Quarterback Liam Mahoney threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns to lead the No. 9-ranked Concordia Stingers to a 41-20 victory over the Sherbrooke Vert et Or in the Quebec University Football League semifinals at Concordia stadium in Montreal on Saturday.
The Stingers will travel to Ste. Foy, Que. to meet the No. 1-ranked Laval Rouge et Or in the Dunsmore Cup championship next Sunday at 12:30 p.m. It’s the third straight year Concordia and Laval will meet in the Quebec conference final. The Rouge et Or defeated the Montreal Carabins 32-7 in the other Quebec university semifinal game.
Mahoney, the 2007 CIS Rookie of the Year, completed 17 of 24 passes. His favorite target was fifth-year slotback Blake Bulter who caught four passes for 74 yards and a TD.
The Stingers rolled up a 24-4 halftime lead as Mahoney hit Cory Watson on a 49-yard TD pass and then found Tony Testa on a two-yard play, while fullback Colin Bennett ran in a major from one yard out. Kicker René Paredes connected on an 11-yard field goal.
The only Sherbrooke points of the half came when William Dion hit a 44-yard field goal on the last play of the second quarter.
Concordia all-star safety Nicholas-Arsenault-Hum opened the scoring in the third quarter when he took an interception back 58 yards for a major. It was Arsenault-Hum’s second interception of the game.
Bulter picked up his touchdown, followed by another Paredes field goal (23 yards) and the Stingers had a 41-4 lead after 45 minutes.
Sherbrooke scored 17 unanswered points in the final quarter. Dion connected on a 40-yard field goal. Charles Croisetiere and Jonathan Masse-Simard caught touchdown passes of 15 and 24 yards, respectively, from quarterback Charles Saint-Martin.
Overall, Mahoney’s Stingers rolled up 23 first downs and 399 yards. Sherbrooke had 21 first downs and 402 yards. The biggest difference was turnovers. The Vert et Or turned over the ball six times, while Concordia had just one.
