(SHERBROOKE, QUE.) - Zach Graveson caught a three-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left to lift the Bishop's Gaiters to their first win of the season, 30-29, over the Saint Mary's Huskies at Coulter Field, Saturday.
Graveson's catch capped an 11-play, 66-yard drive that saw rookie quarterback Jaeden Marwick (Regina, Sask.) complete eight passes to pick up his first CIS win. The former Prairie Football Conference MVP finished 24-for-41 for 319 yards with two touchdown passes.
Graveson, for his part, finished with 10 catches for 168 yards. His earlier touchdown came with 5:51 gone in the fourth quarter, and cut the deficit to 29-24.
The Huskies (1-2) started quickly, scoring first-half touchdowns from Brock Berglund and Derek Pisani, and a pair of first-half field goals staked the Huskies to a 20-4 lead with 6:32 to play in the first half.
A Vincent Dube field goal with 20 seconds left, his second of the game, in the first half cut the halftime deficit to 20-7.
The Gaiters came out stronger in the second half, and doubled their scored in the first 90 seconds of the half, as Vincent Davignon ran in a 45-yard touchdown score, to pull Bishop's to within six points at 20-14.
After the teams traded field goals, Berglund's second touchdown run of the day with 12:01 to play put the Huskies back up by 12 at 29-17.
However, a pair of SMU errors opened the door for the Gaiters to come back. First, Hope's conversion attempt, clanged off the crossbar, keeping the lead at 12.
Four plays later, Bishop's forced a fumble on an SMU punt return, and the Gaiters' Nathan Berlus fell on the ball at the SMU 37, giving the Gaiters their best field position of the day. That the first of three fourth-quarter turnovers for the Huskies.
Bishop's took advantage three plays later, as Marwick found Graveson, who flew 32 yards into the end zone, cutting the lead to five with 9:09 to go. The Gaiters defence held strong, forcing two punts and two turnover on downs on the Huskies' final three drive, to help set up Bishop's game-winning touchdown drive.
While Marwick finished with 319 yards, his first career 300-yard day, Berglund went 21-for-30 for 295 yards. He also was the Huskies' leading rusher, with 17 carries for 87 yards.
For Bishop's Vincent Davignon had 14 carries for 103 yards.
Graveson finished with 10 catches for 168 yards and the two touchdowns, while Trey Millings had three catches for 60 yards. For Saint Mary's, D'Shawn Miller had six receptions for 122 yards, and Lerome Robinson had seven for 96.
The Gaiters defence was led by rookie defensive lineman Mickael Badra (Bromont, Que.), who set a team record with five sacks, and had seven total tackles. Ryan Hector (Brampton, Ont.) had 10.5 tackles for the Gaiters, while Keagan Hughes (West Kelowna, B.C.) had 10.
Bishop's outgained Saint Mary's 416-401, and put up 26 first downs, to 24 for the Huskies. Each team committed three turnovers, and the two squads combined for 44 penalties. SMU was flagged 26 times for 226 yards, while Bishop's lost 167 yards on 18 penalties.
With the win, the Gaiters are now one win behind Sherbrooke, McGill and Concordia, who are in a three-way tie for third place in the Quebec conference. The Huskies, meanwhile, remain second in the AUS.
The Gaiters are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 1, as they visit the Concordia Stingers in Montreal in the annual Shrine Bowl game, which is set to kick off at 2 p.m. Saint Mary's meanwhile, visits StFX next Saturday.
Source: Bishop's Sports Communications