Rouge et Or 39, Stingers 14: Laval smokes out Concordia
The 37th annual Shrine Bowl saw Laval pull away early and hold on for a convincing win
The Concordia University football team lost a marquee Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) matchup against the Laval Rouge et Or, falling 39-14 in the 37th annual Shrine Bowl. Concordia lost its second game in a row and third overall to fall to 1-3, while Laval improved to 3-1.
In a matchup between two teams scrapping for a playoff spot, the Rouge et Or exploded out of the gate. On just the third play from scrimmage, Laval quarterback Arnaud Desjardins found receiver Guillaume Cauchon for an 89-yard touchdown to go up 7-0. After the teams traded punts, Desjardins hit Olivier Cool for a 73-yard strike to extend the lead.
The second quarter continued the onslaught, as Laval kicker Felipe Forteza tacked on a field goal on the Rouge et Or’s first drive. After another Stingers punt, Desjardins hit Simon Potvin from five yards out to make it 24-0. Concordia’s sixth punt of the day put Laval’s offence back on the field, where Desjardins found a fourth receiver, Emeric Boutin, for a 45-yard score.
A Concordia safety and a second Forteza field goal saw the Stingers head to the locker room in a 36-0 hole.
Stingers head coach Brad Collinson critiqued the team’s first-half performance.
“The first half we didn't execute the way we should have,” Collinson said. “And that's on us, it's on myself as a coach—we have to do better. But I was happy with the way they came out in the second half. They showed some pride, some grit, that they wanted to be here.”
The second half provided optimism for the home team. First-year quarterback Antoine Ouimet replaced starter Xavier Tremblay in the third quarter and immediately drove the Stingers into field goal range, sparking life into the offence.
Ouimet threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to close the gap—the first to Oriola Poirier over the middle and the second on a jump ball to Ely Rivest—before Forteza kicked one final field goal to close the game, 39-14.
Poirier finished the game with three receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown, earning the team’s offensive MVP. He acknowledged the team’s slow start but praised the team’s mindset.
“We always start slow, so that's the problem we have,” Poirier said. “But in the locker room, we know what we need to do. And that's what happened in the second half—we showed up. We just gotta keep doing that for 60 minutes, not 30.”
Ouimet finished the game 13-of-22 for 215 yards and the two scores. Rivest, who tallied three grabs to go along with 87 yards and a touchdown, credited his quarterback’s mentality.
“He's been on his A-game since training camp,” Rivest said. “He's been making plays all along—I think he was just waiting for his shot, for his time to do what he does best.”
Desjardins finished the game with a whopping 300 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 completions. Six of those completions went to Cauchon for 127 yards and a score.
In a bloodbath conference, Collinson stressed the importance of turning the page.
“We play in the best conference in the country. And when you put your best foot forward, anything can happen,” Collinson said. “We have a tough stretch ahead, but these are building blocks. We've got to learn from this.”
Concordia welcomes the Université de Montréal Carabins to Concordia Stadium for their homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 27. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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