RECAP: Eman elevates Gaiters over Redmen for first win [video/stats]

SHERBROOKE . – Rookie quarterback Travis Eman used his legs to score a pair to touchdowns and the Bishop’s Gaiters defense stuffed the McGill Redmen on a potential game-winning drive to secure the purple and white’s first win of the year, a 17-13 victory. The rivals kicked off in Montreal on Thursday night at Percival Molson Stadium in one of two RSEQ University Football match-ups this Thanksgiving weekend.

Eman (Brampton, Ont.) was one of three Bishop’s pivots to see the field as veteran Shane McDonald (Uxbridge, Ont.) and sophomore Alexandre Bouffard (Sherbrooke, Que.) also took snaps. Eman’s legs proved to be the difference on the night as he scampered six yards and broke a pair of tackles to score the game’s first major just 18 seconds before the first half expired.

After a scoreless first quarter that saw seven punts, the Gaiters grabbed a 7-3 halftime advantage on the chilly Montreal night.

McGill scored their only major 4:29 into the third frame to grab the lead.  They held the advantage until Gaiters’ kicker Vincent Dube (Montmagny, Que.) split the uprights on a 30-yard field goal attempt with just over four minutes remaining in the stanza. After the Gaiters got great field position from a defensive stand and pressure forced a McGill special teams mishap, Eman scored his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard quarterback sneak just two minutes later.

The Redmen tacked on a field goal early in the fourth frame to cut Bishop’s advantage to 17-13. The game was in the balance as the hosts had the ball on their own 26-yard line with 53 seconds remaining.  They were able to make a bit of headway but the game ended when Joshua Miller (Brampton) intercepted the Redmen’s hail mary attempt on the last play of the game and secured a Gaiters 17-14 victory, their first of the season.

“It wasn’t pretty but it was a victory,” said Gaiters head coach Kevin Mackey. “We hung tight, at times it was stressful but we came through. I’m proud of our guys tonight.”

Bishop’s (1-4) next heads to Quebec City to face the No. 1 Laval Rouge et Or (5-0) on Sunday, October 19.  With Thursday nights win the Gaiters keep their playoff hopes alive.  They sit one game behind Sherbrooke (2-3) for the final playoff spot and have a tilt with the Vert et Or on the last day of the regular season.

Bishop’s Bites: Dube finished the game 1-for-1 on field goals and had his best day as a Gaiter punting the ball.  He averaged 35.3 yards on 13 punts… Offensively Bishop’s three-headed passing attack was 7-for-18 for 53 yards…Vincent Davignon (Granby, Que.) led the Gaiters in rushing in Ronlee King-Fileen’s (Toronto) absence. Davignon carried the ball 13 times for 88 yards… Bouffard also added 40 yards of rushing … Steve McCollum (Brampton) led the Gaiters defense that allowed 299 yards but just 13 points.  He recorded nine tackles including 2.5 for losses and a sack…  Bishop’s was penalized 9 times for 100 yards while McGill was flagged 18 times for 158 yards.

 

(Source:  Marty Rourke, Bishop’s Gaiters Sports Information)

Redmen defence barks but Bishop’s bite bigger in Turkey Bowl

MONTREAL – Freshman quarterback Travis Eman of Brampton, Ont., rushed for a pair of touchdowns as visiting Bishop’s hung on for a 17-13 victory over McGill University in what was billed as a Thanksgiving Thursday “Turkey Bowl”, featuring a pair of winless football teams at Molson Stadium.
 
It was the first win of the season for the Gaiters (1-4) and the first game for the Redmen (0-5) under newly appointed co-coaches Patrick Boies and Ronald Hilaire, the respective offensive and defensive coordinators who were appointed in charge of the helm earlier in the week in the wake of the recent resignation of head coach Clint Uttley.

A tough McGill defence limited the Gaiters to only a 153 yards of net offence, the lowest total by a winning team in the RSEQ conference since Sept. 17, 2011 when the Montreal Carabins had 142 in an 11-10 victory over visiting Saint Mary’s.

Eman, one of three Bishop’s pivots to see the field, passed for only 31 yards, started and completed five of nine attempts with one interception.  But it was his ability to scramble that made the difference as he rushed seven times for 31 yards, scoring on a six-yard run just 18 seconds into the second quarter to put the Gaiters ahead 7-3. He rallied the troops again at 2:18 of the third stanza to give Bishop’s a 17-10 lead on a one-yard TD plunge.

The Redmen — missing their top starters at quarterback, running back and receiver — featured a 48-man dresslist that included a whopping 28 players in their first year with the team, including a school record 23 true freshmen. The young lineup could only get inside the red zone once and committed six turnovers while being penalized 18 times for 158 yards of real estate. By contrast, Bishop’s had four turnovers and nine infractions for 100 yards.

McGill held a 20-13 edge in first downs, a 299-153 advantage in total yards and a 31:47 to 28:13 margin in time of possession.

Montrealer Raphael Casey was one of few bright spots for McGill offensively. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound mathematics sophomore from St. Hubert, Que., led the team with 73 rushing yards on 17 carries, including a five-yard TD run which put his troops ahead 10-7 at 10:31 of the thrid quarter. Casey also caught two passes for eight yards.

His scoring play was immediately preceded by a spectacular 26-yard diving catch on a third-down gamble by senior Jean-Philippe Paquette, who snared four balls for 39 yards. Paquette, a 5-foot-5, 154-pound speedster from Trois-Rivieres, Que., was the only player to reach the century mark in all-purpose yards, marking the fourth time in five games that a member of the Redmen had reach that lofty mark. He also collected 50 on five punt returns and added a 15-yard kickoff return.

Rounding out the scoring was a pair of field-goals from Redmen place-kicker Nils Jonkmans, from 37 and 28 yards, respectively, and a 30-yarder from Vincent Dube of the Gaiters.

A voracious McGill defence racked up 11 tackles for loss, including seven quarterback sacks, a pair of interceptions and one knockdown. Leading the way was rookie Karl Forgues, a 5-foot-9, 200-pound weakside linebacker from Repentigny, Que., who registered a game-high 10 solo tackles, including a sack.

McGill quarterback Joel Houle, a freshman starting for the third consecutive week in the wake of a concussion suffered by starter Dallon Kuprowski, found a whopping 10 different receivers. Houle completed 23 of 41 attempts for 214 yards and a pair of interceptions. He also rushed five times for 24 yards.

The Redmen will look for their first win against Sherbrooke (2-3) in the McGill Homecoming game on Oct. 18, while Bishop’s plays at Laval (5-0) on Oct. 19.
 
REDMEN RAP: Aside from Forgues, other McGill defenders to register sacks included Devon Stewart (2), Maxime Chaput-Dupuy (1.5), Ricard Lubin (1.5) and Carl Laverdiere (1)… The team’s two interceptions were made by defensive halfbacks Carl-David Erius and Simon Lamontagne…Bishop’s has won three straight head-to-head meetings with McGill and now lead the all-time series between the two rivals 45-39-1 dating all the way back to their first rendez-vous in 1885.

(Source:  Earl Zukerman, McGill Redmen Sports Information)