THIS WEEK: The Bishop's Gaiters (1-4) head to Halifax this weekend, as they take on the No. 9-ranked Saint Mary's Huskies (4-1) on Saturday. Kickoff at Huskies Stadium is set for 2 p.m. (3 p.m. local time).
THE RECORDS: The Gaiters are 1-4 after last week's 27-24 loss to Acadia. The Huskies are 4-1 and sit atop Atlantic University Sport. Despite having a bye last week, the Huskies did manage to lose a game, as they were forced for foreit their season-opening win over StFX due to an ineligible player.
NOTHING BUT NET: Saturday's game will be webcast
www.austv.ca, with live stats available at
http://atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/fball/2017-18/boxscores/20171014_yzqr.xml. Score updates will also be available on Twitter, by following @BishopsGaiters.
LAST TIME OUT: A pair of fourth-quarter field goals by Jarett Saumure gave the Acadia University Axemen a 27-24, come-from-behind, victory over the Gaiters at Coulter Field on Oct. 7. He connected on a 10-yarder with 4:51 left to tie the game, and his 21-yarder with 1:55 left put the visitors ahead, capping an Acadia comeback from 24-12 down in the third quarter.
Stephen Casey (Boucherville, Que./Champlain College St-Lambert), making his first start at quarterback for the Gaiters, scored on a 44-yard run, and Louis-Philippe Grégoire added the other touchdown for Bishop's. Vincent Dube kicked three field goals, and a
Kevin Simard (Chicoutimi, Que./Cégep Limoilou) single rounded out the scoring. Gaiters' Casey finished with 301 yards passing, as he went 17-for-31 with an interception as he earned player of the game honours for Bishop's. He was also the Gaiters' leading rusher with seven carries for 72 yards. Walker had three catches for 115 yards, and finished with 224 all-purpose yards.
WHEN LAST WE MET: The Huskies used 23 first-quarter points as they downed the Bishop's Gaiters, 40-21, at Coulter Field on Sept. 9. The Huskies (2-0) scored on four of their first five possessions as they ran out to a 23-0 lead late in the first quarter. The Huskies led 23-7 after the first quarter and 28-7 at halftime. Archelaus Jack had three touchdown catches for the Huskies, while Josh Henry had the Huskies' other major. Brian Hope made all three of his field goal attempts for the Huskies, while a pair of safety touches rounded out their scoring. For the Gaiters,
Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.),
Zachary Benson and
Dashaun Smellie all caught touchdown passes from
Mathieu Demers, who went 20-for-41 and threw for 217 yards and three interceptions.
THE SERIES: The Huskies lead the all-time series 4-2. The first meeting was the 1988 Atlantic Bowl, where AUAA winners Saint Mary's notched a 44-10 win over the OQIFC champion Gaiters at Huskies Stadium in Halifax. This will be the Gaiters' third trip to Coulter Field, with Bishop's taking the last game there, 23-17, on Sept. 26, 2015.
SPEED-WALKER: Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.) leads the AUS with 27 receptions this season, and is third in the conference with 78.4 receiving yards per game. He has averaged 188 all-purpose yards this year, which is also good for third in the conference.
SOCIAL CORNER: Stay up to date with everything Gaiters athletics at the new gaiters.ca or follow on social media using @BishopsGaiters and #GaiterNation.
UP NEXT: The Gaiters close out their home slate against the Mount Allison Mounties on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
