ANTIGONISH, N.S. –
Liam Kennedy (Nepean, Ont./St. Joseph H.S.) scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak 2:02 into the fourth quarter that gave the Bishop's Gaiters a lead they did not relinquish en route to a 17-11 victory over the StFX X-Men on Friday night in rainy Antigonish, N.S.
The win gives Bishop's the Bigg Bowl for the first time since 2009 and improves their AUS record to 3-3. StFX falls to 1-5.
Full AUS Standings are available here.
The weather played havoc on the game as scoring was at a premium. A conceded safety to the Gaiters was the only scoring in the opening quarter.
Noah Laursen (Calgary, Alta./Bishop Carroll H.S.) kicked his first of two field goals 8:33 into the second quarter to extend the Gaiters lead to 5-0. X-Men pivot Quinn Stewart connected with Isaac Fagnan for 29 yards for the game's first major just under four minutes later. The conversion made it 7-5 StFX.
Laursen added a 25-yard field goal with 11 seconds left for an 8-7 Gaiters lead at the break.
As the rain continued in the second half Bishop's conceded two more safeties as the hosts seemingly controlled the field possession battle.
Arguably, the game's turning point came midway through the third stanza. After the X-Men were successful on fake punt and fake field goal, the Gaiters defense stood strong and forced a Max Capriotti field goal attempt that he blasted off the left upright.
After a series of two-and-outs from both teams, the Bishop's defense made a huge play. They forced and recovered a fumble as the third stanza came to a close. The Kennedy 1-yard plunge capped off a five-play, 21-yard drive and gave the Gaiters back the lead. Laursen converted. One more conceded safety for Bishop's and a defense that played with confidence closed out the 17-11 victory and spoiled the X-Men homecoming party.
Louis-Philippe Gregoire (Jonquière, Que./Cégep de Jonquière) was named the Subway Player of the Game with 19 rushes for 97 yards for the Gaiters. Quarterback
Charles Aubry (Laval, Que./College Lionel-Groulx) was 22-40 for 252 yards.
Nathan Walker (Brampton, Ont./St. Roch C.S.S.) had another outstanding game. He had eight catches for 110 yards, seven punt returns for 45 yards and four kick returns for 77 yards.
Louve Moussenguet (St-Jerome, Que./Cégep de St-Jérôme) led the Gaiters on the defensive side of the ball. He recorded seven tackles including two for a loss and had one sack.
Bishop's controlled the game. They ran 79 offensive plays to the X-Men's 51 and outgained the hosts 356 to 165 yards.
The Bigg Bowl
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.
All time StFX holds a 4-2 mark over the Gaiters when the Bigg Bowl is on the line.
2002 – StFX 22, BU 7
2004 – StFX 50, BU 17
2009 – BU 33, StFX 12
2017 – StFX 27, BU 14
2018 – StFX 12, BU 11
2019 – BU 17, StFX 11
Next up the Gaiters (3-3) return to Lennoxville for a key match-up with the St. Mary's Huskies (3-2). SMU was beaten 23-12 at home by Mount Allison (2-3) also on Friday night. The race for the last two-playoff spots in the AUS is very much up for grabs.
Stay up-to-date with everything Bishop's Gaiters at
www.gaiters.ca or on social media by using @BishopsGaiters.
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