It’s no surprise that the Rouge et Or de l’Université Laval and the Carabins de l’Université de Montréal will be competing in the Dunsmore Cup for the tenth consecutive year, but the two teams’ path to the RSEQ’s ultimate clash was starkly different.
• Also read: The Rouge et Or were very hot and won in the second overtime against the Stingers
With a quarterback like Jonathan Sénécal at the top of his game, the Carabins went all out to win the fourth regular season title in their history before making short work of the University of Sherbrooke’s Vert & Or in the semifinals for a 54-3 victory.
The Rouge et Or, for their part, had problems with the offense all season long, unable to find their rhythm and also losing a lot of the ball. For most of the time on the field, the defense held the fort as best it could. The scenario was similar in the semifinals against the Concordia Stingers with a 34:27 win in the second overtime.
In a game that had no significance other than the team’s records, the Carabins lost 16-14 to the Concordia Stingers in the final meeting of the calendar, missing their second perfect season in history after that of 2004.
Led by linebackers Harold Miessan and Nicky Farinaccio, tackle Christopher Fontenard, cornerback Kaylyn St-Cyr and defensive back Bruno Lagacé, the Blues were the weakest defense in the country, scoring just 93 points in eight meetings.
On the other side of the ball, Sénécal racked up 2,215 yards with his arm, completed 69.6 percent of his passes and added 394 yards with his legs, a team record for a center. He threw 15 touchdown passes and had just four interceptions. His stats will undoubtedly win him the Jeff Russell Trophy, which will be awarded to the RSEQ’s most valuable player when the top prizes are awarded on Friday.
The big favorites of the Carabins
On Saturday at CEPSUM, the Carabins will be heavy favorites to win the sixth Dunsmore Cup title in their history, picking up a second win in the three games between the two teams for the second time since 2021. We’ll see if the Vanier Cup champions will be able to pull a few rabbits out of the hat to turn things around.
While the first duel between the two big rivals was hotly contested, with the exception of the last two minutes when the game ended in a 31-14 win in favor of the Carabins, the second leg in Montreal was completely one-sided with a score of 28-14. 0 win for the Blues.
Battle of sales
Ball losses played a key role in the Carabins’ two wins against Laval. During the year, Montreal dominated the RSEQ with a difference of plus-15 in the turnover column compared to plus-1 for Laval, which finished second.
In second-to-last place in the RSEQ, just ahead of McGill, the Rouge et Or allowed 18 sacks, the same number as the Carabins at the top of the Quebec circuit.
Costly victory
If injuries are an integral part of football, the Rouge et Or have been particularly affected this year, as will the Carabins in 2022. With the return of four veterans to the defensive line on Saturday against the Stingers, the Rouge et Or breathed a sigh of relief. Laval had five sacks in the first half, nearly matching his season total of 12.
However, a disaster struck on the tertiary route. Without star defensive back Cristophe Beaulieu, the Rouge et Or had to drop three defensive backs in the win against the Stingers, not counting slot back Kevin Mital and running back Gabriel Leblond. Mital will follow concussion protocol.
As for the Carabins, the team is healthy, with the exception of their best receiver Hassane Dosso, who broke his leg in the final game of the regular season.