area, after that we can throw the ball more easily, we can make running mistakes. What is certain is that it will be a great enrichment for the offensive, especially for a quarterback,” praised the Pivot.
Dallaire sets the tone
Trailing 10-9 after 15 minutes, Rouge et Or opened the game in the second quarter with 17 unanswered points. To the delight of the 11,573 spectators, the residents of Laval never looked back.
If Kevin Mital had offered a show a month ago when the two clubs crossed swords, this time it was David Dallaire who took matters into his own hands. He also set the tone for the game with a 45-yard touchdown on play two.
Photo agency QMI, René Baillargeon
Kevin Mital was covered twice by the visitors.
Dallaire needed just four receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown pass. He added another middle finger on the floor.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better. I love being used like that,” said the man, who crossed the 100-yard plateau in a game for the first time in his career, with a smile on his face.
Moments earlier, Constantin had praised his game, placing it “in line with that”. [Félix] Garand Gauthier, Pat Lavoie [Michel-Pierre] Pontbriand. »
“He’s a guy who does great things for us. I hope he stays here long. But I think he’ll be named in the draft at some point. »
“We shot each other in the knee”
In the opposing camp, head coach Ronald Hilaire blew hot and cold. Even though Laval had amassed 587 yards, he felt his flock “was still pretty solid defensively. »
“All in all you come out of a game where you give Kevin Mital maybe three or four catches without [lui donner de] touched, I think it’s still a good job,” he analyzed.
Still without a win, the Redbirds have no choice but to win their last three games if they hope to make the playoffs. A challenge for the team, Hilaire believes. “You just have to be consistent. I think we shot ourselves in the knee a few times in our attacking series with penalties. »
The Rouge et Or announced the arrival of two more recruits during the match. The collegiate defensive tackle par excellence of 2021, Titans of Limoilou linebacker Justin Cloutier, and Spartans of Old Montreal offensive lineman Jean-Simon Verreault were thus presented to the crowd.
► Next week promises to be busy as Laval has an appointment at the Vert & Or in Sherbrooke from Friday night.
Glen Constantin had asked his players to put aside their poor defensive performance against the McGill Redbirds earlier this season. The result wasn’t perfect, but it certainly lived up to expectations.
The Rouge et Or big boss launched one of “the worst defensive performances in five or ten years” earlier this week when asked to speak about this September clash. Constantin’s message appears to have been heard, as the defense limited the visitors to 357 yards gained mostly through the pass.
Quarterback Éloa Latendresse-Régimbald, who rushed for 138 yards against the Rouge et Or at Percival-Molson Stadium, was limited to 58 rushing yards.
“We contained the quarterback much better. We have [donné] much fewer quick meters,” emphasized Constantin.
Simmons hits hard
In the area of improvement, however, the two long plays granted to the Redbirds’ explosive receiver Darius Simmons (0-5) could land at the top of Glen Constantin’s list.
Simmons quickly made a good play for 84 yards in the first quarter. He did it again in the third quarter, catching a Latendresse-Régimbald pass before firing 90 yards into the end zone.
Alone he collected 226 from 325 meters through the air. “Explosive plays like the two big touchdowns, you have to improve that. I’m happy with what we did. We can do that even better,” said Constantin.
Even with Simmons, the speech was far from saturated despite a gold performance.
“I try to run 500 yards in every game. I’m not satisfied with my performance, I’m trying to reach 500. For real! started the expressive second-year-old, who now wants to help his team win until the end of the season.
A busy week lies ahead
A busy week awaits the Rouge et Or. Once the players and coaches have enjoyed their win, they already have their heads in Sherbrooke where they will face off against the Vert & Or on Friday night.
So time is of the essence and the preparation for this duel begins on Monday morning.
“A short week indeed. It’s like the CFL. We’re releasing the player tomorrow [lundi]. They have to be smart, they have to rest. We come back to work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,” said Constantin.