October 10, 2008

Download the full game notes here (pdf)

THIS WEEK: The Bishop’s Gaiters (2-3) host the undefeated Laval Rouge et Or for Thanksgiving.

ON THE AIR: The game will be broadcast on RDS, with play-by-play man David Arsenault and colour commentator Pierre Vercheval. This is the third of the Gaiters’ four scheduled RDS appearances this season.

RADIO DAZE: There will be two radio broadcasts of the game, on CHRC-AM (www.chrc.com) and CHYZ–FM (www.chyz.qc.ca), with streaming available on each station’s website.

FOLLOW, FOLLOW: Fans can also follow the game with Twitter updates on the Gaiters website at http://www.ubishops.ca/gaiters or http://www.twitter.com/BishopsGaiters. There will also be live stats coverage on the Gaiters website.

THE RECORDS: The Gaiters are 2-3 on the season, after having split the home-and-home series with No. 9 Sherbrooke. Laval is currently 5-0 and ranked #1 in the country.

LAST MEETING : On October 21, 2007, the Gaiters were trounced 50-15 by the #1-ranked Rouge et Or at Quebec City, as Pierre-Luc Yao and Julian Féoli-Gudino scored two touchdowns . A 20-point second quarter gave Laval a 27-0 lead at the half. Bishop’s offensive highlight came late, as Steven Turner returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, his third kickoff return TD of the year.

THE SERIES: The Gaiters are 6-14 against Laval (including three games forfeited by Laval, and one by Bishop’s). The first meeting came on Sept. 2, 1996, when the Gaiters downed Laval 22-11 at Stade PEPS. Bishop’s last win against Laval (excluding forfeits) was 17-14 in OT at Coulter Field on Oct. 25, 1997. This is just the third visit to Coulter Field by Laval in the past six seasons. In their last two trips, Laval won 26-14 on Oct. 7, 2006 and 15-0 on Sept. 11, 2004.

LAST WEEK: Pascal Fils and Joseph Mroué led Sherbrooke to a 37-19 victory over the Gaiters last Saturday. Fils carried the ball 20 times for 166 yards and three touchdowns and Mroué ran for 132 yards and a major. Fils broke the game open with two touchdowns 2:19 apart in the third quarter. The Gaiters’ Steven Turner caught a career-high seven passes for 83 yards and a touchdown, while Kheon Clarke had three catches for 44 yards and a TD. Jamall Lee gained 122 yards on 23 carries, while Jesse Andrews was good on 18 of 26 passes for 198 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a fumble.

LEE-DING THE PROVINCE: Fourth-year running back Jamall Lee is now the QUFL’s career rushing yards leader, with a total of 3,941 yards in 29 games. He is currently 8th on the all-time CIS rushing list, 62 yards behind Grant Keaney of Mount Allison, who is in seventh place. Lee currently leads the CIS with an average of 169.2 yards per game (Mike Giffin of Queen’s, is second at 162.2).

HARRISON HOT SPRINGS: Rookie defensive back Harrison Maloney (Thurso, Que./Champlain College) has made an immediate impact in the Gaiters’ lineup. Maloney made 8.5 tackles last week (7 solo, 3 assists), and is sixth in the QUFL with 30.5 for the season. He has also recorded a forced fumble this season. Maloney is the only rookie to start every game for the Gaiters this year.

TODAY IN GAITERS HISTORY:  On October 11, 2003, the Gaiters thumped Sherbrooke 62-0 in their first visit to Sherbrooke since 1971. Gilles Colon and Michel Foures-Wilson scored three touchdowns each, while David Delaby added another two as the Gaiters cruised to the easy victory over the expansion Vert & Or. The Gaiters rolled up 591 yards of offence on the way to their biggest road win since a 70-0 romp over Montreal in 1971.