The Concordia football team fell 59-3 to the top-ranked team in the country
The Université de Montréal Carabins football team dominated in their home-opener on Sept. 16 against the Concordia Stingers, winning by a score of 59-3. The Carabins, who are the number one ranked team in the country, provided an offensive onslaught which was simply too much for the Stingers to handle.
When asked what went wrong after the game, Stingers coach Mickey Donovan replied with: “Everything.”
“We didn’t come out to play and we made way too many mistakes,” Donovan said. “You’re not going to be able to compete in those games playing that way.”
Donovan added that in the week prior to the game, the Stingers prepared for the Carabins’ strong offense and defense, but they weren’t able to execute in the game. Stingers quarterback Trenton Miller shared those same thoughts, saying that the team needs to limit their mistakes and make better plays.
The Carabins came out strong, scoring on their first offensive drive when halfback Gabriel Parent punched the ball into the end zone from the one-yard line just four minutes in. The Stingers quickly answered back with a field goal from kicker Andrew Stevens, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
The Stingers field goal ended up being the only points they would score all game. The Carabins followed up the Stingers score with a 45-yard catch and run touchdown from receiver Guillaume Paquet. Paquet outran the Stingers defense and gave the Carabins a 14-3 lead, with just under eight minutes left in the first half.
The Stingers offense was unable to get any momentum going, which forced their defense to stay out on the field for longer.
“They were tired. You go back and look at the stats and they were out there for the majority of the time,” Donovan said. “We got to be able to get some long drives going and finish them.”
Despite Concordia’s woes on offense, the Carabins managed to score 52 unanswered points and drew praise from the Stingers quarterback.
“They’re a very athletic and fast team. They’re well coached,” Miller said. “They do a great job year in and year out.”
In the fourth quarter, already up 42-3, the Carabins put the game even more out of reach when Carabins cornerback Jordan Perrin intercepted a pass and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. This made the score 49-3. The Carabins eventually added another field goal and a rushing touchdown from running back Julien Choquette-Daigneault to bring the score to 59-3.
One bright spot for the Stingers was the performance of freshman receiver Vincent Alessandrini, who finished the game with nine receptions and 63 yards.
The Stingers will look to bounce back next week against St. Francis Xavier University on Sept. 24 at Concordia Stadium.
“We still have five games to go,” Miller said. “We’re in the playoff hunt.”
