Tag: Trenton Miller

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No suspension for Laval player for hit on Trenton Miller

Trenton Miller meets with the media at Concordia University’s Loyola Campus on Sept. 29. Photo by Matthew Ohayon.

RSEQ suspends Laval Rouge et Or’s Kevin McGee for “unnecessary roughness” on James Tyrrell

The Concordia Stingers football team lost to the Sherbrooke Vert et Or, with a score of 30-13, on Sept. 30 in the 31st annual Shrine Bowl. The Stingers, who now have a 2-3 record, had to play without quarterback Trenton Miller.

Miller was injured in a game against the Laval Rouge et Or on Sept. 24, which the Stingers lost 12-8. During that game, Miller was pressured out of the pocket and rushed the ball upfield. As he was carrying the ball, Laval’s Gabriel Ouellet, who came from Miller’s blind side, levelled Miller with a hard hit. The video replay shows Miller’s head snaps back, making it look like there was a hit to the head.

In any other league, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, any hit to the head, or at least a hit that causes the head to snap back like that, is an automatic penalty. But in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), the official will penalize a hit to the head only if there is clear intent to injure.

Later in the game, Stingers receiver James Tyrrell was forced to leave the game after taking a vicious hit from Kevin McGee. Tyrrell was in a vulnerable position during the hit, with his two hands on the ball and his feet unstable, when McGee jumped to hit him. Tyrrell also missed the next game against the Vert et Or.

Miller made headlines after posting a video to Facebook on Sept. 26, before the RSEQ’s decision not to suspend Ouellet. He pleaded that the RSEQ review the hit he received, as well as the one Tyrrell was involved in. The video has been viewed over 66,000 times.

“What really pains me is that my parents shouldn’t have to watch my game and worry about me dying on the football field as a result of these head-to-head collisions,” Miller said in the video.

On Sept. 29, the RSEQ issued a response, stating they reviewed both hits. They suspended McGee, who hit Tyrrell, for one game for unnecessary roughness. The hit on Miller, however, was deemed by the league to have not made contact with Miller’s head and, therefore, no action would be taken against Ouellet.

The league stated that, when Miller rushed the ball, he was no longer in a “vulnerable position” and there was “no intent to injure.”

“The judgment is supported by the league’s desire to ensure a safe environment for student-athletes,” said Gustave Roel, the director general of the RSEQ, in the league’s statement. “I commend the work [of everybody involved in] this issue, and I want to ensure that the safety and integrity of all student athletes is a priority.”

University of Manitoba quarterback Des Catellier saw Miller’s post on Facebook, and said he does not agree with the RSEQ.

“I would maybe agree that he wasn’t in a vulnerable position [as the ball carrier], but the defender led with his head, which, to me, would be intent to injure,” Catellier said in an interview with The Concordian.

Miller, who spoke about the incident to the media after the league’s decision on Sept. 29, appreciated the league’s efforts in reviewing the dangerous hits.

“They made their decision based on the footage they had,” he said. “The fact they’re even reviewing that and taking steps towards player safety is awesome.”

Trenton Miller scores a touchdown against the McGill Redmen during the 2015 season. Archive photo by Brianna Thicke.

Stingers head coach Mickey Donovan, who called an emergency meeting with RSEQ officials on Sept. 25 to review rules regarding player safety, said he believed this week’s conversation on hits to the head could lead to some changes to the current rules.

“I think the rules are probably going to get changed, just not this season,” Donovan said. “I’m sure stuff will come out eventually, hopefully for next year.”

As for when Miller will return to play, he’s not in a rush.

“I take it day-by-day, and our trainers and doctors are handling me in a very good manner, and they’re not going to rush me back.”

The Stingers will take on the number-one ranked Université de Montréal Carabins on the road on Oct. 5.

With files from Matthew Ohayon. Main photo by Matthew Ohayon

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Concordia Stingers dismantle the McGill Redmen in homecoming game

Quarterback Trenton Miller sets school record with six touchdown passes in 68-16 win

There’s a good chance the McGill Redmen football team will be having nightmares about their recent game against the Concordia Stingers.

In their first meeting of the season on Sept. 16, the Concordia Stingers, wearing their classic maroon and gold uniforms, beat the McGill Redmen, in their vintage white and red jerseys, by a score of 68-16. Concordia scored 30 points in the first quarter.

On the opening drive, Trenton Miller, the fifth-year quarterback, found receiver Jarryd Taylor downfield for a 56-yard pass that put the Stingers at McGill’s one-yard line. On the next play, running back Jean-Guy Rimpel gave the Stingers the lead, scoring his first of two touchdowns in the game. Rimpel also finished the game with 78 yards rushing.

The early offensive burst brought fans to their feet, and the rest of the game kept giving them reasons to cheer.

It was a lead that would go unchallenged by McGill, as the Stingers continued to make play after play, both on offence and defence. The defensive line, led by six-foot-five Wade Leeroy Cyr, swarmed McGill quarterback Frédéric Paquette-Perreault. The Stingers defence disrupted plays all game, with two sacks and two interceptions. Meanwhile, the McGill offence only generated 377 total yards on 63 plays, versus Concordia’s 589 yards on 64 plays.

