MONTREAL -- When Bishop's and McGill meet to open the 2015 RSEQ university football season at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday (Sept. 4) at 7 p.m., it will feature two of the oldest football clubs in the world, in a crucial confrontation which will no doubt put the winning team in the driver's seat for playoff contention.

A pre-game tailgate party starts in the east endzone at 6 p.m., with a BBQ, refreshments and a corn hole. Admission to the game is $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, while children 12-and-under get in for free. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Redbird Sports Shop located in the McGill Sports Centre, 475 Pine Avenue West (514-398-1539). Something new for fans this season will be a McGill post-game reception for alumni, fans, family and friends after every home football game this season at Ye Olde Orchard Pub, 20 Prince Arthur Street West.

All the experts have Laval and the defending Vanier Cup champion Montreal Carabins fighting it out for the top two spots in the six-team RSEQ conference, which has produced the CIS national champion in each of the last three years and in eight of the last 12 seasons. That leaves McGill, Bishop's Sherbrooke and Concordia all fighting it out for the final two playoff spots.

Since the Redmen and Gaiters will meet twice this season, a series sweep for either team would give the winner the upper hand, while the losing squad in a sweep would see their post-season hopes disappear.

Bishop's, which first played football in 1873, has won three straight head-to-head meetings with McGill, which began their long-standing football history in 1872. The Gaiters lead the all-time series between the two rivals 45-39-1 dating all the way back to their first rendez-vous in 1885.

Recently-appointed head coach and defensive coordinator Ronald Hilaire has had a fruitful recruiting year with 35 freshmen in camp. His opening-day roster will feature 40 returnees including six seniors, 18 juniors and 16 sophomores.

Expected to start at quarterback for the Redmen is sophomore Joel Houle, a six-foot, 228-pound sophomore from Chateauguay, Que., who became a starter in his freshman year. Waiting in the wings will be freshman Nicolas English, who looked the better of the two in last week's preseason loss to Toronto. The six-foot, 200-pound product of Collège de Saint-Jean threw for a whopping 17 TDs and only four interceptions last year.

Leading the rushing attack will be 2013 conference all-star Luis Guimont-Mota, a shifty, 5-foot-8, 191-pound senior from Quebec City, who played in the 2015 CIS East-West Bowl and is expected to have a bounce-back year after only suiting up for three games last season after leading the conference in rushing during his freshman campaign.

Among the receiving corps, seniors Louis Brouillette of Sherbrooke, Que., and Yannick Langelier-Vanasse from Lachine, Que., will lead the way.

Brouillette led all McGill pass-catchers last year and was one of five Redmen picked to played in the East-West Bowl last June. Langelier-Vanasse possess explosive speed and also poses a double-threat as return specialist, leading the Redmen in all-purpose yards last season with an average of 72.4 per outing.

A young defensive unit will be anchored by sophomore Karl Forgues, who was recently named by InstantScouting.com as a preseason all-Canadian after meriting the RSEQ conference's defensive rookie-of-the-year honours in 2014. He led the league with 74.5 tackles in eight games last year, including eight QB sacks. Forgues added an interception, three knockdowns and a pair of forced fumbles.

For those unable to attend the Bishop's-McGill game in person, it is also scheduled to be webcast live at McGill's new Stretch Internet portal on the McGill Athletics website, with play-by-play from Moe Kahn of TSN 690 and colour commentary provided by Brent Bodkin. Live stats will also be available at the RSEQ website or the CIS website

A composite calendar for all McGill varsity sports can be found here.

Link to TVA Sports televised football schedule
Link to 2015 RSEQ season calendar, stats & broadcasting schedule
Link to 2014 McGill Football Stats
Link to McGill football live stats
Link to McGill football webcasts
Link to McGill football roster
Links to McGill single-game ticket info  and season tickets.

2015 McGill Football Schedule
 
Fri., Aug. 21        *Lost 3-36 vs Toronto (EXHIBITION)
Fri., Sept. 4        vs Bishop's, 7 p.m. (RSEQ LEAGUE OPENER)
Fri., Sept. 11        at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 19      at Concordia, 2 p.m. (SHRINE BOWL)
Sat., Sept. 26     vs Acadia, 1 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 3         at Bishop's, 3 p.m. (TVA)
Sat., Oct. 17       at Sherbrooke, 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 24       vs. Concordia, 2 p.m. (HOMECOMING & SHAUGHNESSY CUP; TVA)
Sat., Oct. 31       vs Laval, 1 p.m. (TRIBUTE TO GRADUATING SENIORS)
Sat., Nov. 7          vs. TBC, 2 p.m. (RSEQ SEMIFINAL; TVA)
Sat., Nov. 14        vs. TBC, 2 p.m. (RSEQ DUNSMORE CUP; TVA)
Sat., Nov. 21        at OUA Champion, 1 p.m. (CIS MITCHELL BOWL)
Sat., Nov. 28        vs. TBC, 1 p.m. (CIS VANIER CUP @ Laval)

HOME GAMES IN BOLD
 
 
SOURCE

Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
MOBILE SITE: http://mcgillathletics.ca/mobile/index.aspx
WEBSITE: www.mcgillathletics.ca
TWITTER: @EarlZukerman
E-MAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
 
McGILL VARSITY COMPOSITE CALENDAR:
www.mcgillathletics.ca/calendar.aspx