Concordia 68, McGill 16: Concordia Annihilates McGill in Home Opener

Trenton Miller Throws Six Touchdown Passes to Set School Record

SportsJeffrey Muntu — Published September 18, 2017

The opening seconds were a clear indication of what would unfold in this uneven matchup. McGill, who shot themselves in the foot time and time again, started the game by committing an unnecessary roughness penalty on the opening kickoff. This set the Stingers up with great starting field position for their first possession of the game.

Three plays later, Concordia’s quarterback Trenton Miller threw the first of his school-record six touchdown passes. The fifth-year signal caller can add that feat to a long list of accomplishments he achieved during his tenure as a Stinger.

“Probably number one,” said Miller when asked where he’d rank this homecoming game amongst the three he’s played in as a Stinger.”

“Honestly, it was great because a lot of the alumni came back for the game. Just to play in front of them is special. It’s good that we put up a show for them,” he continued.

After a two-and-out on their next drive, Concordia continued the onslaught by scoring touchdowns in each of their next three drives, ending the first quarter with a 31-3 lead. Stingers’ head coach Mickey Donovan was quick to credit the players for their effort.

“I knew our guys were ready,” said Donovan. “It was a special week and they did work hard so I was proud of them. Everything that was done today. I think we could do every game.”

Concordia dominated the Redmen in every single statistical category. Notably, they outgained their rivals in total offensive yards 589 to 377, and forced nine takeaways which often led to great starting field position.

“I didn’t want to let off. That’s how I am as a person. That’s how I am as a coach. That’s how I coach them. We play 60 minutes,” said Donovan.

Even with a 51-7 lead at the half, the Stingers kept their starters in for the majority of the game, leaving no doubt as to the end result. The defense was stout and Concordia had a field day against McGill’s porous secondary.

“It’s easy to see that receivers were open but that’s because our [offensive]-line were giving us time,” Miller said. “They were great and then our receivers just did their job and my job was pretty easy back there. Jean-Guy [Rimpel] was helping on the blocks too, that was great.”

However, if we learned one thing about McGill, it is that they have a promising quarterback of their own in their ranks, who could cause major problems in the future. Dimitrios Sinodinos, a Vanier College product, is a small but live-armed true freshman. He impressed in relief of the incumbent starter Frederique Paquette-Perreault.

“It’s good to get on the field and make some plays. Once I got in, the nerves were all gone we practiced a lot, the coaches are really good preparing us for all types of looks. […] I wasn’t really nervous about what I was going up against,” Sinodinos said.

Even with the final result in little doubt, Sinodinos certainly flashed his natural abilities, completing 12 of 19 throws for 226 yards and a touchdown.

The Stingers travel to Quebec City to face Laval which promises to be a much tougher matchup despite the teams holding identical 2-1 records.