MONTREAL – Quarterback Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald rushed for 124 yards and his ninth touchdown in eight games as McGill overpowered Concordia 29-19 before a lively Homecoming crowd of 3,514 en route to capturing the 55th annual Shaughnessy Cup, Friday.
 
The result improved McGill's record to 3-5 and clinched third place in the five-team RSEQ conference. It's McGill's highest finish in five years, since an identical third-place 3-5 record in 2019. The Redbirds swept their season series with Concordia this season for the first time since 2019 and improved to 42-51 in 93 lifetime meetings. The Stingers (2-6) will finish fourth and meet top-seeded Laval in one RSEQ semifinal, while McGill will confront second-place Montreal in the other semi, slated for Nov. 2.
 
It was a busy day that also paid tribute to 19 graduating seniors and celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first intercollegiate rugby-style football game on Canadian soil, between McGill and Harvard on Oct. 23, 1874,

"The pressure was on, we felt it as players and coaches and so did I, in the sense that we had a good opportunity to clinch third place," said Alex Surprenant, in his first year as head coach at McGill. "Not only that, but it was at home in front of a big Homecoming crowd with a lot of alumni in the stands, it was Seniors Night, so that was a big win for the program.
 
"We had a slow start coming off a short four-day week (of preparation) and it was a really big challenge for us. But the guys stayed locked in, they were resilient. And yeah, I'm proud of my team."
 
The lead changed hands four times, with Concordia taking a 9-3 advantage into the second quarter, only to see McGill bounce back with a 17-12 advantage at halftime. The Redbirds eked out a 2-0 margin in the third and outscored ConU 10-7 down the stretch.

Latendresse-Regimbald completed 15 of 29 passing attempts for 198 yards, one touchdown toss (William Langlais) and one interception. But it was his groundwork that continues to impress, with a game-high 16 carries for an average of 7.8 yards per carry.
 
The wiry, 6-foot-4, 197-pound pivot from Montreal directed an offence that racked up 25 first downs and 406 net yards, compared to Concordia's 15 and 361, respectively. His one-yard TD plunge on the last play before halftime put McGill in front 17-12, a lead they never relinquished. It matched his single-season best of nine TDs last year and was one short of the school record for most TDs in a season, racked up by running backs David Fleiszer (1969) and Michael Soles (1988). "ELR" now has rushed for 24 TDs in 24 career games, a school record rushing total that surpassed the previous best of 21 shared by Tom Barbeau (1975-1978) and Nick Hoffmann (1999-2002)

"ELR's" performance has wrapped up the conference rushing title (for the second time in three years) with 781 yards for an average of 97.6 yards per game. He will enter next season only ony shy of Barbeau's all-time school record of 25 total TDs (including receptions and returns), established in 27 regular season games from 1975 to 1978.

"Concordia had a good game plan, trying to minimize his running threat but he still managed pretty good stats in that area," Surprennant said. "That forced him to spread to ball around more to other players and a number of them had a good chance to contribute for one of the first times this season, especially guys like Brandon Ciccarello and Benjamin Bergeron-Spenard, who both had a good day on the ground.
 
"And finally, we had some big points from our special teams (unit). They created a key turnover and we scored off that. Our defence also came up with some big plays. As long as we create a turnover or two in a game, its going to give us a chance to score off that. I know that we will give up some yards there but that's fine as long as we bend but don't break."

Pacing the defensive unit was free safety Ryan McNally, who registered seven solo tackles and two assisted, along with a forced fumble that was recovered by Mathis Pilon for a 42-yard TD rumble. The Redbirds also intercepted two errant passes (Jahnai-Taj Copeland-Lewis and Jake Applebaum).

Rounding out the scoring was place-kicker Mario Delli Fraine, who contributed nine points, including field-goals from distances of 16 and 37 yards.

McGill now owns a 24-30-1 record in 55 Cup appearances (including a 5-0-1 mark against Loyola College). The Stingers are 30-19 in 49 Shaughnessy Cup confrontations. The Cup is named after legendary coach Frank Shaughnessy, a McGill Sports Hall of Fame inductee who introduced the forward pass to football in Canada during a 1921 McGill exhibition game against the NCAA's Syracuse Orangemen at Molson Stadium.

The Redbirds will now turn their focus on preparations for the post season as they will meet second-place Montreal (7-1) on Nov. 2, a game slated to be broadcast on the TVA Sports network.

Two of the three McGill grads who went on to play in the NFL were on hand, with Randy Chevrier and Super Bowl champ Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif – drafted by Jacksonville and Kansas City, respectively – serving as honorary coaches for two youth teams that played a mini-game during the halftime.

"That was a first for me, seeing how big an alumni event this Homecoming Week was,"  said Surprenant. "It was a huge weekend, starting with our Hall of Fame luncheon, where one of our football grads honoured was Randy Chevrier, who gave a great (induction) speech. It was nice to meet him in person for the first time and we had more that 180 former players in the crowd today. That shows that our alumni group is stepping up to support us and its really motivating for our players and coaches."
 
REDBIRDS RAP: McGill has a huge graduating class with 19 seniors expected to earn their academic degrees next spring  including: OL Domenico Piazza (Arts), DL Jonathan Montour (Arts), LS Maxime Bastien (Science), REC William Langlais (Education), DB Jake Applebaum (Arts), LB Cédric Déry (Management), REC Gabriel Gaulin (Education), DL Teddy Charlot (Arts), DL Thomas Di Stefano (Management), LB Alex-Antoine Mayer (Management), DL Mathieu Delisle (Master's, Occupational Therapy), DB Ryan McNally (Arts), DL Nassib Hassouna (Medicine), OL Zachary Aboud (Arts), RB Benjamin Bergeron-Spenard (Education), OL Michael Vlahogiannis (Arts), TE Cedric Vaillancourt (Arts), DB Brendon Francois (Education) and LB Grégoire Couture (Management).

SCORING SUMMARY
 
RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
 
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
McGill University - Athletics & Recreation
CELL: 514-983-7012
TWITTER: @EarlZukerman
E-MAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca