By Naol Denko
Gagner, gagner, gagner!
If you don’t know what that means, time to learn French.
For the sake of the article, “Gagner” is the French translation of the word “Win.”
That’s what the Montreal Carabins have been doing all season long.
They swept their rival, the Laval Rouge et Or, in the regular season and shut them out in their last meetup
Spearheaded by astounding pivot play in Jonathan Senecal who has thrown 14 TDs with 2,064 passing yards and a completion percentage of ~70% under his belt. Senecal isn’t playing around. His playmaking core receivers Hassane Dosso, William Legault, and Carl Chabot have a combined 1,247 receiving yards and 8 TDs, accounting for half of Senecal’s TDs.
Rushing-wise, Senecal, their QB, leads the team with 345 Rush Y/G and 5 TDs. A true dual threat that will have future teams on their tip toes when defending him.
Defensively, Montreal is no joke. They have the fewest PPG allowed in the nation with 11.0 PPG. Within Canada, their rush defence is ranked 2nd with 101.4 Rush Y/G, however, their pass defence is 6th with 193.0 Pass Y/G, but 3rd with 11 interceptions (3 away from the Western Mustangs), so their ball-hawking capabilities are apparent.
It doesn’t end there, the Carabins are 3rd in the nation with Fumble Recoveries (8), continuing to demonstrate the level of playmaking on the defensive side of the field through the air and on the ground.
Who makes this defence so good?
There are several players to name. To start, a standout on the Carabins is lineman Jeremiah Ojo. He has recorded 5.5 SCKs, 3 FFs, and 1 PBU to this date. Nicky Farinaccio who has been all over the field has the 2nd most TKLs (27.5) on the team and made 6 TFLs with 1 FF, INT, and PBU. Lastly, two interceptions each for the following players Harold Miessan (Leads Team in TKLs — 30.5), Mohamed Elshal, and Bruno Lagace.
Now, with all this info, we are all pondering the question of whether Montreal has what it takes to win the Vanier this year.
When was the last time Montreal won the Vanier?
Since they started their first season in 2002, the Carabins won their first-ever Vanier Cup in 2014 and appeared at the Vanier 3 times. They also have won 2 Uteck Bowls, 1 Mitchell Bowl, and 4 Dunsmore Cups. Therefore, they have a decent resume of winning at a vital time in a season.
With that in our head, who are they potentially facing in the Uteck Bowl?
As we already know, the RSEQ champs will be facing off against the OUA champs. A repeat of last year, where the Dunsmore Cup champ, Laval, emerged superior against the Yates Cup winner, Western, in the Mitchell Bowl.
if Montreal makes it to the Uteck Bowl, they will most likely be facing either of these two strong teams in Western or Laurier.
Montreal can make a run for it due to having a phenomenal quarterback with Senecal and stellar defensive play that will bolster their chances of winning a Vanier this year.
After their heartbreaking loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies in the final seconds in 2021, will the Carabins come back stronger and hopefully, pass through the National Semi-Final stage, and end the almost decade-long drought of winning a Vanier?
Let’s wait and see.
For now, the Montreal Carabins will be ending their regular season at home against the Concordia Stingers this week.
Will they finish their season in pristine fashion?