ANTIGONISH, N.S. – St. Francis Xavier quarterback Bailey Wasdal threw two touchdowns and ran for another as the X-Men topped the Bishop's Gaiters 42-2 on Saturday afternoon in Antigonish, N.S.  The win improves the X-Men to 2-1 while the Gaiters fall to 0-4 in the AUS football standings.
 
St.FX took the opening drive and marched the length of the field for a touchdown, capped by a five-yard Wasdal run. After a Bishop's two-and-out, the X-Men doubled their lead thanks to a 40-yard Greg McDonald touchdown catch on second and long. The first quarter ended 14-0 as Bishop's settled in.
 
Both offenses sputtered early on in the second frame. Bishop's conceded a safety early on and X-Men kicker Keiran Burnham tacked on a 12-yard field goal. The Gaiters were able to shift field position and forced St. FX to concede a safety that put Bishop's first points on the board. That came after Gaiters' punter Arnaud Dandin (Paris, France/Cégep de Thetford) pinned St. FX inside their five-yard line. Burnham tacked on a single on the last play of the first half for a 20-2 halftime lead.
 
Stephen Casey (Boucherville, Que./Champlain College St-Lambert) started at quarterback for the Gaiters and was able to put together a pair of nice drives to open the third quarter but Bishop's could not get points out of it.  On the Gaiters' first possession of the third stanza a measure on third down came up less than an inch short and the X-Men took over. The Gaiters second possession resulted in a missed field goal.
 
St.FX went to work on the ground moving the ball and wearing down a tired Gaiters defense. They were also able to catch the Gaiters off-guard and complete two long passes that led to majors.
 
The X-Men punched in their fourth touchdown of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach at 34-2.
 
Aarron Franklin (West Covina, Calif./Citrus College) recorded his first U SPORTS interception in the fourth quarter for the Gaiters. Franklin finished with four tackles and the interception.

The hosts tacked on a pair of field goals and were conceded another safety to make the final 42-2.
 
Wasdal finished the day 17-28 for 256 yards, the two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed seven times for 37 yards.

For Bishop's, Casey went 15-29 for 133 yards in the air. He added 22 yards on the ground on five carries. Bishop's was just 1-for-8 on third down while the X-Men went 2-for-3. St. FX had four plays of 30 yards or more while Bishop's had just one.
 
Bishop's Game Highlights:

 
Coach's Corner:

 
Next Up:
The Gaiters (0-4) will enjoy their first bye week of the season next weekend as they look to get healthy. They are next in action on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. on Coulter Field when the Mount Allison Mounties (1-2) are in town as part of the annual homecoming festivities.
 
Social Corner:
Stay up-to-date with everything Bishop's Gaiters at www.gaiters.ca or on social media by using #GaiterNation and @BishopsGaiters.
 
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