LENNOXVILLE, Que. – It has been six years since the Bishop's Gaiters have tasted post-season football. They can assure themselves a spot in the 2019 AUS playoffs with a win at Mount Allison on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. local (2 p.m. Eastern) at Alumni Field in Sackville, N.B.
There are multiple scenarios where Bishop's can make the playoffs, however they currently control their own destiny and a win punches their ticket to the AUS semifinal. At 6-0, Acadia has clinched first place in the conference.
Where we stand
Bishop's is currently two games ahead of Mt.A in the win column but the Maritimers have a game in hand. The Gaiters have a bye the last week of the season.
AUS Standings
| Team |
GP |
W |
L |
PCT |
Streak |
PF |
PA |
Pts. |
| xy-Acadia |
6 |
6 |
0 |
1.000 |
Won 6 |
248 |
116 |
12 |
| Bishop's |
7 |
4 |
3 |
0.571 |
Won 2 |
137 |
175 |
8 |
| Saint Mary's |
6 |
3 |
3 |
0.500 |
Lost 2 |
137 |
148 |
6 |
| Mount Allison |
6 |
2 |
4 |
0.333 |
Won 2 |
128 |
115 |
4 |
| StFX |
7 |
1 |
6 |
0.143 |
Lost 6 |
114 |
210 |
2 |
x-clinched playoffs
y-clinched first place
Watch Live
www.austv.ca
Live on Bell TV1
Follow the game on the Gaiters social media channels:
www.instagram.com/BishopsGaiters
www.twitter.com/BishopsGaiters
Going Streaking
Both the Gaiters and Mounties are on two game winning streaks and both are coming off wins over St. Mary's. Mt.A had the bye last week. They beat the Huskies 23-12 in Halifax on Oct. 4. Bishop's topped SMU 23-15 last week in Lennoxville.
Last Meeting
Bishop's jumped out to a quick start when the Maple League colleagues met on Sept. 14 on Coulter Field. The Gaiters were up as much as 24-6 at one point before Mt. A clawed their way back. Bishop's refused to lose and held on for a 27-23 victory, their second of the season at that time.
Nicholas Cartagenise (Brampton, Ont./Agincourt CI) had three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown in the game.
Recap of Sept. 14 game
All-time
Bishop's is 2-3 against the Mounties since joining the AUS in 2017 and 5-5 all-time with the AUS-RSEQ crossover.
Fantastic Freshmen
Gaiters quarterback
Charles Aubry (Laval, Que./College Lionel-Groulx) is having himself a year. The first-year pivot from Lionel-Groulx is re-writing the Bishop's rookie record book. His 2019 campaign numbers are the best in the team's history for a freshman that includes 2004 when quarterback Kyle Williams won the Peter Gorman Trophy as the nation's top first-year player.
Aubry has the most completions and pass attempts of any quarterback in the conference, 115-202. His 1393 yards is second as are his seven touchdown passes and 121.3 efficiency.
Fellow freshman
Nathan Lupien (Saint-Jerome, Que./Cegep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) has 22 catches for 302 yards and two touchdowns.
Record Setter
Gaiters kicker
Noah Laursen (Calgary, Alta./Bishop Carroll H.S.) is coming off a five field goal performance against SMU. Those five successful kicks were a school record. Laursen currently sits in second place in the AUS in scoring with 57 points (15 made FG's, 10 extra points and 2 rouges).
National Recognition
Bishop's linebacker
Liam Patton (Thornhill, Ont./Bill Crothers S.S.) is the current U SPORTS Defensive Player of the Week. He joins Catagenise and
Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.) (Special Teams) as Gaiters to make noise on the national stage.
League leaders
Walker, an electric returner and receiver is currently tops in the conference in all-purpose yards at 1126. He has also been Aubry's favourite target catching 32 passes for 423 yards and two touchdowns.
Team captain and starting running back
Louis-Philippe Gregoire (Jonquière, Que./Cégep de Jonquière) has been turning heads. He has a league-high 111 carries and is second with 574 yards on the ground.
On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker
Louve Moussenguet's (St-Jerome, Que./Cégep de St-Jérôme) 39.5 tackles is a team best and fourth in the conference. His 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss tops the AUS.
Cartagenise's three picks places him third in the conference.
Next up
A win, the Gaiters are in and know they will be preparing for a game on Nov. 2. Against who and where will depend on other AUS results.
A loss and the Gaiters will be glued to the TV next week as the AUS regular season wraps up and Bishop's will need help to get into the playoffs.
Stay up-to-date anytime with the Bishop's Gaiters at
www.gaiters.ca or on social media by using @BishopsGaiters and #GaiterNation.
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