Second-year receiver Justin Julien caught seven passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Concordia Stingers to a 50-34 victory over the Bishop’s Gaiters in the 30th annual Shrine Bowl game in Montreal on Saturday afternoon.
After the teams traded punches in a first half that ended with Bishop’s out front 16-15, Julien helped the Stingers break away. He hauled in an 81-yard TD pass from quarterback Trenton Miller to give the Stingers a 22-16 advantage, and they never trailed the Gaiters again.
Julien’s second touchdown came early in the fourth quarter, this one on a 40-strike from Miller. It gave Concordia a comfortable 50-19 lead with 12:26 left to play.
The 20-year-old native of LaSalle, Que., was named the Concordia offensive MVP in the Shrine Bowl.
Miller also had a solid outing. He completed 27 of 39 passes for 451 yards and four touchdowns. He controlled an offence that rolled up 31 first downs and 534 yards. He also scored a touchdown on a nine-yard run late in the third quarter.
Running back Jean-Guy Rimpel had a good day with 129 all-purpose yards and two majors. He rushed for 60 yards and a TD. He also caught three passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.
The final big score of the day came from receiver Yanic Lessard who caught a 27-yard TD pass from Miller late in the third quarter. He caught seven passes for 95 yards and the touchdown.
On defence, linebacker Lloyd Bureau was the MVP. He had nine solo tackles and five assists for a total of 11.5 on the day. He also had a batted ball.
Defensive tackle Sam Narkaj was selected by the Montreal Alouettes alumni as the winner of the Ted Elsby Trophy as the outstanding defensive lineman in the game. He had two sacks for a total loss of 12 yards.
For the Gaiters, linebacker Etienne Morin was with defensive MVP with five solo tackles and four assists.
Running back/receiver Trey Millings was the offensive MVP with two catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball seven times for 60 yards.
Mathieu Breton was presented with an Elsby Trophy as well. He had three solo tackles, two assists and a fumble recovery.
Heading into the Quebec conference’s bye week, the Stingers have a 3-2 win-loss record and are in third place. The Gaiters fall to 1-4 and sit in sixth place.
