The Bishop’s Gaiters did what they were supposed to in Week 1 of the AUS season. The defending Loney Bowl champs took out the Mount Allison Mounties by a score of 43-7.
Reigning AUS Most Outstanding Player Justin Quirion had an absolute day. The fifth-year quarterback went 26-of-38 for 371 yards and five touchdowns. He did turn the ball over twice with two interceptions, but still — that is a pretty impressive stat line.
What may be more impressive is that Quirion managed to spread the ball to four different receivers on those five touchdowns. The recipients were Joey Julien, Mathieu Bellavance, Oliver Burnett (two), and Isamï Sansoucy.
Nine different receivers caught at least one pass. While the ability to spread the ball shows complete mastery of the offence, Quirion was not alone in his stellar day.
Julien, a third-year receiver, led the charge through the air, catching seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Fifth-year running back O’Shae Ho-Sang led the ground attack, accumulating 109 rushing yards on 15 carries.
Defensively, the Gaiters were able to hold the Mounties to just 258 yards of total offence and took the ball away twice. Third-year linebacker Benjamin Drouin led the way with six solo tackles and two assisted tackles.
Second-year linebacker Philippe Théroux had four tackles and a pick six and second-year defensive back Kyle Chorney had two tackles and an interception.
So how does one follow up such a dominant performance? Unfortunately for Gaiter faithful, it will be with a bye week. Although an early bye may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Bishop’s will look to use it to their advantage as they navigate the AUS season.
“This bye week is an opportunity to get a mental and physical reset after multiple weeks of intensive football. The season is a marathon, not a sprint and we are at the first checkpoint in our journey.” – Justin Quirion
The Gaiters next stop on this 2025 journey will be a Week 3 matchup with the Saint Mary’s Huskies. The game will be played on enemy territory in Halifax on Friday Sept. 5 at 3:00 p.m. AST.