SHERBROOKE, Que. – Saturday's 44-2 Laval Rouge et Or victory over the Bishop's Gaiters in RSEQ University Football appears to a lopsided one in favour the nation's second ranked team. There was however a silver lining for the Bishop's Gaiters on Coulter Field. True freshman Mathieu Demers started at quarterback for the purple and showed promise.
 
After losing their number one ranking despite a victory last week, No. 2-ranked Laval traveled to Sherbrooke for the second consecutive week.  This time Coulter Field in Lennoxville was their destination.
 
Early on the Gaiters were led by their defence and held tight with the Rouge et Or. A Laval single was the only scoring in the opening frame.
 
Laval took advantage with the wind at their backs in the second quarter, although they did not run away from the home side.  After the Rouge et Or scored a touchdown 3:45 into the stanza, the ensuing kickoff was booted through the end zone for a 9-0 lead.
 
With 10:51 remaining in the second quarter, Bishop's sensational senior defensive back Ryan Hector (Brampton, Ont.) picked off his third pass of the season and returned it 38 yards to the Laval eight yard line.  Unfortunately the Gaiters could only muster a missed field goal on the possession and settled for a single point. Hector's interception ties him for tops in the RSEQ.
 
Laval tacked on a punt return touchdown with just less than four minutes left to grab a 16-1 lead at the halftime break.
 
The second half belonged to Laval, who despite starting their second-string quarterback, looked like a well-oiled machine. The Gaiters only other score came on a punt single midway through the third quarter.  The final on the scoreboard was 44-2 in favour of Laval.
 
For his part Demers (Quebec City) fared well against the intimidating Rouge et Or defense. In his first CIS start he completed 14 of 25 passes for 120 yards.  The stats don't jump off the page but Demers' poise in the pocket did.
 
"I was more excited than nervous," said the business student after the game. "It's just another football game when you step on the field."
 
Coming out on the losing end of a 44-2 score may not have been the debut Demers dreamed of but he certainly did not disappoint against the eight-time Vanier Cup Champion Laval Rouge et Or.
 
"I thought Mathieu did the little things well," said Gaiters head coach Kevin Mackey. "He made all the right reads and is a natural leader. We need to be patient; this team will be together for another three years."
 
For his part the versatile Hector finished with 4.5 tackles, the interception, two punt returns for 38 yards and a kickoff return for 10.
 
Jamall Hyman-Hamilton (Toronto) followed up his record-setting performance from a week ago with another solid outing.  Last game it was on special teams where the damage was done, this game it was out of the backfield.  He ran for 80 yards on 11 carries including a long of 19 and added a four-yard reception to his stat line.
 
Demers' favourite target on the day was fifth-year senior Nyjill Wilson (Ottawa) who caught eight passes from the rookie for 81 yards.  
 
As a team Bishop's ran 49 offensive plays compared to 57 by their foes from the provincial capital.  Laval also controlled the ball for 31:15 amassing 476 total yards while Bishop's had possession for 28:45 and moved the ball 207 yards on offense. The Gaiters committed 10 infractions resulting in 90 yards while Laval was flagged eight times for 75 yards.
 
Bishop's (0-3) is next in action on Saturday, Sept. 26 in Halifax against the St. Mary's Huskies (0-2). The contest is part of the annual AUS-RSEQ crossover.   
 
Stay up-to-date with everything Bishop's Gaiters including when they travel east at www.gaiters.ca or on social media using @BishopsGaiters.
 
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