Sam Reynolds

Regular season football rolled into Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night. A boisterous crowd of 5,512 fans sparked the Redmen to an early lead, but special teams and an outstanding game by quarterback Jeremi Doyon-Roch were the difference for Sherbrooke en route to a 39-13 victory for the Vert-et-Or.

McGill came out strong, recovering a Sherbrooke fumble on the opening kickoff and capitalizing with a field goal to take an early 3-0 advantage.  The lead, however, didn’t last long into the second quarter. A series of short swing screen passes, coupled with a persistent running game and a deep threat passing game, overwhelmed the Redmen who were carrying a burdensome 13-game losing streak on their backs into the home opener.

“We need to be better on offence,” Head Coach Sonny Wolfe said. He stressed that to climb up the standings they’ll need to “keep the defence off the field, and concentrate more on discipline.” Seven offside penalties put McGill in an uphill battle in the second half as well.

McGill rookie quarterback Dallon Kuprowski demonstrated sporadic success in mounting a drive of seven plays for 79 yards in the first quarter and a 12-play 70-yard drive in the third. The Redmen, however, only came away with two short field goals off of Austin Anderson’s boot. The inexperience of the young 18-year-old QB getting his second career start was evident when he threw two interceptions in the third. When asked about the young pivot, Wolfe spoke of his quarterback’s confidence and said he “fared very well despite the field position.” Wolfe added, “the more he plays the better he’ll get.”

Sherbrooke won the field position battle on the shoulders of Raphael Gagne and Ismael Malik Bamba, who combined for 149 returning yards. Rookie QB Jeremi Doyon-Roch completed 26 of 37 passes for 362 yards to a receiving corps highlighted by Simon Charbonneau-Campeau, who hauled in eight passes for 131 yards including a pivotal 53-yard reception that spurred the offence in the second half.  

McGill’s defence held strong for much of the first half, generating a sack and forcing a fumble that was returned to the house by Alexander Hutchison III. The feat stunned the defensive lineman himself. “It was all in slow motion,” Hutchison said. “All of a sudden I realized I had to start running, I woke up, and I found the endzone.” It was Hutchison’s first career touchdown, and he got there in blazing speed. He hopes to “one day run a 40 (yard dash) that fast again.”

Next on the schedule are two games in Wolfville, NS to play the Acadia Axemen, and Quebec City to face league-powerhouse Laval. The Redmen are back on Sept. 30th for the Fill The Stadium game against Bishop’s.