LAVAL, Que. — Pascal Lochard scored on a one-yard run with 2:05 remaining to help the top-ranked Laval Rouge et Or secure a 16-9 win over the Montreal Carabins in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football action Sunday.
Lochard’s decisive run in the defensive battle was set up when Maximilien Ducap-Kamara intercepted a Gabriel Cousineau pass and returned it to the one-yard line.
After an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt left Montreal just seven points back, Laval stopped the next Carabins drive when Cousineau was sacked and fumbled the football, which the Rouge-et-Or recovered.
Defence provided the bulk of the early offence in the game. Montreal opened a two-point lead with a first quarter safety. Laval made it 4-2 with two consecutive safeties in the second quarter.
Special teams came up big for Montreal on the game’s first touchdown, as Antoine Pruneau returned a punt 119 yards to give the Carabins a 9-4 lead heading into halftime.
Laval went up 10-9 at 3:16 of the third quarter when Felix Faubert-Lussier hauled in a nine-yard touchdown pass from Tristan Grenon. The Rouge-et-Or failed on a two-point conversion attempt.
Grenon went 14-for-25 for 147 yards and a touchdown. Guillaume Bourassa rushed for 107 yards.
Cousineau was 19-of-38 for 213 yards with one interception. Mikhail Davidson had 99 receiving yards.
Laval (4-0) plays Bishop’s next week, while Montreal (3-1) faces Sherbrooke.