The Université de Montréal Carabins defeated the Université Laval Rouge et Or by a score of 28-19 on Sunday to capture their second-straight Dunsmore Cup as the top team in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).
Laval got out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter with Arnaud Desjardins throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Mital on the club’s first drive. The Carabins responded in the second quarter with a pair of majors from running back Bertrand Beaulieu to make the score 14-10 at halftime.
The Carabins scored a pair of third quarter touchdowns courtesy of receiver Paul-Antoine Ouellette and Beaulieu. The Rouge et Or added a three-yard touchdown run from Mathieu Robitaille to end the third quarter but were unable to complete the comeback with both teams being held scoreless in the final frame.
Beaulieu finished the game as Montréal’s leading rusher and receiver, recording 206 yards from scrimmage on 23 touches. Quarterback Jonathan Sénécal threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns, while backup Dimitri Morand chipped in a touchdown pass as well.
Montréal and Laval have met in each of the last eight Dunsmore Cups with the clubs splitting the games evenly at four victories apiece. Montréal eliminated Laval in the 2019 Dunsmore Cup before advancing to the Vanier Cup where they lost to the University of Calgary Dinos by a score of 27-13.
The Carabins will now wait to face the winner of next week’s Yates Cup in the Mitchell Bowl, which is slated for Nov. 27.
The race for the Vanier Cup is now down to seven teams following the elimination of the Rouge et Or. Next week’s slate of games will feature No. 4 Saskatchewan and No. 7 Manitoba playing for the Hardy Trophy, No. 8 St. FX and Bishop’s in the Loney Bowl, and No. 2 Western and No. 3 Queen’s in the Yates Cup.
The Vanier Cup is slated for Saturday, Dec. 4 at Stade TELUS-Université Laval in Quebec City, Que. and will be televised nationally on CBC.
