Green happy out of spotlight

X-Men can clinch playoff spot Friday night at Acadia
By Monty Mosher, The Chronicle Herald

The smart money had St. Francis Xavier X-Men fifth-year running back James Green having a massive year in 2009 and putting himself in line for a Hec Crighton Trophy nomination.

It hasn’t worked out that way through four games for the St. Patrick’s Irish grad, and he really couldn’t care less.

Green hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing game this year, not even close, but the CIS No. 6 X-Men, soaring through the air behind senior quarterback and MVP contender Steve Snyder, have their first 4-0 start in three decades.

"It hasn’t been statistically the first half that some people expected, or I expected, but the fact that we’re 4-0 is amazing," Green, an all-Canadian last year, said Wednesday. "Even though I don’t get the touches I got in the last two years, I still feel like I am just as much a part of the offence.

"The wear and tear is not as big of a factor this year. So I’m not discouraged at all. I couldn’t be happier."

The X-Men head into Acadia, 1-3, to begin the AUS football weekend Friday night. Saint Mary’s, 3-1, takes on Mount Allison, 0-4, on Saturday night in Moncton.

Through four games last season, the slashing Green had 533 yards. Despite missing the last two regular-season games with a bad ankle, he totalled 1,070 yards on 171 carries in eight games, including the playoffs.

He isn’t as much of a focal point in the new offence installed by first-year head coach Gary Waterman this year.

He has 176 yards on 44 carries this year. But he’s had 133 of those yards, and two touchdowns, in the last two games.

He missed some time in the season opener against Saint Mary’s after taking a blow to the head in the second half and strained a hip muscle the following week against Mount A. He said he’s fine now.

Opponents scheme to keep Green pinned down, leaving Snyder ample opportunity to slice open pass defences. He’s thrown for 1,313 yards already and the X-Men boast the No. 2 pass offence in the nation.

"You look at our team and the receivers that we have, and the quarterback we have, it’s hard to justify not throwing the ball more than we did last year," Green said. "I think the weapons are there to do it."

St. F.X. blasted Acadia 60-7 last week while Saint Mary’s overcame a slow opening quarter to beat Mount A 47-18.

It’s a pivotal Thanksgiving weekend for all four AUS clubs.

The X-Men guarantee a home playoff game with a win in Wolfville. Saint Mary’s earns a playoff spot by beating the Mounties.

The Axemen need a win to have a realistic shot at a home playoff date while the Mounties need something positive facing a road trip to Laval next weekend.

As good as Snyder and the pass attack have been, the defence has been better.

The X-Men are No. 2 against the run (74.5 yards per game) in the CIS and lead the nation in turnover margin at plus 12.

Waterman expects Acadia to be better tonight.

"We played well, but we had a lot of good fortune. I expect them to be angry, motivated and a bit embarrassed."

Acadia, which got skunked 35-0 in the third quarter, tried to take the positives from the game and move on.

"The first half we played them very evenly statistically," said Axemen offensive coordinator Josh Lambert. "They made a few more plays than we did, but we were right in there."

Huskies (3-1) at Mounties (0-4) — A game in Moncton might be the tonic for Mount A, with 19 straight losses to SMU since 1998.

Or maybe not.

The eighth-ranked Huskies piled up close to 700 yards of offence against Mount A last weekend with Jack Creighton throwing for 438 yards. The Mounties have the worst pass defence in the nation at 391yards per game.

Saint Mary’s head coach Steve Sumarah wants more finish from the offence and fewer short field goals.

"We need to get a little hungrier in the red zone and a little crisper," said Sumarah.

The Mounties showed flashes on offence with rookie quarterback Jake Hotchkiss throwing for 237 yards, Gary Ross picking up 130 yards on 11 receptions and Matt Pickett running for 112.

Ross took a helmet to the hip late in the first half, but will be ready this weekend.

"We felt like we did some good things on offence, especially against a defence we’ve struggled against in past years," said Mount A head coach Kelly Jeffrey. "Having a young quarterback have a solid day was a big step in our process."

SMU kicker Justin Palardy can break the conference record for field goals. He enters tied for the mark with 56.

SMU all-Canadian defensive lineman Dan Schutte will sit out this week, and maybe next weekend at McGill, with a knee injury.