SHERBROOKE, Que. – Winless in their first three games the Bishop's Gaiters football team heads to Antigonish, N.S. on Saturday to wrap-up the first half of their season. They kickoff with the St.FX X-Men at 3 p.m. local time in Atlantic University Sport action.
 
The X-Men (1-1) are coming off a bye week while the Gaiters (0-3) hope to head into their week off with a tick in the win column. A week ago, Bishop's fell 39-9 to the Acadia Axemen.
 
Year to Date
Bishop's
The Gaiters find themselves battling the injury bug in 2018.  Last week against Acadia, only 49 players dressed in their 39-9 loss in Lennoxville.
 
Bishop's opened the season in Sackville, N.B. against Mount Allison where they lost 36-22.  Week 2 saw St. Mary's spoil the Gaiters' home opener by a final of 42-19.
 
St.FX
The X-Men opened the campaign losing in Halifax 20-13 to the St. Mary's Huskies. A week later, they came from behind to beat the Acadia Axemen 30-24 in overtime in their home opener. They had a bye last week.
 
Last Season
St.FX swept the Gaiters in 2017. The X-Men won 37-27 to spoil homecoming for the Gaiters and backed it up with a 27-14 victory in Antigonish in the last week of the season to qualify for the playoffs and regain the Bigg Bowl. The 2018 Bigg Bowl will take place in Lennoxville on Oct. 20.
 
Prior to last season the X-Men and Gaiters played three times with St.FX holding a 2-1 edge, meaning all time the X-Men hold a 4-1 advantage in the season series.
 
Who to Watch
Bishop's
Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.), a 2017 AUS all-star is leading the Gaiters with nine receptions through three games.  He has 163 total yards and 2 touchdowns.
 
Running back Keith Normandin (Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que./Collège de Valleyfield) is 10^th in the AUS in all-purpose yards with 91 per game.  He also sits ninth in conference rushing.
 
Linebacker Louve Mestone Moussenguet (St-Jerome, Que./Cégep de St-Jérôme) is Bishop's top tackler with 17.5 per game, which places him third in the AUS.
 
St. FX
Two-time all-Canadian receiver Kaion Julian-Grant is back. He leads the conference in all-purpose yards at 178 per game and is second in receiving with 14 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns through a pair of games.
 
The X-Men also return all-star offensive linemen Jonathan Amora and Jacob Czaja.
 
Safety Dylan Bell was an all-star a year ago. He is a fixture in their secondary, and is currently fourth in the conference with 16.5 tackles.
 
Jordan Socholotiuk is St.FX's primary ball carrier. He is fourth in the AUS at 84 yards per game.
 
Stat of the Day
St. FX enters Saturday's game as the least penalized team in the AUS, averaging just eight penalties per game.  Bishop's is the second most flagged team at 13.7 per game.
 
Coach's Corner
"St.FX is a great team," said Gaiters' head coach Cherif Nicolas. "They have a young but poised quarterback who is flanked by some very good veterans.  Julian-Grant is a dangerous player and we know Socholotiuk is the real deal at running back. I had the privilege of coaching Jimmie Cunningham at the East-West bowl this spring he is a great kid and a great players."
 
Next Up
Bishop's cannot get too far ahead of themselves, as they have a bye week next weekend.  They are next in action on homecoming Saturday, Sept. 29 in Lennoxville at 2 p.m. when the Mount Allison Mounties pay a visit.
 
Sweet Maple
Two of the four Maple League schools step onto the field on Saturday. Joining Bishop's and St. Francis Xavier in the Maple League are Acadia and Mount Allison universities.  Additional info is available at www.mapleleague.ca.
 
Watch
Watch Saturday's contest live at www.austv.ca.
 
Live stats are available at http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/fball/2018-19/boxscores/20180915_0pwm.xml
 
Stay Social
Stay up-to-date anytime with Bishop's Gaiters Athletics at www.gaiters.ca or on social media using @BishopsGaiters and #GaiterNation.
 
 
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