Quebecer Cyrille Hogan-Saindon may be his harshest critic. The Rouge et Noir offensive player was therefore not entirely satisfied with his game last Saturday in Ottawa after his team’s 32:15 defeat against the Alouettes. However, the former color bearer of the Rouge et Or of the University of Laval will have the chance to redeem himself on Monday at the Percival Molson Stadium.

“In my first year as a starter in the Canadian League, I’m doing a relatively good job, but I still make mistakes that I need to correct,” he noted. I have to keep my feet more active and position myself better in front of the opposing players. I’m in good physical condition, but my technical level with my feet still needs to be improved.

As a center player at Rouge et Noir, Hogan-Saindon has shown hard work and perseverance to get to where he is today. His journey is not an everyday one: A former ice hockey player, he switched to football late in life, during his final year of high school at the Petit Séminaire de Québec.

During his career he was limited to a substitute role at Rouge et Or for three years before becoming a star player on the university scene. So much so that he was selected early in the second round, 11th overall, by the Ottawa club in the 2022 CFL Draft.

“The boys from Laval University, we have this competitive spirit,” said Hogan-Saindon, remembering his time at Rouge et Or very well. “We are here to be the best.” We learned to work and respecting all details. It is a legacy that we will always preserve in football, but also as a way of life.”

A 100th sack for Lemon?

In Ottawa, Rouge et Noir relies on several other Laval University alumni, including Adam Auclair and Marco Dubois. They are among those who want to do particularly well in Montreal on Monday, even if the Ottawa team’s season is already shaky with a record of 4:11.

“The Alouettes came with a good plan to put our quarterback under pressure from the outside,” analyzed Hogan-Saindon, looking back on last Saturday’s game. It forced the quarterback to make quicker reads and we had trouble adjusting, especially in the first half.”

Next Monday, the brave 26-year-old will try to move his feet better in front of the Alouettes’ defensive front, where Almondo Sewell and Mustafa Johnson are usually in front of him. Also there will be Shawn Lemon, who is looking for his 100th career sack in the CFL in this game.