SHERBROOKE | For Glen Constantin, the victory of the Rouge et Or against the Vert & Or of Sherbrooke on Friday night is just like any other. For the others, this 37-10 win allows the head coach to rise to the top of the pyramid of the best head coaches in the history of Canadian university football.
On the grassy field of the Stade de l’Université de Sherbrooke, the great honcho of the Rouge et Or (5-1) wrote another page in the history of the USports network. This gain, its 196e in career, joins Brian Towriss as the winningest coach.
Towriss, who led the Saskatchewan Huskies, however, took 33 seasons to accomplish the feat.
“It’s a team story,” Constantin first humbly said, hastening to share the honors with his team of coaches.
“I have a good organization which allowed me to keep my coaches and give them challenges. […] The record is in my name, but it’s a team affair, ”said the man at the head of the Université Laval football program for 21 years.
Dallaire wins
After only four days of preparation and little rest, the challenge was daunting for the Rouge et Or. Especially since the Laval team was facing a team with the wind in their sails who found their number one quarterback, Anthony Robichaud .
For Constantin, the challenge has been met. His defensive front was particularly effective against the run. The Foxes ran for a measly 98 yards. Quite a contrast with the 305 rushing yards obtained the previous week.
Constantin, on the other hand, would have liked to see more points on the dial after two quarters.
“As I said at the half [aux gars] : too many yards, not enough points. We did not finish our offensive ranges, ”he noted.
His message was heard by David Dallaire, who scored three touchdowns on the ground, including two in the second half of the game. He notably transformed a quarterback sneak into a 55-yard run in the third quarter. A game that was not planned at all, but which gave a second wind to the team.
“I took the ball, I tried to get in the middle, it didn’t work. I saw an opening, I took it and I ran,” said Dallaire. The second-year center back has already accumulated seven majors this fall.
His long touchdown is also identified as the turning point of the match by the head coach of the Vert & Or (3-3), Mathieu Lecompte.
“That’s what really hurt us in the game. Because at that time we still had a match. We are at a small assignment error which could have created the turnaround we needed in the third quarter to ignite the powder, ”he analyzed.
Desjardins-Mital connection
Electric since the start of the season, the duo formed by Arnaud Desjardins and Kevin Mital again sparkled on Friday evening.
The quarterback and wide receiver were particularly effective in the first half, where they connected no less than eight times.
With just over two minutes to go at halftime, the Rouge et Or quarterback has spotted his favorite target in the paying zone. The explosive wide receiver scored his ninth touchdown from the air this season, equaling the record held by Félix Faubert-Lussier and Laurent Lavigne Masse.
Desjardins completed 22 of 32 passes for 273 yards. It was only the second time this season that the sophomore center failed to break the 300-yard mark.
Kicker Vincent Blanchard also contributed to the scoring with two successful field goals.
The Vert & Or’s only major came in the third quarter when Anthony Robichaud spotted William Paquette in the end zone. The other three points for the locals came on a 36-yard field goal by Louis Tardif.
Place at the Carabins
And as luck would have it, Glen Constantin could become the winningest coach in Canadian university football next week, at TELUS-UL Stadium, against the Montreal Carabins.
The Blues had the upper hand over the Rouge et Or by a score of 23 to 20 in the first duel between the two sworn enemies, at the Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard. The table is set for a historic meeting.