Concordia 23, Sherbrooke 22: Stingers Pull Off Last Second Win On The Road

Walk Off Field Goal Give Stingers First Win Of The Season

SportsDawn Kagan-Fleming — Published September 1, 2017

It was a lead that seemed unlikely, as Concordia had held big leads throughout their second game of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec slate.

Throughout the game, Concordia kicker Andrew Stevens put on a show. The Stingers found themselves up four to nothing thanks to a rouge on the opening kick off, followed shortly by a season-long 44-yard field goal—Stevens’ first of five in the game.

Despite that, the 9911 fans in attendance, the second largest in Sherbrooke history, according to journalist Richard Boutin, soon had their own reason to cheer. A turnover by the Stingers led to a field goal, bringing the game to four to three, where it would remain for the rest of the opening quarter.

Les 9911 amateurs représentent la 2e plus grosse foule de l'histoire du Vert & Or.

— richard boutin (@RBoutinJDQ) September 1, 2017

An uneventful second quarter saw a strong push by Trenton Miller—who threw for 230 yards on 21 for 35 with no touchdowns and an interception in the game—and his offense continue to have a hard time finding the end zone. They were able to drive the ball deep into opponent territory, but settle for two more field goals to make the halftime score ten to four.

Though Stevens was putting up the points, tailback Jean-Guy Rimpel was the one main catalyst to their attack. Early in the second half, Rimpel had already eclipsed the 100 rushing yard mark after just 15 carries. He would finish the day with 151 yards on 22 carries.

Plenty of strong moments from Rimpel and the Stingers ground game allowed Stevens to be as productive as he was throughout the night, including a 24-yard field goal to put the Stingers up 13-3 late in the third quarter. But Sherbrooke would get back on the board with a ten yard touchdown run from quarterback Alexandre Jacob-Michaud to close the third with his team down just 13-10.

After few minutes of play in the fourth, Rimpel once again made his presence felt with a touchdown run. With the score now 20-10, however, the Stingers appeared to let their feet off the gas.

With just six and a half minutes remaining, Vert et Or kicker Jermer Braswell made it 20-17. A minute later, the Stingers surrendered a safety. Suddenly, a 10-point lead had dwindled down to one point.

Despite the setback, Concordia—who gained 441 yards of total offence in the game—went on a late rally fueled by Miller and Rimpel.

They set Stevens up with a potential game-winning field goal, which he initially missed but an offside penalty called on the Vert Et Or gave him a second chance. He put it through, clinching a key win for the Stingers.

Concordia’s bye week comes early this year. They will have a week off before they take the short trip across town to play the annual Shrine Bowl against McGill at Stade Percival Molson on Sept. 16.