Momo, voted player of the game for the Cougars, cut up the CNDF defense with 268 yards and four touchdowns.
The third-year running back scored his fourth touchdown, midway through the fourth quarter. A stunning touchdown, which made the score 45-38 for Champlain, and which launched the Cougars forward for good.
“Jerry came to see us before the match. And he told us that he “felt it”. He was in good shape today! He has confidence in himself, and with good reason. I’ve been managing him for three years and when he’s in his zone, he’s there. He had a different speed today; as soon as he could hit open ground, he was off. He’s a different caliber of player,” said Cougars head coach Jean-François Joncas.
“I asked the coaches how many touchdowns they wanted. They said five, I said six, finally it’s four. Coach Joncas is the type of coach that pushes us to always want to do more. It’s really incredible to finally be able to win, after difficult defeats in recent years. We really wanted to. We expected a whole battle against CNDF, and that’s what happened,” said the man who ends his time in college football on a glorious note.
Jerry Momo scored four rushing touchdowns, including two in the first quarter. (Sébastien Lajoie/La Tribune)
We were told about a very possible close match, at the dawn of a duel between the teams who finished first and second in the standings at the end of the regular season.
But quite the opposite happened.
In their first two offensive sequences, the Cougars scored the touchdown, each time, by Jerry Momo.
The Cougars win a first Bol d’Or since 2019. (Sébastien Lajoie/La Tribune)
Marc-André Dion’s CNDF was certainly not going to let this happen; undefeated in the season, the Quebecers responded with vigor; quarterback Thomas Leroux (16 for 29 for 317 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions) scored the middle finger on a run, before joining Olivier Michaud (six catches, 131 yards and a touchdown) for the touchdown , a few minutes later.
Already, at 14-14, after a little over 16 minutes of play, we knew that the fireworks were not over.
The two defensive units weren’t really able to slow down the attacks on either side.
Result, at 21-21 after 30 minutes of play, everything remained to be done for the end of the match.
CNDF quarterback Thomas Leroux threw four touchdown passes. (Sébastien Lajoie/La Tribune)
After a captivating exchange of touchdowns in the third quarter, including a 75-yard run by Jerry Momo, the sky fell on the heads of the CNDF in the fourth quarter.
They were victims of three successive turnovers – two balls dropped by Leroux, one following a blitz, the other after a bad throw, in addition to a snatched ball – and each time, the Cougars punished the CNDF .
With a production of 24 points in the last quarter, the Champlain College Cougars secured their first Bol d’Or title since 2019.
Mines basses
The mines were low, on the side of the CNDF, which was aiming for a first Bol d’Or title.
“The turnovers hurt. They hurt everyone. It’s a team defeat. I didn’t expect a match as open as that. We defended poorly against the run, I’m not teaching anyone anything,” said Marc-André Dion, still in shock after the match.
“We were ready, we were motivated, we were hungry, it was a championship game. We failed to win this championship and it’s a real shame, because we had something good. I feel like we could have done some things better, me first and foremost. The adjustments were not adequate. We had a hard time against their muscular training. However, we knew. The fit wasn’t good, and I created it.”
A fourth Bol d’Or for Joncas
Head coach Jean-François Joncas is enjoying a fourth Bol d’Or at the helm of the Cougars.
The explosive pace of the match also surprised him. Especially since three of the last four matches between the two teams ended with a difference of seven points or less, during rather defensive duels.
“It wasn’t easy on the heart, especially in the fourth quarter. Both coaching staffs are good, we had time to study each other and both attacks found holes in the opposing defenses.”
The latter congratulated the work of his players on defense, especially in the fourth quarter.
“These weren’t situations called by the coaches, but plays made by our players. We forced four, and our guys made the plays. We made the CNDF pay for its mistakes. This is one of the craziest matches I’ve seen! Seeing probably the two best defenses in our league get crossed like this, we didn’t expect that! We expected a 23-21, for example. The guys responded well.”
“It’s fun to be back at the top. The guys put in the effort, in the gym, on the field, at school. The Bol d’Or is the pinnacle for them. We experienced a lot of adversity this season. We were ready to experience this type of match in which you have to score several times, and quickly. I felt our young guys were solid in the game,” said Joncas, about, among others, his first-year quarterback, Justin Royer (11 in 19, 191 yards and a touchdown pass).
This is a 15th Bol d’Or title for the Cougars.
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