Carabins host Gaiters Friday night
Montreal – The Montreal Carabins’ home opener is on Friday night. For the second consecutive season, the Carabins home opener will be against the Bishop’s Gaiters.
The Carabins are eager to play at home in front of the fans.
“I think it’s exciting not only for us but also for our fans,” said sophomore running back Sean Thomas Erlington. “It’s nice to be surrounded by loved ones and supporters. ”
Last year besides winning their opening match against Bishop’s, the Carabins ended the Gaiters surprising run in the provincial semi-final at Coulter Field with a 51-8 victory.
The Gaiters are a different team from the one that finished second in the RSEQ standings last year with a 6-2 record. Since then, more than two dozen veterans have completed their university studies. Among them include CIS MVP quarterback Jordan Heather and star receiver Alexander Fox.
“We know we will face a younger team,” said Carabins defensive lineman Jean-Samuel Blanc. “There will be several new players on the field and that is why we need good preparation to be ready for anything. ”
The Gaiters have encountered past difficulties at CEPSUM, having won only two games in nine visits. Their last victory on the slopes of Mount Royal dates back to September 22, 2007. Last weekend, they suffered a loss at the hands of the Concordia Stingers, 25-15.
Go beyond defeat
The Blues have not forgotten their 40-13 loss last week against the Laval Rouge et Or. However, the team has learned their lessons and must move forward quickly to bounce back.
“We had a pretty tough week and it’s good to go home, said Danny Maciocia. “From here, we hope to return to our winning ways.”
“Since the beginning of the week, we made the adjustments we felt we needed. The season is long and we will continue to improve ourselves week after week.”
(With files from Mathieu Dauphinais)
SHERBROOKE – The Bishop’s Gaiters will have their hands full on Friday, September 12 as they travel to Montreal to face the No. 5 Carabins at 7 p.m. in RSEQ University football action.
Bishop’s (0-1) is coming off a season opening 25-15 loss at Concordia (1-0), a game that saw them turn the ball over nine times.
“We have to clean-up our mistakes,” said Gaiters head coach Kevin Mackey. “We are better than how we played last Saturday. Montreal is a good football team we will need to play a smart, disciplined game.”
Montreal (0-1) is coming off a 40-13 loss at the hands of the two-time defending Vanier Cup champions, Laval (1-0) in Quebec City last Saturday night. They open their season in front of their home town CEPSUM crowd on Friday, a place the Gaiters haven’t seen success since 2007.
Gaiters pivot Shane McDonald (Uxbridge, Ont.) moved the ball well against the Stingers, throwing for 319 yards on a 24-for-42 performance but did not find the end zone as was picked off three times. Running back Ronlee King-Fileen (Toronto) had a breakout game to start the year; he rushed 18 times for 119 yards.
Gabriel Cousineau (Montreal), the Carabins quarterback did not fare much better. He was 24-for-36 with one interception and no touchdowns in the provincial capital on Saturday. The Carabins were able to muster just 247 yards of total offense to the Rouge et Or’s 495 yards.
The Gaiters-Carabins match-up is set to be broadcast live on CISM 89.3 FM in Montreal (http://cism893.ca/) by the Carabins. Follow along on twitter (@BishopsGaiters) and stay tuned to www.gaiters.ca for all the information and details about the game.
Friday’s contest will mark the second straight year that the Gaiters and Carabins meet in the second week of the season in Montreal. Last year both teams were 1-0 and the Carabins rolled to a 44-18 win. This year both teams in search of their first victory Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday at CEPSUM.
(Source: Marty Rourke, Bishop’s Gaiters Sports Information)
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