MONTREAL -- Quarterback
Hugo Richard passed for a pair of touchdowns and rushed for two more as the No.1-ranked Laval Rouge et Or overwhelmed McGill 50-14 in RSEQ football at Percival Molson Stadium, Friday.
It was the 137th season opener on the McGill campus and the second win in as many starts for the defending Vanier Cup champions, who have now racked up 13 straight victories dating back to last season. Laval generated 520 yards of net offence compared to 284 by McGill. The Redmen actually led 7-3 after the opening quarter but Laval exploded for 24 points in the second stanza, primarily on three touchdowns in the final two minutes, to take a 27-7 lead into halftime. The visitors then outscored McGill 15-0 in the third and 8-7 in the final frame.
Richard completed 28 of 34 passing attempts for 324 yards and rushed seven times for 46 yards. Trailing 7-6 late in the second quarter, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound field-general from Longueuil, Que., put his troops ahead 13-7 with a three-yard TD scamper at 12:37, followed quickly by a 12-yard TD strike to receiver
Etienne Moisan at 14:21 and a two-yard quarterback keeper just 34 seconds later, preceded by a McGill turnover. After the intermission, Richard wasted no time, hooking up with
Jonathan Breton-Robert for another 12-yard TD toss just 82 seconds into the third quarter to go ahead 34-7 and snuff out any hopes of a Redmen comeback.
Richard's virtuoso performance ruined an impressive busier-than-a-bee effort by McGill offensive captain
Remi Bertellin, a fleet-footed 5-foot-10 receiver from France, who tallied a pair of TDs and registered a game-high 203 all-purpose yards. The 23-year-old economics senior racked up 112 yards on six receptions, including TD strikes of 23 and 25 yards from quarterback
Frederic Paquette-Perrault. Bertellin added 91 yards on five kickoff returns and punted eight times for an average of 35.1 yards.
Paquette-Perrault, a sophomore, was 14-for-29 passing for 273 yards but was picked off twice.
A three-yard TD run by
Christopher Amoah put Laval ahead 41-7 midway through the third quarter. Kicker
David Cote added 17 points, primarily from a 4-for-4 effort in place-kicking. He connected from distances of 15, 37, 42 and 24 yards. Rounding out the scoring for the Rouge et Or was 28-yard punt single by
Dominique Levesque and a safety conceded in the final quarter.
The game featured 21 penalties and a plethora of kicking, with 15 punts and nine kickoffs. McGill was flagged 13 times for 95 yards, while Laval was caught eight times for 70 yards of real estate.
Laval (2-0) play their bitter rivals next week when they return to Montreal to confront the Carabins (1-0) in a much-anticipated matchup on Sept. 9 at 2 p.m. The teams split their two games last year but the Carabins won the point-differential to finish atop the RSEQ standings. The Rouge et Or had the last laugh, however, winning the Dunsmore Cup conference title en route to their ninth national championship in 17 years.
McGill (0-1) will travel to Sherbrooke on Sept. 9 for a key showdown against the winless Vert & Or (0-2) in an evening affair slated for 7 p.m.
REDMEN RAP: McGill's 48-man dress-list featured 15 freshmen, 19 sophomores, nine juniors and five seniors... Sophomore WR
Jeremy Sauvageau was second on the Redmen with 84 all-purpose yards, collecting 71 on two catches and 13 on three punt returns... Sophomore LB
Alex Pare registered a game-high nine total tackles, including eight solos and two assisted... Fellow linebackers
David Polynice and
Antoine Mongeau registered eight total tackles apiece... Junior LB
Kamba Katchelewa had one knockdown and rookie LB
Jean Exume was credited with one fumble recovery.
2017 RSEQ STANDINGS (updated after Laval-McGill game)
