MONTREAL – Thomas Desrosiers scored on a 115-yard kickoff return with 48 seconds remaining to force a stalemate and Bruno Senechal caught the winning TD in a rare overtime session as winless Sherbrooke shellshocked McGill 30-24 in university football at Percival Molson Stadium, Friday.
 
It was the first win of the season for the last-place Vert & Or, which improved to 1-6 and kept their slim playoff hopes alive. McGill, which dropped to 2-4, can still finish anywhere from third to fifth in the five-team RSEQ conference. This was McGill's first overtime result since a 37-30 home loss to Concordia on Oct. 21, 2022.
 
The game, which was billed as the Turkey Bowl to kickoff Thanksgiving weekend, lived up to its name until midway through the fourth quarter. Until that point, it was more like a hockey game, as the teams were deadlocked at 3-3 with less than eight minutes to go in regulation time. Most of the fourth quarter and all of the overtime was played in rainy conditions.
 
The Redbirds appeared to be in control when quarterback Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald scampered 30 yards to give his troops a 10-3 lead at 7:25 of the final quarter. But Sherbrooke rallied to knot the score with 1:57 remaining when back-up quarterback Samuel Goulet-Menard powered across the goal line on a one-yard plunge. The rookie pivot had entered the game late in the second quarter after an injury to starter Jeremy Fyfe and completed 21 of 27 for 193 yards with a pair of TDs.
 
McGill seemingly locked up the win with 65 seconds remaining when "ELR" connected with Darius Simmons for a 34-yard TD toss and a 17-10 advantage. However, the ensuing kickoff return by Desrosiers, all the way up the right sideline, forced overtime. The 115-yard romp broke the Sherbrooke record of 110 and was one shy of the RSEQ conference record of 116 set in 2002 by Concordia's Jean-Michel Paquette against Acadia.
 
In the shootout-style extra session, Sherbrooke took a 24-17 lead when Kevin Morin snared a six-yard TD pass from Goulet-Menard. But ELR replied for McGill, finding Abdala Traore for a six-yard TD toss, his only catch of the game, to force a 24-24 saw-off. That set the stage for the dramatic winning play.
 
It spoiled a stellar effort by Latendresse-Regimbald, who threw for 323 yards, a pair of TDs and no interceptions, completing 18 of 32 attempts. He also rushed for a game-high 120 yards and a major on 12 carries. ELR even had a 51-yard rouge on a quick kick that tied the game at 3-3 with 2:24 remaining in the third quarter. His favourite target was Simmons, who amassed 138 yards on seven receptions and one TD.
 
There were no interceptions in the game and McGill had a statistical advantage in the key offensive categories, including first downs (25-23) and net yards (449-369). But the Redbirds were out-sacked 8-1 and had a costly turnover when ELR lost the ball in overtime that snuffed out a scoring drive.
 
Kicker Antoine Couture rounded out the scoring for the visitors with six points, including a 31-yard field-goal that put U de S ahead 3-0 midway through the first quarter.
 
McGill concluded its scoring with three conversions by kicker Mario Delli Fraine and a safety touch. He was 0-for-1 on field-goal attempts, missing a 41-yarder early in the second quarter.
 
Sherbrooke enters a bye week and will need to upset division-leading Laval (5-0) in the season finale to qualify for playoffs. Before then, Laval will confront Montreal on Saturday (Oct. 12). The Vert & Or, who improved to 21-13 lifetime against McGill, split the season series but now holds the tie-breaker over the Redbirds, outscoring them 56-53 in two head-to-head meetings.
 
McGill (2-4) will play a road game at Laval on Oct. 20 in a televised affair on TVA Sports and then close out the regular season with the Homecoming Game for the Shaughnessy Cup on Oct. 25. That game will also mark the 150th anniversary of the first intercollegiate rugby-style football game played in Canada, when Harvard ventured across the border to play in Montreal; on Oct. 23, 1874.
 
REDBIRDS RAP: Free safety Mathis Pilon paced the McGill defence with a game-high seven total tackles, including five solos… DB Victor Paradis registered 6.5 tackles, five of them solos, and a knockdown…  Inside LB Ilan Barbaras was credited with six total tackles, including three solos, one of which was a QB sack.
 
BOXSCORE
 
RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
 
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca