MONTREAL (CIS) – In a game with no implication for a pair of nationally-ranked teams, the No. 6 Montreal Carabins (6-2) edged No. 1 Laval (7-1) 7-2 preventing the Rouge et Or from going undefeated in the regular season for a second straight year.
The loss puts and end to a pair of long Laval winning streaks as the three-time defending Quebec champions had not loss in their last 20 games in the regular season and their last 20 duels against QUFL opponents, both streaks dating back to a 14-13 defeat at the hands of Montreal on Sept. 19, 2004.
The two points mark the lowest offensive output in history for Laval since joining the CIS in 1996.
Montreal is now 2-8 lifetime against Laval.
Contained all day by a superb Carabins defensive unit, the Rouge et Or had a glorious chance to steal the game when they got the ball back at the Montreal 30-yard line with 90 seconds left in the contest following a fumble by running back Joseph Mroué.
Laval advanced to the five-yard line but failed to stuff the ball in on three consecutive running plays.
A 22-yard Jean-Luc Lamarche field goal on the Carabins’ first possession of the game ended up being the difference on the afternoon. Montreal made it 5-0 before the end of the initial quarter on a Laval safety and Lamarche added two punt singles in the fourth frame.
Laval scored its lone points on a safety in the third stanza.
Rouge et Or sophomore quarterback Benoit Groulx, who was taken out of the game before the half but had to come back midway through the fourth quarter following an injury to backup Cesar Hernandez Sanchez, tallied 79 yards on 7-of-11 passing to set a new Quebec conference single-season record with 2422 yards through the air. The previous mark of 2395 had been set by former Laval pivot Mathieu Bertrand in 2003.
Carabins rookie pivot Marc-Olivier Brouillette, taken out at the half, was 6-of-11 for 77 yards and added 81 yards on the ground on seven carries as Montreal had a 202-72 advantage in rushing yards.
No. 1 Laval (7-1) will host McGill (4-4) next Saturday in a QUFL semifinal. No. 6 Montreal (6-2) will visit No. 4 Concordia (6-1, playing tonight against Sherbrooke).
Courtesy of Canadian Interuniversity Sport
