Huskies rout X-Men 41-6
Taylor scores two more TDs as SMU evens record at 3-3
Courtesy Monty Mosher, The Chronicle Herald
The Saint Mary’s Huskies took three games to get into trouble in AUS football and exactly as long to dig their way out.
The three-time defending conference champions got two more touchdowns from streaking slotback/returner Jahmeek Taylor, giving him six in the past three games, to beat the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 41-6 Friday night at Huskies Stadium to even their record at 3-3 after an 0-3 start.
The Huskies can finish no worse than third after driving the X-Men to 1-5 and sweeping the season series after a 43-16 win last weekend in Antigonish.
"It’s a completely different team than three weeks ago," said Huskies linebacker Jeff Hecht, who had 6 1/2 tackles and an interception to lead the defence. "I don’t even know what to say about our first three games, but this is how we expected to be playing all year and this is how we expect to play for the rest of the year."
Steve Sumarah’s Huskies can still place first and host the Loney Bowl for a fourth straight year by beating Mount Allison in Halifax next week and closing with a win at Acadia on the final day of the regular season.
The result extended SMU’s home win streak over the X-Men in Halifax to 19 since 1998.
Sumarah said the Huskies have turned a corner and thinks the early adversity may have helped his club.
He credits some of the change to import quarterback Micah Brown (15-25-236), who is growing more confident each week after beginning the season as Jack Creighton’s backup.
"He’s really maturing and developing as a quarterback," Sumarah said. "It takes time. It’s a tough position to play. He’s starting to find out where his reads are and where his go-to guys are in certain situations and I thought he took a good step forward tonight."
Fifth-year senior slotback Kwame Osei, part of the last three X-Men teams to go to the conference final, said it’s up to the veterans to keep the X-Men positive. They can still make the playoffs.
"It’s frustrating right now, but at this point in the season we’re not a young team anymore," said Osei. "There’s no excuses.
"We’ve got to win the next two games," added Osei. "I think we can play with Acadia and I think we can play with Mount A. Our issue is just getting down early."
Taylor, the CIS special teams player of the week two weeks in a row, had his hands all over the opening 64-yard drive, catching a 29-yard pass from Brown to the X-Men five-yard line and running in from the slot on the next play for a 7-0 lead at 4:19.
Taylor, already SMU’s single-season punt return record holder, ripped off a 37-yard burst later in the quarter to start the Huskies at the X-Men 34. Brown located receiver Kevin Walsh alone in the flats on the next play and the York transfer vaulted two X-Men to get into the end zone for a 14-0 lead at 12:42.
Brown threw off his back foot 28 yards to rookie Bryan Parr at 2:50 of the second quarter for a 20-0 lead. The extra point try failed.
Rookie receiver Jordan Catterrall had a big 54-yard catch and run late in the half and quarterback Cory Wensley ran in from the four-yard line to make it 21-6 at 12:27. The X-Men bobbled the snap on the extra point.
With SMU kicker Brett Lauther down after taking a knock to the head in the first half, emergency kicker Matt Simich booted a 20-yard field goal four minutes into the third quarter. Taylor extended the lead to 31-6 with a 12-yard counter at 10:27.
Hecht’s interception and return led to fullback Kurt Tonowski’s one-yard touchdown plunge at 1:06 of the fourth quarter. Simich made a 26-yard kick in the last two minutes to close the scoring.
SMU lost rush end Matt Lalande to a shoulder injury in the third quarter. Catterrall hobbled to the dressing room moments later favouring his leg.
Acadia (3-2) hosts Mount Allison (2-3) today after the Axemen beat the Mounties 26-19 last week in New Brunswick. The Axemen clinch a home playoff game with a win.