QUEBEC CITY (CIS) – The three-time defending Quebec University Football League champion and nationally top-ranked Laval Rouge et Or rallied late in the second half to edge the No. 3-ranked Montreal Carabins 25-21 on Sunday afternoon in the season opener for both teams, played in front of a capacity crowd of 18,120 at PEPS Stadium.
With Laval trailing 21-18, Rouge et Or sophomore quarterback Benoit Groulx and wide out Samuel Gregoire-Champagne connected on an 81-yard yard pass-and-run play with six minutes and 14 seconds left in the game for the winning score.
Billed as the most highly-anticipated match-up of the young season, the showdown between the two Quebec powerhouses lived up to all the hype.
After being picked off on his first two passing attempts of the afternoon, Montreal senior pivot Jonathan Jodoin settled down and hit speedster Yves Beriault with a 75-yard touchdown strike with 5:53 to go in the second quarter to help the Carabins take a 10-8 advantage to the locker room at the half.
Montreal increased its lead to nine points early in the third frame when Nickolas Morin-Soucy blocked a punt deep in Laval territory and returned the ball all the way to pay dirt.
The Rouge et Or responded before the end of the quarter and made it a 17-15 affair when Groulx found Champagne in the back of the end zone from 20 yards out for the first of two scoring plays on the day for the Laval duo.
Montreal picked up a field goal and a single while Laval answered with a field goal of its own before Champagne’s winning score.
The Carabins had one last chance to win it but Vincent Gagne intercepted a pass from rookie quarterback Marc-Olivier Brouillette in the end zone as time expired.
Brouillette came in early in the final quarter in replacement of injured starter Jodoin. Beriault also went down in the second half and did not finish the game for Montreal.
Champagne was named player of the game after hauling down seven balls for 161 yards and a pair of majors.
“This is very satisfying, especially since we knew we were facing a very good and experienced team in the Carabins,” said the third-year receiver and medicine student from Sainte-Foy, Que., who transferred to Laval from Michigan State prior to the 2005 season. “The receiving corps has now developed a nice chemistry with Ben (Groulx) in his second year as the starter, and our young offensive line did a tremendous job today.”
Groulx, who led the nation with a 68.2 completion ratio in his freshman season, finished 21-of-35 for 343 yards and the two touchdowns.
Jodoin was 6-of-16 for 142 yards, one major and three interceptions for the Carabins, while Brouillette went 7-of-12 for 104 yards and one pick in relief.
The defensive units completely shut down the running game.
Montreal’s Joseph Mroue, who set a conference record with 1046 rushing yards a year ago, was held to 46 yards on 17 carries. Pierre-Luc Yao, who led the conference in 2005 with eight rushing touchdowns and was second in Quebec with yards in 2005, carried the ball 15 times for 57 yards.
The Rouge et Or defence, first in the nation for least points allowed each of the last three seasons, caused eight turnovers, including the four interceptions. Laval turned the ball over three times, all on fumbles.
Laval, which saw its CIS-record 19-game overall winning streak come to an end in last year’s Mitchell Bowl, a 29-27 loss to Saskatchewan, has now defeated Montreal eight times in nine meetings since the Carabins joined the CIS in 2001.
Since the start of the 2004 season, Montreal is 15-0 against the rest of the field, and 1-5 against Laval.
No. 1 Laval visits the McGill Redmen (0-1) on Saturday. No. 3 Montreal (0-1) hosts the Concordia Stingers (1-0).
