Saskatchewan-white battles hard in loss to defending champion, Quebec

 Game Stats | Defensive Stats

Trailing by a single point at halftime, Saskatchewan-white battled hard in a 27-7 loss to three time defending champion Quebec in the second game of the 2014 Football Canada Cup at Griffiths Stadium at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatooon.

Quebec lead 8-7 heading into the half as the opening two quarters served as a feeling out process for both squads.

On their opening possession, Sask elected to fake punt on third down but failed to convert, giving Quebec the ball at the Saskatchewan 44-yard line.

Sask’s defense held strong, tipping a pass on 2^nd down however a penalty on the play gave Quebec a fresh set of downs. Quarterback, Maxime Bouffard capitalized on the opportunity gaining another first down and later ran the ball in on 1^st and goal to  give Quebec a 7-0 lead.

On the following play, Quebec’s kick-off bounced through the end zone to extend the lead 8-0.

On a drive that started on their own 30-yard line, Saskatchewan drove down inside the Quebec 20-yard line. An unnecessary roughness penalty against Quebec on a successful Saskatchewan field goal convert gave Sask a new set of downs. Sask took advantage on a Paul Farbacher rushing touchdown to narrow the lead 8-6. Sask settled for an extra-point following penalties on 2-point convert attempts to make the score 8-7.

Quebec answered on their following possession as Bouffard found receiver François Rocheleau in the end zone to extend the Quebec lead 15-7.

Bouffard connected with Rocheleau again, this time on a 70-yard touchdown pass while a John Molson field goal to increase Quebec’s lead to a final score of 25-7.

Despite the outcome Saskatchewan-white head coach Dan Houle was happy with the process of his team.

“We battled and one thing we talked about is that we are not going to worry about what they did, we are just going to worry about what we do. It got a little chippy but I love the way my guys held their cool and just kept playing.”

“Our defense played unbelievable and holding Quebec, a great team that to that few yards in the first half. I can’t say enough about the way the guys battled, as a unit they all did what they were supposed to do. Now we reload, tonight were happy but tomorrow we’re back to business.”

Team Quebec defensive coordinator Ronald Hillaire was happy with his team’s performance the way his hometown opposition battled.

“First off I’d like to tip my hat to team Sask – they played a heck of a game and battled hard. It’s a credit to Saskatchewan football.”

“We are happy with our game but there is a lot of stuff that we have to fix. It’s a good start for us. We hope to build on what we did today and come out even stronger [in the semi-finals on Wednesday].”