This weekend featured one of the best rivalries in Canadian football as a sold-out CEPSUM Stadium played host to the Laval Rouge et Or and Montreal Carabins. The home side drew first blood in the season series but the teams will meet again in Quebec City on October 19.
Around U Sports is a weekly feature on 3DownNation that takes readers across the country to summarize collegiate football action, highlighting standout performances and tracking possible playoff matchups. It will run until the second round of the playoffs, at which point 3DownNation will produce standalone articles for each game.
Laval Rouge et Or, 28 — Montreal Carabins, 38
This was a statement win for the Carabins as they claimed early-season RSEQ supremacy. Pepe Gonzalez threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns against a stout Laval defence, while Brandon Gourgon recorded a rushing score. Arnaud Desjardins threw three touchdown passes in the loss but also took four sacks and was intercepted by Elijah Cramaix, who returned it for a touchdown. The Rouge et Or scored 13 points in the last three minutes of the game, but make no mistake: this was a blowout win for Montreal.
Calgary Dinos, 23 — Alberta Golden Bears, 19
The Golden Bears took a late lead when Eli Hetlinger hit Carter Kettyle for a 64-yard touchdown pass just before the three-minute warning but Calgary got the score back when Eri Olarubofin ran in an 18-yard rushing touchdown with 52 seconds left to secure the win. Olarubofin finished the game with 155 yards along the ground, while Kettyle made six grabs for 122 yards and two scores. Matteo Trasolini was a game-wrecker for the Golden Bears, recording 5.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
Regina Rams, 37 — UBC Thunderbirds, 20
The Rams racked up 566 yards of net offence as Noah Pelletier threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns and Marshall Erichsen rushed 27 times for 196 yards and one score. Shemar McBean had a big day for the Thunderbirds, notching seven catches for 158 yards and a touchdown, though UBC quarterback Derek Engel was picked off twice. If you’re looking for an upcoming U Sports game of the week, be sure to tune in on Friday night when the Rams visit the Saskatchewan Huskies.
Acadia Axemen, 20 — Mount Allison Mounties, 11
Tyran Duval threw touchdown passes to Xander Matheson and Jase LeBlanc to help lead the Axemen their first win of the season. Acadia’s defence recorded five sacks, two of which came from Rory Litt, and forced the home team to punt 11 times. After winning only one game last year, the Mounties are now 0-4 at the midway point of their season. James Laceby scored Mount Allison’s only touchdown on the day on a short pass from Xavier Uhr.
St. FX X-Men, 3 — Bishop’s Gaiters, 29
The X-Men pitched back-to-back shutouts to start the year but that all came crashing down in a one-sided loss to Bishop’s. The Gaiters dominated the St. FX offence, allowing only 81 net yards as Alex McDonald recorded one sack and a forced fumble and Philippe Theroux and Kyle Chorney both registered interceptions. Justin Quirion threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while Mathieu Bellavance added a score along the ground.
Waterloo Warriors, 19 — Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, 41
The Battle of Waterloo wasn’t particularly close but it also wasn’t a complete blowout as the Warriors recorded more first downs and almost as many net yards as their top-ranked counterparts. Cal Wither threw four touchdown passes in the win, three of which went to Ottawa Redblacks draft pick Ethan Jordan, while Nick Orr threw two touchdowns and an interception in the loss. Orr also led Waterloo in rushing with seven carries for 75 yards.
Ottawa Gee-Gees, 30 — Guelph Gryphons, 23
Jaxxon Brashear, the son of longtime NHL player Donald Brashear, was all over the field for the Gee-Gees as he recorded nine total tackles, two interceptions, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. Tristan Aboud had a disastrous day for Guelph, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble, though Matthew Stam scored a special teams touchdown on a 103-yard kickoff return and Yunus Larry returned an interception 65 yards for a score.
Western Mustangs, 63 — Carleton Ravens, 26
The Mustangs led 50-8 early in the third quarter before calling off the dogs, allowing this score to be a little more respectable. Ethan Dolby dominated for Western, rushing 18 times for 230 yards and four touchdowns, while Jack Kelly added another 110 rushing yards and a score. Carleton quarterbacks Tristan Lefebvre and Elijah Barnes were both intercepted twice, though Ethan Rocha and Frederick Hachey added second-half touchdowns.
Queen’s Gaels, 44 — Toronto Varsity Blues, 6
Jared Chisari had a dominant day along the ground for Queen’s, rushing 21 times for 183 yards and two scores. Alex Vreeken threw for 223 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the win, hitting Nathan Falconi for all three scores. Varsity Blues quarterback Scott Barnett entered this week as the country’s leading passer but was intercepted a whopping five times by the Gaels, including three by John Corscadden.
Saskatchewan Huskies, 20 — Manitoba Bisons, 21
The Huskies led 17-0 at halftime but were unable to sustain that lead when Manitoba’s offence finally came to life. Nathan Udoh had a breakout game for the Bisons, making 12 catches for 158 yards and his first-career touchdown, while Breydon Stubbs added 107 yards along the ground. Roughriders draft pick Daniel Wiebe was Saskatchewan’s leading receiver by a mile, recording nine catches for 99 yards, though Jace Zidar recorded the team’s lone receiving touchdown.
McMaster Marauders, 13 — Windsor Lancers, 29
The Lancers ran to victory by committee as Andrew Delaney, Tyriq Quayson, Weabge Mombo, and Nick Dimovski combined for 259 rushing yards and one touchdown. Luke Thalman didn’t have a great day through the air for McMaster, throwing for 166 yards and an interception, but he led the team with 12 carries for 68 yards and a score along the ground. Ahmad Taylor was a defensive standout for Windsor in this battle of previously winless teams as he recorded six total tackles and two sacks.
Concordia Stingers, 13 — Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 26
Freud Jean-Ernst Cesar and Jonathan Martel-Joseph ran a combined 18 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns to propel Sherbrooke to its first win of the season. The Stingers got 96 rushing yards and a touchdown from Franck Tchembe but Xavier Tremblay threw two interceptions in the loss. These two teams are now tied with McGill for a share of third place in the RSEQ with one win apiece.
John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.
