Next week, in the Mitchell Cup final, the Rouge et Or will face the winners of the duel between the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the University of Regina Rams, also presented on Saturday.
This meeting will take place in Saskatchewan.
Faced with a 10-5 decline after 30 minutes of play, the Rouge et Or won in the second half of the game thanks to touchdowns from Olivier Cool, on a 41-yard pass from Arnaud Desjardins (27-in -37, 259 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) at the very start of the third quarter, and William Tremblay, on a three-yard run in the fourth quarter.
This last touchdown followed an important defensive play by Loïc Brodeur, who tackled quarterback Jonathan Sénécal behind his line of scrimmage and caused a fumble that the Rouge et Or recovered at the Carabins 10-yard line.
Kicker Félipé Forteza contributed to the victory with field goals of 33 and 32 yards and two conversions. The other two points were the result of a safety in the second quarter.
In the defeat, Sénécal (21-for-38, 233 yards, no interceptions) threw touchdown passes to Brandon Gourgon, in the second quarter, and to Simon Riopel, near the end of regulation time.
Étienne Jacques made a 42-yard field goal and two conversions.
The Carabins and the Rouge et Or faced each other for the third time this season. On September 7, at Telus Stadium, the Rouge et Or won 23-22 thanks to a long field goal from Forteza on the last play of the match.
On October 12, in Montreal, it was the Carabins' turn to snatch a victory by a margin of one point, 32-31 in overtime.
The two teams completed the season with identical records of seven wins and one loss. The Rouge et Or was awarded first place in the ranking thanks to a lower total of points conceded than the Carabins.
The Rouge et Or gives in… then responds
During the first 26 minutes of the match, the defensive units of both teams were intractable. They only allowed one field goal on each side — both successful in the first quarter — to which was added a safety touchdown conceded by Philippe Boyer, the Carabins' punt kicker, in the second quarter.
Then, the Rouge et Or defense was the first to falter.
Powered by an important interception and a 24-yard return from Elijah Cramaix, the Carabins players ignored the wind blowing in their faces to score the only touchdown of the first half with 65 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Abandoned in the back of the end zone, Gourgon capped a seven-play, 58-yard drive in 2:47 by catching a six-yard pass from Sénécal.
This touchdown was also made possible by an important three-yard gain from Glodi Halafu Musa on a third down and two yards from the Rouge et Or's 28-yard line.
Holding the option to start the second half, the Carabins chose the favorable wind in the fourth quarter and therefore took the kickoff.
At the time, the decision turned against the Carabins. The Rouge et Or regained the lead, 12-10, just 80 seconds into the third quarter.
Billy Jonas Pernier set the tone by returning the punt over a distance of 47 yards, to the Carabins 53-yard line.
Three plays later, Cool was completely forgotten at the Carabins 15-yard line and scored the Rouge et Or's first touchdown, catching Desjardins' pass.
Before the end of the third quarter, Forteza added a 32-yard field goal, which gave the Rouge et Or a 15-10 lead.
Facing the wind in the fourth quarter, the Rouge et Or increased their lead thanks to Tremblay's touchdown with a little over four minutes remaining in regulation time.
The Carabins regained hope thanks to Riopel's touchdown on a 39-yard pass from Sénécal with 2:11 on the clock, but it was too little, too late.
