Bowled Over

Vert et Or Capitalize on Stingers’ Miscues

SportsJustin Blanchard — Published October 8, 2012

The Concordia Stingers football team was held out of the end zone for the second consecutive week Saturday, losing 48-6 to the Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or in the 26th annual Shrine Bowl at Concordia Stadium.

“We didn’t play very well,” said Stingers head coach Gerry McGrath. “We got off to a good start, but guys gotta catch the ball, guys gotta block, they gotta tackle and we didn’t do that.”

A 59-yard return by cornerback Kris Robertson on the opening kickoff led to a 20-yard Keegan Treloar field goal minutes into the game to give the Stingers a 3-0 lead.

That lead was short-lived, however, as Sherbrooke quarterback Jeremi Roch quickly found the Stingers’ end zone to make it 7-3. Moments later, Vert et Or defensive back Simon Rivard returned a tipped pass by Stingers quarterback Reid Quest 82 yards for a touchdown.

A second Concordia field goal narrowed the gap to 18-6 midway through the second quarter, but that’s as close as the Stingers would get before the Vert et Or went on to score 30 unanswered points.

Stingers slotback Michael Harrington blamed the loss squarely on a lack of execution. “It’s the little things,” he said. “It’s little mistakes. We just have to clean [them] up.”

“We didn’t play very well. We got off to a good start, but guys gotta catch the ball, guys gotta block, they gotta tackle and we didn’t do that.” —Stingers Head Coach Gerry McGrath

They were plagued by sloppy play all game long, finishing with six turnovers, 11 penalties, and numerous dropped passes. “We beat ourselves today,” said Harrington. “Turnovers really hurt us. If we could get those back it would’ve been a different ball game.”

“It just seemed like a lack of want on our part,” added McGrath.

But the Stingers didn’t leave the field without some positives. Slotback Jamal Henry, who caught five passes for 63 yards and added another four yards rushing, received the John Gilday Trophy as Concordia’s offensive MVP for the game.

Linebacker Max Caron was awarded the Grant Peterson Trophy as the Stingers’ most outstanding defensive player, while defensive end Quinn Smith was awarded the Ted Elsby Trophy as the team’s most outstanding defensive lineman.

The Stingers have now lost two consecutive home games after last week’s 38-0 drubbing by the Université de Montréal Carabins, dropping them to last place in the league with a 2-4 record and in desperate need of a victory next week.

“Everybody’s gotta show up and want to win for 60 minutes,” said McGrath.

Harrington is confident the team will do so.

“We’re just gonna go back into practice this week and focus on what we have to take care of,” he said.

The Stingers hit the field at Molson Stadium next Saturday to take on the fifth-place McGill Redmen.