Box Score SHERBROOKE, Que. – The No.7-ranked Bishop's Gaiters concluded their remarkable 2013 regular season with a 40-21 victory on Saturday against the McGill Redmen in RSEQ University Football action. Quarterback Jordan Heather and receiver Alexander Fox were simply outstanding. They broke a multitude of school, RSEQ and CIS records en route to securing their first home playoff game since 1994.
 
Heather (Oromocto, N.B.), had already re-written the Bishop's record books. He set the CIS single-season passing record with a 93-yard touchdown strike fittingly to Alexander Fox as time ran out on the third quarter. His 3132 yards is the new mark for CIS quarterbacks to strive for and he becomes just the fourth pivot to throw for over 3000 yards. The history major finished the day 26-for-47, 484 yards passing, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.  The 484-yards ranks 10^th all-time in the RSEQ and is his second highest total this year (538 against Laval on Sept. 28).  It also marks the fourth consecutive game he has passed for over 400 yards. His 20 touchdown tosses in 2013 is the most ever in the RSEQ.
 
The Montreal native, Fox, saved his best performance for last. He caught seven passes for 256 yards and four touchdowns.  The latter two stats are Bishop's records for a single game. Fox's second touchdown of the day, a three yard catch, gave him 23 for his career, the most receiving touchdowns ever in the RSEQ. He also reached the 1000-yard plateau, only the 11^th player in Canadian University football to do so, and earned another Gaiters record.
 
Not to be outdone by the two record-breakers, fifth year captain Matt Burke rushed for 132 yards and added 35 more in the receiving column.  He too was playing his last regular season game on Coulter Field.
 
Fellow senior, kicker, Mathieu Paquette (Sherbrooke, Que.) was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts with makes of 20, 22, 28 and 29 yards. He closed out his stellar bounce back season 17-for-23 on field goals including a long of 47, while registering 76 points.
 
McGill jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in the first quarter. Late in the frame, a 22-yard Paquette field goal put the Gaiters on board before the teams switched ends on the cold, rainy Lennoxville afternoon.
 
The rhythm of the game changed quickly as the Gaiters scored 20 unanswered points in the second quarter. After a 20-yard field goal by Paquette, Fox scored his first touchdown of the day, on a 54-yard pass from Heather. He did it again less than five minutes later, this time his record breaking 3-yard touchdown catch. Paquette's third field goal of the half put Bishop's on top 23-8 as the teams headed to their locker rooms.
 
The Gaiters added 17 more points on the scoreboard in the third quarter, with two more majors from Fox (60 yards and 93 yards, respectively) and a 29-yard field goal from Paquette.
 
The Redmen tried to push in the fourth-quarter but it was not enough. They finish the season with a 3-5 record while the Gaiters improved to 6-2, their first six-win season since 1993.
 
In Montreal the No. 2 Laval Rouge et Or (8-0) defeated the No. 6 Montreal Carabins (5-3).  The result means the Gaiters will host an RSEQ semi-final next Saturday, Nov. 2, against the Carabins. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. on Coulter Field.
 
Stay tuned to www.gaiters.ca for more details about the first university playoff game in Lennoxville since 1994.
 
Game notes: The Gaiters out-gained the Redmen 665-503 yards … Bishop's lone turnover came on a failed third down conversion late in the game while McGill was 3-of-5 on third down conversions and threw one interception … Another senior, Steve McCollum (Brampton, Ont.) led the Gaiters defensive charge recording eight tackles and two sacks.
 
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Felix Tremblay
Sports Information Writer