After a pair of losses to the fellow bottom-feeders in the Quebec conference, the task facing the Bishop’s Gaiters was certainly a tall one: find a way to beat the No. 2-ranked, and unbeaten, Laval Rouge et Or. The score, 44-2 for Laval, went about as most pundits would have expected, but there were some positives for the Gaiters (0-3) amid the sea of red.
After a pair of losses to the fellow bottom-feeders in the Quebec conference, the task facing the Bishop’s Gaiters was certainly a tall one: find a way to beat the No. 2-ranked, and unbeaten, Laval Rouge et Or.
The score, 44-2 for Laval, went about as most pundits would have expected, but there were some positives for the Gaiters (0-3) amid the sea of red. Given their positions as opposite ends of the Quebec standings, Bishop’s played the visitors suprisingly close in the early stages, trailing only 1-0 after the first quarter, and 16-1 at halftime.
Overall, the Gaiters’ offesnive performance was well ahead of last week’s torpid display against Concordia. While the Gaiters only put up 40 more yards this week than last, it bears noting that the degree of difficulty was somewhat higher this week.
The first bright spot for the Gaiters was the play of rookie quarterback Mathieu Demers, who was seeing his first CIS action, after a concussion kept previous starter Travis Eman sidelined.
While he didn’t lead the Gaiters into the end zone, the 21-year-old two-time CEGEP all-star, had a solid first showing going 14-for-25 for 120 yards and one interception.
Demers was the first freshman to start for Bishop’s since Jesse Andrews in 2006, and the latter’s first start was remarkably similar as he went 12-for-24 for 107 yards and an interception.
“I was pretty excited but once the game starts you just have to do what you have to do,” said Demers. “I think we made a great team effort and that’s the most important thing.”
If Eman is cleared to return from his concussion this week, the Gaiters braintrust will have a decision on their hands.
On the other side of the ball, the Gaiters were strong early, forcing a number of two-and-outs in the first half, before the depth of Laval’s offence finally wore them down.
Fourth year defensive back Ryan Hector had another strong day with one interception for 38 yards and 4.5 tackles, while redshirt freshman Trey Hylton from Mississauga, Ont. led the Gaiters with seven tackles.
Vincent Dubé accounted for all the Gaiters scoring with a pair of singles, one as he shanked a 12-yard field goal attempt and another on a punt. He punted 10 times, averaging 40.4 yards.
For Laval, rookie kicker Dominic Levesque had a good return to his former collegiate field. The ex-Cougar took advantage of a strong easterly wind to score 12 points on a field goal, four singles and five conversions. He averaged 47.6 yards on seven punts.
Christopher Amoah (on a 16-yard run) and Antony Dufour (on a 57-yard punt return) had the Rouge et Or’s first-half touchdowns. Maxime Boutin, Tyrone Pierre and Vincent Alarie-Tardif added second-half majors for Laval.
Bishop’s put up 207 yards of offence on Saturday, compared to 476 for Laval. On the ground, Jamall Hyman-Hamilton led the Gaiters with 80 yards on 11 carries and Nyjill Wilson was the Gaiters’ leading receiver with eight catches for 81 yards.
For Laval, Marc-Antoine Langevin was 13-for-19 for 245 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Christopher Amoah was the leading Rouge et Or rusher, with 10 carries for 75 yards, as Laval put up 217 rushing yards in total.
Laval made 22 first downs, to the Gaiters’ 18. Each team turned the ball over twice, and the Gaiters committed 10 penalties for 90 yards. Laval was flagged eight times for 75 yards.
With the Laval circus firmly in the rear-view mirror, the Gaiters will look to turn the tide of their season and pick up points in the standings with three winable games coming up. This Saturday they will travel to Halifax to take on Saint Mary’s (0-2) in their annual AUS interlock game.
This is Bishop’s first visit to SMU since the 1988 Atlantic Bowl, a 44-10 victory for the home team. In fact, the Gaiters have never beaten the Huskies. but this is not your father’s Saint Mary’s. The Huskies, who are coached by former Gaiters offensive co-ordinator Perry Marchese, have struggled in recent years, as the days of Chris Flynn and his three Hec Creighton wins seem to be long since past. The Huskies haven’t won since 2013 and are currently on a 11-game losing streak. Last week, they lost 48-13 to St. F.X. in Antigonish, N.S.
The Gaiters return to the friendly confines of Coulter Field a week later, Saturday, Oct. 3, when they take on the McGill Redmen for homecoming. In their meeting earlier this year, the Gaiters lost a close game, 10-3, at Molson Stadium.
SUMMARY
First Quarter
Lav – Single Lévesque 31 (missed field goal) 12:12
Second Quarter
Lav – TD Amoah 16 run (Lévesque convert) 2:34
Lav – Single Lévesque 68 (kickoff) 2:40
Bish – Single Dubé 25 (missed field goal) 5:22
Lav – TD Dufour 57 punt return (Lévesque convert) 11:05
Third Quarter
Lav – FG Lévesque 32 4:20
Bish – Single Dubé 53 (punt) 8:20
Lav – TD M.Boutin 69 pass from Langevin (Lévesque convert) 9:28
Lav — TD Pierre 51 pass from Langevin (Lévesque convert) 14:15
Fourth Quarter
Lav – Single Lévesque 57 (punt) 2:07
Lav – Single Lévesque 69 (punt) 5:28
Lav – Safety Dubé concedes 10:21
Lav – Alarie-Tardif 1 run (Lévesque convert) 13:35
Laval 1 15 17 11 – 44
Bishop's 0 1 1 0 – 2
Attendance — 1,091.
STATISTICS
LAV BIS
First downs................... 22 15
Yards Rushing................. 217 123
Yards Passing................. 267 120
Total Offence................. 484 243
Team Losses................... 8 36
Net Offence................... 476 207
Passes made-tried............. 14-20 14-25
Return yards.................. 182 84
Interepts-yards by............ 1-21 1-38
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-1 1-1
Sacks By-yards................ 3-19 1-8
Punts-average................. 7-47.6 10-40.4
Penalties-Yards............... 8-75 10-90
Time of Possession............ 31:15 28:45
Net offence is yards passing, plus yards rushing, minus team losses such as yards lost on broken plays.
Individual:
RUSHING: Lav – Amoah 10-75, Alarie-Tardif 9-52, Boutin 8-38, Gagnon-Brousseau 4-21, Langevin 3-18, Dufour 1-8, Dallaire 1-5; Bish – Hyman-Hamilton 11-80; Pruneau 9-36; Demers 1-7.
PASSING: Lav — Langevin 13-19, 245 yards, 2 TDs, 1 int; Dallaire 1-1-22-0-0. Bish —Demers 14-25-120-0-1.
RECEIVING: Lav — Pierre 4-79, Boutin 2-75, Faubert-Lussier 5-68, Moisan 1-22, Lechasseur 1-15; Dufour 1-8; Bish — Wilson 8-81; Nelson 3-32; Gagnon 2-3; Hyman-Hamilton 1-4.
