2011 CIS Football Team Preview: Laval Rouge et Or

Source: Stéphane Jobin, Laval info sport

2010 Regular season record: 9-0
2010 Regular season standing: 1st  
2010 Playoffs record (RSEQ): 4-0
Final result in the 2010 Playoffs: Vanier Cup Champions

The confetti has been swept and the excitement is now a thing of the past around the PEPS following last year’s 29-2 Vanier Cup triumph for the Rouge et Or over the Calgary Dinos on November 27. This year, Glen Constantin’s squad will attempt to successfully defend its national title for the first time since 2003-2004.

The Rouge et Or produced the best offence and the stingiest defence in the nation in 2010 allowing just 58 points in nine regular season games including a pair of shutouts over Bishop’s and McGill. On the offensive side of the ball, the Quebec City quad racked up 411 points during the campaign.

Despite last year’s success, Constantin is cautious as the new season is about to begin. Seven players have graduated and will not return, which will be a hit for his team. “Change is unavoidable any given year, but progress is optional. We are not last year’s team and our achievements are a thing of the past. No opponents will be on bended knee before us due to past results so it is our attitude between November and now that will determine if we are a championship team”, said the man who enters his 11th season as coach at Laval.

The Rouge et Or will most certainly suffer from the departure of kicker Christopher Milo, drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. “It’s hard to replace a guy like that”, says Constantin. The kicker holds RSEQ conference records for field goals in a season (25, also a CIS record), career field goals (69), career conversions (155) and career points (385).

Laval will appreciate the return of Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (Montreal, Que.), the most valuable linesman in Canada during the 2010 season. However the defence is hit by the departures of Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier and Philippe Lemire. The Rouge et Or can count on the arrival of highly-touted rookie Samuel Hébert (Lévis, Que.) to fill in. The Lévis-Lauzon athlete was elected 2010 Defensive MVP in the second division of RSEQ college football.

The offence is also undergoing transformation with the graduation of Keven Fiset and Hugues Breton. Laval welcomes several impact rookies such as Karl Lavoie (Quebec, Que.), the 2010 RSEQ division 1 college football most valuable player and two-time division 1 college all-star CB Thomas Girard (Quebec, Que.).

Despite the heavy duty changes, there will be stability at the QB position with the return of both Bruno Prud’homme (Quebec, Que.) and Tristan Grenon (Quebec, Que.).

Laval is looking to keep hold of the Dunsmore Cup for a ninth straight year. The RSEQ university football final is set for November 12. The regular season kicks off on September 3, when the Rouge et Or travels to Montreal to face the Concordia Stingers, a game that will be broadcast on Radio-Canada.

Head coach Glen Constantin’s record:
Team head coach (including 2011): 11
CIS head coach (including 2011): 11t
Career regular season record with team: 67-14
Career CIS regular season record: 67-14
Overall career record with team (regular season + playoffs): 93-21
Overall CIS career record (regular season + playoffs): 93-21

OFFENCE

Offensive coordinator: Duane John

Returning impact players: QB Bruno Prud’homme (Quebec, Que.), RB Sébastien Lévesque (Laval, Que.), WR Julian Feoli-Gudiño (San Jose, Costa Rica), WR Guillaume Rioux (Paris, France) and C Pierre Lavertu (Quebec, Que.).

Impact rookies or transfers: RB Maxime Boutin (Quebec, Que.), OL Karl Lavoie (Quebec, Que.), OL Danny Groulx (Sherbrooke, Que.) and WR Matthew Norzil (Montreal, Que.).

Impact departures: WR Mathieu Picard, T Keven Fiset, G Hugues Breton and K Christopher Milo.

DEFENCE

Defensive coordinator: Marc Fortier

Returning impact players:  DL Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (Montreal, Que), DL Jean-Alexandre Bernier (Pierrefonds, Que.), LB Frédérick Plesius (Laval, Que.), S Jonathan Laliberté (Varennes, Que.), CB Dominique Noël (Sorel-Tracy, Que).

Impact rookies or transfers: CB Thomas Girard (Quebec, Que), DL Samuel Hébert (Levis, Que.) and LB Mathieu Masseau (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.).

Impact departures: DL Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier, DB Maxime Bérubé, CB Olivier Turcotte-Létourneau and LB Jean-Philippe Dumas.