Receiver Yanic Lessard carries the ball against the McGill Redmen on Sept. 16. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

The Stingers played in front of 4,813 fans at Concordia Stadium as part of their homecoming event. It was the perfect day for the homecoming game, with the unmistakable energy of one of the oldest university rivalries in the country.

“This rivalry has been going on for so long. It’s always a battle,” said Stingers defensive end Lukas Redguard. He added that the atmosphere of the game had an impact on how the game was played. “It’s great. We need this every game. It was awesome, the turnout was awesome, the fans are great. They got loud when we needed them to get loud. It was a good day.”

Last season, the Redmen beat the Stingers 21-8 when they played at Concordia. Stingers head coach Mickey Donovan said that loss stayed with him all year.

“This week, I properly prepared these guys the hardest I’ve done all year,” Donovan said. “We rode them this week. This win shows me that we have a group that is willing to listen, and that can perform.”

While the offence was putting up points like they had discovered a glitch in the latest Madden video game, the stands were electric. The homecoming didn’t disappoint fans and alumni.

Brent Bodkin, the Stingers announcer and a former player, talked about the heated rivalry between the cross-town universities.

“This is the biggest rivalry in university football in Canada,” Bodkin said. “It doesn’t matter what the records are, what the rosters are—when it’s Concordia versus McGill, whether it’s here or at Percival Molson Stadium [McGill’s home stadium], the intensity always gets picked up.”

Concordia University also honoured the 1967 Loyola College Warriors and Sir George Williams Georgians football teams as part of the homecoming game. The former members of the Concordia athletic family proudly walked onto the field after the game and saluted the current roster.

Former Concordia football player and business graduate, Bob Jones, commented on how the game has changed since his time as a player, and talked about the team’s performance.

“The quality of football now is a lot better than when we played,” Jones said. “The team is a lot better than our group of guys.”

Jones added: “It was a super game. They brought us in for a reunion, and they put on a performance that we’re very appreciative of.”

The lopsided score left McGill fans obviously disappointed, but they continued to cheer their team on.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” said McGill fan Sylvain Dethier. “Both sides are cheering for their team, and I think that’s fair.”

Stingers defensive linemen face the McGill Redmen on Sept. 16. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Miller made Stingers history at Saturday’s game, breaking the school’s previous record for most passing touchdowns in a game. The record was previously set by Sean Hoas in 1998. With six passing touchdowns, Miller was just one touchdown pass short of matching the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec’s (RSEQ) record of seven passing touchdowns in a single game.

“It’s sweet. But while my name might be in the record book, unfortunately, the names of our offensive line won’t be in there,” Miller said. “They were giving me all day to throw, and our receivers were making plays.”

The Stingers offence was efficient against a McGill defence that seemed confused at times and completely unable to defend against passing plays. Miller found receivers down the field almost unopposed, with McGill’s defensive backs and defensive line unable to put enough pressure on the quarterback. He threw for 472 yards and passed his six touchdown passes to four different receivers. Taylor, Vince Alessandrini and Kyle Greenbaum each caught a touchdown pass, while Sam Nadon had three touchdowns.

However, it seems Miller and the Stingers are already looking forward to the next matchup against the McGill Redmen on Oct. 14 at Percival Molson Stadium.

“Anytime we can beat our rival McGill, it’s one of those games you’re circling [on] your calendar,” Miller said. “Hats off to them, they played well. I know they’ll come back strong next game so we can’t take anything for granted.”

The Concordia Stingers next game is away on Sept. 24 against the Laval Rouge et Or.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins

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A one-game-at-a-time mentality for the Stingers

The Concordia Stingers are a team full of veterans, and they will try to continue winning with a new head coach in 2018. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Head coach Mickey Donovan doesn’t want players looking too far ahead into the season

After finishing third in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) conference with a 4-4 record last year, the Concordia Stingers football team is looking to make the jump to the next level.

However, the team isn’t looking too far into the season.

“We’re taking it one day at a time, one game at a time,” said head coach Mickey Donovan. “This conference is too good to look ahead, and [too good] to have bigger goals than that. My approach is taking it week by week and taking care of business when we have to.”

Starting quarterback Trenton Miller agreed with his coach’s approach to the season. “We don’t have any expectations this year for the team,” he said. “The mentality this year is that we are playing for each other, and we have everyone’s back no matter what.”

“The mentality this year is that we are playing for each other, and we have everyone’s back no matter what.” – Trenton Miller

Heading into his fourth season as head coach, Donovan is looking for difference-makers to step up, be leaders and take command of the field.

“We’re creating better depth and better competition out there on the field,” he said. “Guys are understanding that because they’ve been with us for three or four years.”

That depth is being bolstered by a string of new recruits, led by defensive back Jersey Henry from Vanier College, who Donovan mentioned caught his eye.

Quaysie Gordon-Maule carries the ball on a kick return against the UdeM Carabins. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Statistically, the Stingers were an average team last year, finishing in the middle of the pack in most categories. The team also allowed the second most points in the RSEQ last season. They will need their defence to be a lot stronger if they want to beat the two teams that finished above them last year, the Université de Montréal Carabins and the Laval Rouge et Or.

On the flip side, the offence, led by Miller, finished first in the conference last season in passing yards, with 2,403 yards, an average of 7.4 yards per throw.

The Stingers rush game last season relied heavily on running back Jean-Guy Rimpel, who ran his way to 514 yards, along with four touchdowns. Rimpel led the RSEQ in rushing yards, nearly 100 yards more than the next leading rusher. Miller also picked up yards by running, with 116 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

This season should see the same results, with Rimpel leading the charge on the ground. Miller said he’s looking at the offensive line and running backs to play well this year.

“They have worked really hard, and I think people will see that,” he said. “This team has prepared well and is ready for the season.”

“But honestly, we don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Miller added. “Talk is cheap — it’s time to prove it. Hype was our worst enemy last year. This year, we are embracing the grind, and we are ready to show it.”

The Concordia Stingers opened their RSEQ season with a home loss against the Université de Montréal Carabins by a score of 37-19. They play again on Friday, Aug. 31, in an away game against the Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or.

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Shooting for a championship

Trenton Miller makes a big play against the McGill Redmen. Photos by Andrej Ivanov.

Football quarterback Trenton Miller is optimistic about the season

Stingers quarterback Trenton Miller took the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) by storm last year in his rookie season. Miller broke Stingers records, led the team to the playoffs and won the Réseau du sport étudiant de Québec (RSEQ) MVP award. This year, Miller is ready to continue that success.

“The goal this year for everyone is to win the Vanier Cup,” Miller said. “Our motto is to go 1-0 every week and get it done that way. We see ourselves winning a championship.”

Last year, the Stingers finished with a record of 4-4, which included two wins against McGill and two wins against Bishops. In eight games, Miller threw for 2,384 yards and 20 touchdowns, which is a Stingers record. In addition to Miller’s 20 passing touchdowns, he also had three rushing touchdowns.

Thanks to Miller’s play, the Stingers lead the RSEQ division in passing offense, while Miller led all RSEQ quarterbacks in scoring.

Miller said that he is ready to build on the success of last year, however, he added that the team needs to beat Montreal and Laval if they want to win the Vanier Cup.

“Montreal is a team we have to beat if we want to get to the final,” Miller said. “When we lost to Montreal last year, it was because of a few unlucky bounces. They made it to the Vanier Cup last year, so we feel like we are close.”

Miller continued by saying that he hopes Concordia will “reclaim” Montreal when it comes to football.

Miller also said that the entire team, as well as the coaching staff and management. have come together in the off-season and generated a lot of excitement amongst each other.

“There has never been a more optimistic season in my career,” Miller said. “At the team golf tournament, donors were all very excited to get started and we could feel that energy. It’s a very exciting time to be with the Stingers.”

At the beginning of the season, Miller was not the starter, however, by the second game, he had won himself the position. Miller came to the Stingers from the United States, which has different rules when it comes to football. For example, Canadian football uses three downs instead of four, while also using a bigger ball and a bigger field. Miller said it took some time gettng used to the new style of play before settling in as a starter.

“[Canadian rules were] definitely a change I had to deal with,” Miller said. “It took me four to five weeks to get used to it all.”

For Miller, playing a year with the team and proving himself as a leader has helped him gain his teammates’ confidence. Miller said that having the support of his squad is a huge confidence boost and he can’t wait to get on the field to build on the success of last year. Miller feels like he will fit in nicely with the team, as he has gained a lot of respect since last season.

Despite breaking the Stingers touchdown record and getting the RSEQ MVP nod, Miller remains humble. According to Miller, it is his team and his one-of-a-kind offensive line that has allowed him to excel as a quarterback.

“I’ve never seen such an incredible offensive line since Division 1 [National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)],” Miller said. “These guys are crazy good and I think that they can easily build a legacy for themselves here.”

Miller added, with the addition of some new recruits to the program, the offensive line has gotten even stronger.

“They’re tough, they’re mean and they’re a powerhouse,” Miller said.

Apart from Miller’s high praise for his teammates and his desire to beat teams like the Université de Montréal Carabins, the Buffalo, N.Y. native is mostly looking forward to his first game of the season. On Sept. 2, the Stingers will be traveling to Percival Molson Stadium to take on their crosstown rivals, the McGill Redmen.

The Stingers beat the Redmen twice last season, including a 43-41 last-minute victory that launched the Stingers into the playoffs. Miller is excited to play the long-time rival, but is hesitant to even say the word “McGill”.

“I’ve been having dreams of beating [McGill] for the last two weeks,” Miller said. “I can’t wait to get into that first game. We want to win that game badly.”

The first game against McGill is also the Shaughnessy Cup, which will be Miller and his teammates’ first chance of making an impression on the RSEQ division and their first stepping stone on the road to the Vanier Cup.

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