The Carabins of the University of Montreal start the year on the right foot

MONTREAL – The University of Montreal Carabins began defending their crown with a 26-18 win over the Stingers on Saturday afternoon at Concordia Stadium.

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The two-time defending Dunsmore Cup champions didn’t play a perfect game, but the most talented members of the UdeM squad got the job done.

Unsurprisingly, quarterback Jonathan Sénécal sounded the charge. The pivot of the Blues was spectacular on several occasions, especially when he tried to escape the pressure. He finished his matchup with 21 completions on 27 attempts for 276 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 39 yards with his legs.

His targets in the paying zone were Carl Chabot, Alexandre Jones Dudley and William Legault. Running back Bertrand Beaulieu was no exception, he who amassed 103 yards on 23 carries.

Tough Stingers, at times…

Dominated at the start of the game, the crowd favorites found their comfort in the last moments of the second quarter. Olivier Roy found Jacob Salvail on 12 yards to score the club’s first major. The Stingers added a field goal to close the gap 15-10 before returning to the locker room.

Concordia’s defense frustrated their rivals as soon as action returned, shutting the door on third down and scoring. The Carabins, however, managed a safety touchdown the next play, which seemed to cut the momentum in Stingers.

Head coach Marco Iadeluca’s men then added nine points to their tally before seeing their opponents get another burst of life. The Stingers have indeed returned to the end zone, in addition to achieving a conversion of two points, and this, with just under seven minutes left in the game. Recovering the ball afterwards, they came up against the Carabins defensive unit and veteran Philippe Lemieux-Cardinal, who managed a major quarterback sack. The visitors took the opportunity to cross the field slowly and register a placement.

UdeM representatives will be entitled to their first week off of the year in the coming days and will receive a visit from the Laval University Rouge et Or on Saturday, September 10. For their part, the Stingers will be in the Eastern Townships for a duel against the Vert & Or of Sherbrooke University next Saturday.