Quarterback Adam Vance completed 20 of 26 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns to help lead the Concordia Stingers to a come-from-behind 33-26 victory over the McGill Redmen in the 50th annual Shaughnessy Cup game at Molson Stadium on Saturday.
For the second consecutive game, Concordia floundered in the early-going. Penalties and turnovers were costly, and the Stingers were down by 13 points with five minutes left in the first half.
Wide receiver Jarryd Taylor, who had five catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns, said he and his Stinger teammates stayed calm.
“For some reason I always knew we would win,” he said on the field after the presentation of the trophy. “We trust our game. Football is a quick game and when mistakes happen, you have to put them out of your mind and stay focused. You have to go back out there and do your job.”
Concordia returner Quaysie Gordon-Maule helped dig the team out of the hole in the second quarter. The Stingers were down 16-3 when he took a kickoff back 107 yards for a touchdown. He returned four kickoffs for 145 yards on the day.
The 107-yard return gives Gordon-Maule sixth place in the conference record book in the longest kickoff return category. With 145 yards, he has the seventh spot for most kickoff return yards in a game.
The Stingers trailed the Redmen 26-19 after three quarters, but Vance orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback. He threw two TD strikes in the final quarter hitting Taylor and Sam Nadon to deliver a key victory and improve Concordia’s win-loss record to 2-1.
Vance currently leads the RSEQ in passing with 54 completions on 84 attempts (64.3 per cent) for 1002 yards and four touchdowns in three games.The second-year pivot from Visalia, Calif. orchestrated an offence that rolled up 23 first downs and 435 yards.
Meanwhile the Stingers’ defence held the Redmen to 11 first downs and 206 offensive yards.
Fourth-year defensive tackle Michael Sanelli wreaked havoc on McGill’s offence. He had two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three batted balls. Add in a tackle for a loss, and all three of his solos tackles were behind the line of scrimmage.
Sanelli currently leads the RSEQ in sacks with four in three games.
The Stingers have won the Shaughnessy Cup for five consecutive years. McGill’s last win was in 2013 when the Redmen prevailed 32-19. The inaugural game took place in 1969. Concordia and its predecessor, Loyola College, have a 27-22-1 win-loss-tie record in the series.
The Stingers return to Concordia Stadium next Saturday when they will host the Montréal Carabins at 1 p.m. It’s the team’s annual Homecoming game.
