Box Score MONTREAL - It was far from deja-vu as the No. 8-ranked Bishop's Gaiters topped the Concordia Stingers 44-36 for their fifth win of the season against just two losses in RSEQ University Football on Saturday, Oct. 19.  The game was not decided until another crazy play went the way of the purple and silver late in the fourth quarter in Montreal.
 
Adrian Clarke (Mississauga, Ont.) tipped a pass thrown Concordia's pivot Reid Quest (Regina), and Jeff Rogers (Halifax) picked it off with 1:17 remaining. As Rogers started running towards the Concordia end zone he fumbled right into the arms of Ryan Hector (Brampton, Ont.) who scampered for the remaining 80 yards for the Gaiters major and a 44-29 advantage.
 
The Gaiters defense once again lived by the motto 'bend but don't break'.  In the end they allowed 532 yards of total offence, but were able to make the big play when it mattered. 
 
On the opposite side of the ball, Bishop's quarterback Jordan Heather (Oromocto, N.B.) raised his stock as an all-Canadian candidate.  He was 29-for-47 with three touchdowns and three interceptions.  He threw for 465 yards. That total gives him 2648 yards on the year and sets a new mark for a single season as a Bishop's Gaiter with one game remaining.  He broke his own record from 2011 when he played nine games.
 
Alexander Fox (Montreal) was on the receiving end of two of Heather's touchdown throws, giving him 21 for his career, one shy of the RSEQ all-time mark.  It was also his eighth of the year, a school record. He caught seven balls for 162 yards, giving him 753 for the year, 34 yards shy of Nigel McGillivery's school record set in 1995.
 
Concordia opened the scoring with a field goal before Heather and Fox connected for a major via a 40-yard catch and run. Stephen Adekolu (Brampton) got into the mix catching his sixth touchdown pass of the year, a 32-yard strike from Heather. Concordia scored their first touchdown of the day before the first frame came to a close. They added the only touchdown of the second quarter as Bishop's was able to muster just two single points off missed field goals.
 
The Gaiters who were up 29-0 at halftime during these two teams' first meeting in September found themselves trailing 17-16 at the break on Saturday. 
 
The Stingers extended their lead to 20-16 just over six minutes into the third frame.  Heather connected with Fox for a 60-yard score five and a half minutes later swaying the momentum back in Bishop's favour. Quest looked to grab it back when he found Jamal Henry (St. Constant, Que.) on a 14-yard pass to give Concordia a 27-23 lead as the teams switched ends for the final time.
 
The game's turning point came 3:19 into the fourth quarter when Gaiters captain Ryland Smith (Brampton) blocked a Concordia punt and O'Shane Daley (Scarborough, Ont.) returned it 15 yards for a touchdown giving the visitors a 30-27 lead, an advantage they would not surrender. After conceding a safety, Bishop's drove down the field one more time and running back Matt Burke (Timberlea, N.S.) punched in 3-yard touchdown that gave the Gaiters a 37-29 lead. Concordia marched the ball right back down the field and just 30 seconds later Clark, Rogers and Hector made their magic happen.
 
Concordia added a late touchdown and attempted an on-side kick, however the 6-foot-4 receiver Adekolu was able to recover and the Gaiters took a pair of knees to run out the clock and secure the 44-36 victory.
 
"What a crazy game," said Gaiters head coach Kevin Mackey. "Our defense made a big play when we needed them too and again we found a way to win."
 
The victory ensures that Bishop's will finish no lower than third in the 2013 RSEQ standings. The opportunity to host a playoff game at Coulter Field is still a possibility if the right scenarios happen in Week 8 on Saturday, Oct. 26. Bishop's (5-2) must win when they host McGill (3-4) at 1 p.m. and they need the No.2-ranked Laval Rouge et Or (6-0) to beat the No.6-ranked Montreal Carabins (5-2).  That game takes place in Montreal also at 1 p.m.
 
Follow the Gaiters, all their playoff implications and their drive into and throughout 2013 post season at www.gaiters.ca.   
 
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