McGill 31, Concordia 19: With Playoff Hopes on the Line, McGill Runs Through Concordia

Stingers Football Lose Momentum as Playoffs Approach

SportsSamuel Boafo — Published October 21, 2018

Concordia’s losing streak now amounts to four consecutives losses, and with this defeat at the hands of McGill, the Stingers playoff hopes are in jeopardy. The Stingers started the game very aggressively by scoring heavily in the first quarter.

The opening quarter ended 17-2 in favour of the Stingers.

“We’ve got to come out strong and that’s the whole point, we wanted to set the tone,” said Stingers head coach Brad Collinson.

The home team came out strong on defence and managed to cause a 70-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

The second quarter is where the Stingers started to lose the momentum they had in the first. The Stingers let the game get away from them by allowing the McGill side to get back into the game.

“They played a very good football game,” said Collinson “They were well prepared, well coached.”

The game seemed to take a complete turn as McGill scored on three drives in the second quarter causing the half to end in a very close 19-15 score for the Stingers.

“We didn’t answer when we had the chance,” said Collinson.

The Stingers were unable to stop the running game in the third quarter which was a recurring issue throughout their season.

McGill running back Donovan Martel became an issue for the Stingers throughout the game, especially in the second half.

“He had a heck of a game,” said McGill coach Ronald Hilaire. “He is the type of guy who shows up everyday in practice and wants to give it his all.”

Martel ran the ball for huge gains in the third quarter and finished the game with 109 rushing yards.

But Martel was not the only running back causing issues for the Stingers defence—McGill played a more running back by committee style, meaning they relied on two backs rather than letting Martel run the whole game, throwing Daniel Adesegun out there as well to further frustrate their opponent.

“The offensive line and the wide receivers are blocking, so everyone is doing their task and what they’re asked to do, I think that is the recipe,” said Martel.

McGill scored 16 unanswered points in the second half, causing the Stingers to appear flat. They were unable to adjust to McGill’s running attack and were unable to gain any rhythm in the second half.

The crucial moment was in the fourth quarter with the ball in the Stingers’ possession and an opportunity to take the lead.

Stingers quarterback Adam Vance threw an interception with 7:56 left in the fourth quarter, which was returned for a touchdown by McGill defensive back Benjamin Carre. The interception gave the visiting team a commanding lead, erasing the Stingers’ chances of coming back.

“It was just one of those plays where I thought of going somewhere and then last minute deciding to go somewhere else and the ball just sailed on me,” said Vance of the slip up. “That’s a bad quarterback play and a bad decision, I just should have just ate the play to play another down and I tried to force it.”.

The Stingers seemed demoralized after the play. They were unable to gain any momentum and appeared as if they had just given up after the interception.

After this play, McGill just wanted to play their game and not do anything that would jeopardize their lead.

“We just wanted to play as sound as possible,” said Hilaire. “We just played well and we’re happy we got the win,”

With this win, McGill clinches their spot in the playoffs. The Stingers’ playoff hopes are on the line now, as they must travel to Sherbrooke on Oct. 27 and leave with the win for any hope to be taking the field come playoffs.