X-Men, Huskies clash in AUS football action

The StFX X-Men (2-2) dropped their second consecutive game with a 25-13 loss to the Saint Mary's Huskies (2-2) in AUS football action Friday night in Halifax.

Trailing 22-3 after three quarters, a blue-and-white rally came up short on the road.
The X-Men outscored the Huskies 10-3 in the fourth quarter.

Fifteen seconds into the final stanza, Jeremy Ford booted a 38-yard field goal to narrow the Huskies' lead to 22-6.

After Chase Kodejs replied with a 35-yard field goal for the Huskies, the X-Men scored their only touchdown with 5:42 remaining, on a one-yard touchdown by Ashton Dickson (14-44).

StFX head coach Gary Waterman commented, "It was extremely disappointing to lose, but I was very proud of how we battled for the entire 60 minutes."

"We are not creating our own breaks right now and are making things tougher on ourselves," he continued. "Despite the loss we are still in the thick of things and can control our own destiny. We will take a look at the film and make the necessary adjustments moving forward."

Tivon Cook (11-20-119), who replaced starting quarterback Clay Masikewich (6-9-51), engineered the 10-play, 75-yard drive.

With the extra point from Ford, StFX trailed 25-13.

On the ensuing possession, X-Men receiver Devon Bailey recovered a Hayden Peters' on-side kick-off and returned it to the Huskies' 36-yard line.

From there, the blue-and-white offense stalled behind Cook and the Huskies secured their second victory of the regular season.

During the fourth-quarter comeback attempt, X-Men all-star receiver Jordan Catterall (2-17) was injured and did not return to the game.

At Huskies' Stadium, the home team jumped to an early lead, scoring the first 10 points.

Chase Kodejs opened with a 30-yard field goal at 4:34 of the first quarter.

The first touchdown came on a three-yard plunge by SMU's Michael Dawes (14-68), capping a five play, 33-yard drive, with 3:35 left in the opening 15 minutes.

Huskies' linebacker Rob Jubenville recorded four sacks, including one in the opening quarter that caused a Masikewich fumble, which was recovered by SMU's Mykyta Clancy. That turnover gave the Huskies a short field for the drive that ended in the Dawes' touchdown.

In the opening 30 minutes, the Huskies recorded six sacks, finishing with eight in the contest.

After the offense bogged down early in the second quarter, the X-Men conceded a safety, which gave the Huskies a 12-0 advantage.

The X-Men cut the lead to 12-3 on the final play of the first half, when Ford kicked a 27-yard field goal.

On that drive, the blue and white took advantage of a Huskies' roughing the kicker penalty, which gave them possession at midfield with 17 seconds on the clock.

The key play of the drive was a 25-yard reception by Donald Tabor (2-44) from Masikewich, which set up Ford for his attempt.

At halftime, the Huskies collected 207 total yards in total offense, including 131 on the ground.

The X-Men offense sputtered, recording only five first downs (two on the final drive of the first half) and 12 yards in net total offense, with 51 yards through the air.

Freshman Keon Hughes led the X-Men with four catches for 46 yards, while Bailey chipped in with 20 yards on three catches.

In the game, StFX could only muster 56 yards rushing, while Saint Mary's collected 246, led by Dave Sabourin with 85 yards on 12 carries.

For the Huskies, Jack Creighton (8-14-104) and Ben Rossong (3-7-38) split time at quarterback.

Five players had two catches apiece for the winners, with Matthew Magee amassing the most yards (50).

For the game, the Huskies collected 388 in total offense, while the X-Men had 163.

On defense, linebackers Ron Omara (12) and Brett Hubbeard (11) led StFX in tackles, with Jainyme DaSilveira and Hugo Rajotte recording seven apiece.

Jubenville, the Subway player of the game, and Raymond Cornish led the Huskies, each with six tackles.

The Huskies return to action Saturday, Oct. 5, when they welcome the defending conference champion Acadia Axemen to Halifax.

The X-Men will host their annual Homecoming game on the same day, when the Mount Allison Mounties visit Oland Stadium in Antigonish.
 
Both games are scheduled to kick-off at 2 p.m.

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