Photo: Carabins/Instagram
The Montréal Carabins have defeated the Laval Rouge et Or by a score of 31-29 to win the Dussault Cup and advance to the Uteck Bowl.
Arnaud Desjardins, who was named the conference’s Most Valuable Player this past week, threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Gaillardetz to give Laval an early 7-0 lead. The home side also registered a rouge to make it 8-0 by the end of the first quarter.
The Carabins dominated the second quarter, however, as Pepe Gonzalez, who was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year, threw touchdown passes to Enrique Jaimes Leclair and Natan Girouard-Langlois. The Montréal defence also generated two safeties, while Philippe Boyer kicked a 12-yard field goal to lead 21-8 at halftime.
Gonzalez threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Simon Larose early in the third quarter to increase his team’s lead, but Laval dominated the rest of the quarter. Jérémy Ouellette threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Olivier Cool and Desjardins hit Nathan Carignan for a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it 28-22.
Boyer kicked a 23-yard field goal for the Carabins early in the fourth quarter to make it a two-score game, though the Rouge et Or got a touchdown shortly thereafter as Desjardins hit Simon Potvin for a five-yard score.
The score held at 31-29 until Laval faced a third down at the Montréal 37-yard line with almost no time left on the clock. Felipe Forteza tried a game-winning field goal but missed slightly short and wide, allowing the Carabins to kneel out the win on the following play.
Gonzalez completed 27-of-37 pass attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns with four carries for 22 yards, while Desjardins completed 29-of-40 pass attempts for 296 yards, three touchdown, and one interception.
The Dussault Cup, which was previously known as the Dunsmore Cup, was renamed this offseason in honour of Jacques Dussault, who was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2023 and the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
This marked the twelfth consecutive time that Montréal and Laval met in the Dussault Cup, which serves as the championship game for the RSEQ (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec). Laval won last year’s meeting 22-17 before going on to defeat the Regina Rams in the Mitchell Bowl and Laurier Golden Hawks in the Vanier Cup.
This marks the sixth time the Carabins have won the Dussault Cup in program history. Their most recent victory came in 2023, when they went on to beat the Western Mustangs in the Uteck Bowl and UBC Thunderbirds in the Vanier Cup.
Laval went 7-1 during the regular-season but Montréal handed them their only loss in mid-September by a score of 38-28. The Rouge et Or got even at home one month later, beating the Carabins by a score of 16-6 in front of a record crowd of 21,399 at Stade Telus.
The Carabins have now advanced to the Uteck Bowl against the Saint Mary’s Huskies, who defeated the St. FX X-Men in the Loney Bowl on Saturday.
