The Université Laval Rouge et Or had the mission to win their match against the Carabins by at least four points. Not only did the team rise to the challenge with panache, but their convincing 22-3 victory allowed Glen Constantin to make history in Canadian university football.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
All the ingredients were there for a perfect day of football on Sunday afternoon at the TELUS-UL Stadium, filled to capacity for the occasion.
In front of 18,173 spectators, Glen Constantin became the most winning head coach in Canadian university football [voir texte ci-contre].
Thanks to this win, the Laval residents took first place in the RSEQ; they are now in a great position to end the season there. A win at Concordia in two weeks would give the Rouge et Or the top spot and home-court advantage in the playoffs.
One-way
If the duels between these two enemy formations have often given rise to strong scores, it was quite different on Sunday. Receiver Édouard Arsenault got the ball rolling with the first big play of the game. Forgotten by the defense of the Blues, the number 86 caught the pass from Arnaud Desjardins and spun in the paying zone for 41 yards.
A big game that set the tone for the game. “We had returned to this game at the start of the week. We knew that they were very keen on inside feints. As we have seen, Bruno Lagacé bit at the feint of “AD” [Antoine Dansereau-Leclerc]. It was really a beautiful moment, ”said Arsenault, whose only other touchdown this season was scored against the Carabins on September 10.
Glen Constantin was also relishing the moment. We felt that he was very happy with the work of his flock. “We are still satisfied but I think we left points on the field,” he recalled, pointing to the two turnovers that occurred in the paying zone.
Kalenga Muganda had the ball snatched from his hands at the goal gate, then David Dallaire let the precious escape at the line of 10.
“I think we could have scored a lot more points. The turnovers hurt, but we bounced back well afterwards and I’m super proud of how the guys reacted,” said quarterback Arnaud Desjardins.
The latter had another excellent game, much better than the one against the Carabins at the start of the season, as evidenced by his statistics. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 334 yards and threw two touchdowns.
The second-year center, however, made sure to direct the praise to his defense.
” Unbelievable ! This is one of the strengths of our team. Once again they showed us how dominant they are. It really makes our job easier as an offensive player afterwards. »
“A good game plan”
With a smile on his face and a light heart as he took pictures with young fans, Charles-Antoine Beaulieu savored the victory. The defensive back had a hand in the win with 4.5 tackles, a quarterback sack and a fumble recovery in the third quarter.
“We showed up, we had a good game plan, we executed it perfectly,” he said.
Another who had an easy smile was Kevin Mital. In the second quarter, he scored his 10e touched by air this season, setting a record for the Rouge et Or. He thus overtook Laurent Lavigne-Masse and Félix Faubert-Lussier.
” The curse [malédiction] is broken. We wanted a win by over 4 points. We had it by 19”, rejoiced the fast receiver of passes.
“As much for the fans as for us, it felt good. […] We delivered the goods. We will surely see them again in the coming weeks, at home. It’s good for morale, ”added the one who caught eight passes and tallied 63 yards.
“You can’t write a screenplay better than that”
Photo courtesy of Rouge et Or, Mathieu Bélanger
Glen Constantin became the winningest coach in Canadian university football following the Rouge et Or’s 22-3 win over the Carabins.
Glen Constantin couldn’t have asked for better. Sa 197e career victory, which makes him the winningest coach in college football history, is the icing on the cake after a “perfect” day.
The honcho at the helm of the Rouge et Or has thus overtaken Brian Towriss on the list of the best university head coaches in the country. Towriss led the University of Saskatchewan for 33 years. Constantin achieved the feat at his 21e season only.
Photo QMI Agency, Marcel Tremblay
The main interested party will of course say that the important thing is to have beaten the sworn enemy at home. That the main source of pride is to have ensured the home field advantage during the playoffs. But in the heart of the post-match festivities, Constantin was still able to measure the scope of his achievement.
“That means we might have the Dunsmore at home. This is the most important thing for me right now. I’m really happy, I’m grateful to see the reunion [avec plusieurs anciens joueurs]. A perfect day “, he debited, visibly moved by this immense wave of love.
For the occasion, the organization had invited several alumni to celebrate with the one who was their head coach at one time or another. A gesture that visibly touched the main interested party.
“You can’t write a script better than that for this victory. It is exceptional as a life experience. It’s really special. But it’s not about me, it’s about this organization. Players and organizers who have been here before, they have built a dynasty and a very good football program. »
A long way
Hired as a defensive coordinator in 1996, Constantin took charge of the team in December 2000.
In 21 seasons, he led his team to no less than nine Vanier Cup titles and six perfect regular seasons. The Université Laval squad has won 14 of the last 18 Dunsmore Cups under his watch.
His faithful sidekick for many years, Justin Éthier, obviously did not fail to highlight the feat of arms. “Hey! It is an incredible accomplishment. Especially to live it today”, he underlined.
Carabins head coach Marco Iadeluca also had good words for his friend. “I was lucky enough to work for Glen. We’ve been friends for a long time. I am extremely happy for him. He deserves it,” he said.
A match to be thrown in the trash, according to Iadeluca
“Offensively, we haven’t done anything all day, I mean, that game is to be thrown in the trash and we’re starting from scratch. »
The head coach of the Montreal Carabins, Marco Iadeluca, did not go through four ways to comment on the defeat of his team. For a second game in a row against the Rouge et Or, his proteges were unable to score an offensive touchdown.
The machine of the Blues has never been able to start. In the end, the Montreal offense was limited to 205 total offensive yards. “It was not a good game for us. They were the better team today. I tip my hat to them. It’s up to us to get back to work and do our thing. If all goes well we will see them again and it will be a new match, ”he noted.
The wounds
Without looking for an excuse, however, he recalled the many injuries that affect his attack, especially among pass receivers.
“I’ve been saying it since the beginning of the year, we’re missing our Kevin Mital, he mentioned in reference to the absence of wide receiver Hassane Dosso. We are missing a lot of receivers. Of course, the teams are much more courageous when you don’t have players like that on the pitch. But the good news for us is that they’ll be back for when it counts. We’ll see if the world has that much courage. »
The Montreal attack was never able to get going. After a half, the Blues offense had accumulated a meager 86 yards. Only five first games had been won.
Quarterback Jonathan Sénécal struggled all afternoon, completing 18 of 29 passes for 174 yards and one interception.
“When all [nos joueurs] in attack are going to be back, it’s going to be totally different. We lacked several receivers, it is sure that it is more difficult. But when everyone is going to be there, it will be quite different, ”summarized Sénécal.