THIS WEEK: The Bishop's Gaiters (1-6) close out the 2017 season as they visit the St. Francis Xavier X-Men (3-4) on Saturday in the latest renewal of the Bigg Bowl series. Kickoff at Oland Stadium in Antigonish, N.S. is set for 2 p.m. (3 p.m. local time).
THE RECORDS: The Gaiters are 1-6 after last week's loss at home to Mount Allison. The X-Men are 3-4 on the year, and are coming off a bye last week. StFX has lost their last three games in a row, dating back to Sept. 23.
NOTHING BUT NET: Saturday's game will be webcast at
www.austv.ca, with live stats at
http://atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/fball/2017-18/boxscores/20171028_tdwq.xml. Score updates will also be available on Twitter, by following @BishopsGaiters.
LAST TIME OUT: The Mount Allison Mounties used a 15-point second quarter to come from behind and keep their playoff hopes alive with a 42-19 win over the Gaiters on Oct. 21 in Lennoxville. Mount Allison overcame an early 9-0 Bishop's lead to take a 22-16 lead into halftime. After the teams traded field goals in the third quarter, the Mounties used a pair of late touchdowns to put the game out of reach.
Bishop's starter Stepehn Casey was 3-for-6 for 25 yards before leaving in the first quarter. Connor McKee went 9-for-13 for 175 yards and a touchdown before he was forced to leave the game in the third quarter.
Liam Kennedy (Nepean, Ont./) finished the game, going 6-for-13 for 53 yards.
Louis-Philippe Gregoire was the Gaiters' leading rusher, with 13 carries for 80 yards.
Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.) led the Gaiters receivers with five catches for 77 yards and also racked up a game-high 226 all-purpose yards. Defensively, Nicolas Cartagenise led Bishop's with 10.5 tackles and an interception.
WHEN LAST WE MET: The Bishop's Gaiters scored a pair of late touchdowns, but could not complete a second straight miracle comeback, as they dropped a 37-27 decision to the St. Francis Xavier X-Men on Sept. 23. Kaion Julien-Grant scored three touchdowns for the X-Men and finished with 312 all-purpose yards. The Gaiters trailed 23-1 at halftime, and 30-12 after the third quarter, but mounted a charge near the end, on touchdowns by
Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.) and Alex Bouffard. For the Gaiters,
Mathieu Demers (Quebec City, Que./Cégep LImoilou) finished with 206 yards as he went 29-for-43 passing. He also carried six times for 18 yards and a touchdown.
Stephen Casey (Boucherville, Que./Champlain College St-Lambert)'s first AUS action was successful, as he went 4-for-8 for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
Keith Normandin had a nice day in the Bishop's backfield, finishing with 69 yards on eight carries. Walker had 10 catches for 76 yards, including a touchdown.
THE SERIES: The X-Men lead the all-time series 3-1. The first meeting was in 2002 at Coulter Field, when the X-Men downed Bishop's 22-7. The next two matchups took place in Nova Scotia, a 50-17 StFX win in 2004, and the 33-12 Gaiter victory in 2009.
BIGG BOWL: This matchup is the latest instalment of the Bigg Bowl, and the first since 2009. The Bigg Bowl was donated in 2002 by the family of H. R. Bigg and is awarded after competition between the StFX X-Men and Bishop's Gaiters in university football competition. With the Gaiters' move to the AUS, one of the annual matchups between the team is designated as the Bigg Bowl game. Bishop's are the current holders of the trophy, after a 33-12 win in Antigonish in 2009.
FIVE ALIVE: The Gaiters have used five quarterbacks this year, the highest they've used in a season this century, including three in last week's game alone. So far this year,
Dylan Tucker (Campbell River, B.C./Timberline S.S.),
Mathieu Demers (Quebec City, Que./Cégep LImoilou),
Stephen Casey (Boucherville, Que./Champlain College St-Lambert),
Liam Kennedy (Nepean, Ont./) and Connor McKee have all lined up behind centre. Altogether, eight Gaiters have thrown at least one pass this year, which is also a high for this century.
DUBÉ 10K: With his last punt on Saturday, Gaiter kicker Vincent Dubé passed the 10,000-yard mark for career punting yards. In his four-year career, he has punted 269 times for 10,016 yards, an average of 37.2 yards per kick. This year, he has hoofed six kicks over 50 yards, including a season high of 64 yards. Stretched end-to-end, Dubé's punts cover the distance from Coulter Field to the Johnville Bog. Dubé is also the Gaiters' leading scorer this year, with 41 points on eight field goals, 14 conversions and three singles.
SPEED-WALKER: Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.) is tied for first in the AUS with 39 receptions this season, and is fourth in the conference with 75.6 receiving yards per game. His 1311 all-purpose yards is leading the league, and is highest for the Gaiters since receiver Alexander Fox put up 1269 in 2011. Walker needs 222 all-purpose yards on Saturday to equal Jamall Lee's team single-season record of 1533, set in 2007.
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: Saturday's game will conclude 2017 for the Gaiters.
