The McGill Redmen football team dropped their 2012 opener on Sunday 33-15 against No.2-ranked, and perennial RSEQ powerhouse, the Laval Rouge et Or. Head Coach Clint Uttley wasn’t too happy with the result. “We did not play well, we did not execute in the red-zone, [and] we had 10 penalties which is too much,” he said. McGill led throughout the entire first quarter, finishing it at 9-7, thanks to three field goals by freshman kicker Boris Bede, who eventually ended up 5-5 on field goal attempts in the game. Following the first quarter however, Laval took back control, exposing the middle of the Redmen defence and compiling 182 rushing yards on the day.  Freshman wide receiver Shaquille Johnson impressed, leading McGill with 85 all-purpose yards, which included six receptions for 57 yards. Junior linebacker Alexandre Bernard was a standout on the defensive side, tallying nine tackles in the loss. The Redmen return to Molson Stadium on Sept. 7 for their home opener against Sherbrooke.

— Steven Lampert