Heading into week five of the CIS season, the Laval Rouge Et Or have absolutely dominated in their last four games. Ranked number one in the nation, the reigning two-time Vanier Cup champions are in the same prime form they were in when they won the big game last November. They have played in four intra-conference games against Montreal, Sherbrooke, Bishop’s, and McGill, and they’ve outscored them by a combined 225-32, including 40-1 and 70-3 wins on the road at Sherbrooke and McGill. The Quebec City university will have their toughest test this week in Montreal, in their match-up against the ninth-seeded Concordia Stingers this Sunday at the Telus Stadium on the Laval campus.
Last week Glen Constantin’s troops started off weak against a McGill side, a team whose performance on the field doesn’t live up to the team’s skill on paper. Laval allowed a McGill field goal when the Rouge et Or were only up by 16, although it followed a fumble by mobile freshman quarterback Hugo Richard. The offence never looked back after that, though, as they put up 70 points on the board from 765 yards of total offence and 35 first downs.
What is even more shocking is the fact that the team has won 67 straight home games, dating back to September 19, 2004, over ten years ago. The win on Sunday also marks the 23rd consecutive win by the club, a new record in the CIS, formerly held by McMaster until the were handed a loss by Laval in the 2012 Vanier Cup.
With 13 players coming out of the university currently playing on CFL clubs, including last year’s number one overall pick Pierre Lavertu, Grey Cup winning kicker Chris Milo, and 2012 All-Star center Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, the Laval football program has has established itself as one of the best in the country.
Their winning form certainly hasn’t died out this year. Led by Richard, the team is nothing but power. They were even featured on our week 8 CFL power rankings ahead of the Alouettes who were one bad football team at the time. But the way the Rouge Et Or have been playing this fall, they certainly merit a spot above the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who have been bombing out in their recent games.
Rookie QB Richard has been the real surprise for the football team. He can throw and run as well as anyone in the CIS. The mechanical engineering student from Vanier College (CEGEP) in Central Montreal has thrown for 1340 yards – most in the country – and 11 touchdowns while getting picked off only once, against McGill. He is also tied for fifth in the CIS with four rushing touchdowns on only 20 attempts for 125 yards. So 20% of his carries end up in pay-dirt. Not too shabby.
Richard would not have put up these outstanding passing numbers without his talented receivers: Felix Faubert, Felix Lechasseur and Julian Bailey. The threesome form the “Big Three” in the CIS, the best receiving group in all of Canada. Faubert is a touchdown-a-game receiver while Lechasseur and Bailey have both been getting touchdown passes every other game. Faubert is placed 13th in the league with 339 yards while the other two have caught for 163 and 181 yards, respectively. A quarterback is almost nothing without his receivers, but these young men make their quarterback seem like he’s something special.
Guillaume Bourassa, the first year running back from CEGEP of Champlain-Lennoxville has also shown why Constantin and his staff recruited him from Montreal’s South Shore. In three games, he has dashed for 302 yards on 32 attempts with 2 majors. He’s averaging about 100 yards/game and 10 yards/carry. To ease him into the university-level game, he shares backfield duties with Chris Amaoh (41 rushes, 295 yards) and Maxime Boutin (17 rushes, 185 yards).
Their defence, led by safety Philip Gauthier and linebackers Jean-Philippe Bolduc and Michel Langlois, have been a force out there, allowing fewer than 1000 yards from all their opponents combined. They’ve had one score, from an interception by Vincent Chabot, another shining star in the program. The team has created eight turnovers this year in their four games, five fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
All in all, the team is looking as good as ever and seemed poised to win a third straight Vanier Cup. And the 50th Vanier Cup game will be played right in their home province, at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal. Although they won five championships in eight seasons from 2003-10, Laval was never able to exceed two straight titles. But the way they’re playing right now, from Richard to Bourassa to Gauthier, don’t be surprised if they set a new mark with three consecutive Vanier Cups.
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