Huskies top plucky Mounties

Justin Palardy ties AUS Career Field Goal Record with 56

By MONTY MOSHER Sports Reporter

October 3, 2009

It hasn’t all been pretty, but the Saint Mary’s Huskies are 3-1.

The CIS ninth-ranked Husk ies, behind in every game this year, rallied to overpower the Mount Allison Mounties 47-18 Friday night in AUS football be fore 3,200 fans at Huskies Stadi um. Mount Allison is winless in four.

Saint Mary’s trailed 14-10 at the end of the first quarter and it was 17-17 late in the second quarter before the Huskies fi nally ripped apart a weak Mount A defence. SMU com piled 678 yards of offence to 353 for Mount A.

Sophomore quarterback Jack Creighton completed 24-of-33 for 438 yards, second all-time in a game for a SMU quarterback, and three touchdowns before leaving with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jahmeek Murray (6-132) and Carl Hard wick (5-103) were the top tar g ets.

SMU placekicker Justin Pa lardy kicked four field goals to tie the AUS career record of 56. The Acadia Axemen, 1-2, visit the CIS No. 6 St. Francis Xavier X-Men, 3-0, in the week’s other AUS game this afternoon at Oland Stadium.

The Huskies extended their winning streak over the Moun ties to 19.

The Mounties are in the midst of three of the hardest weeks in team history. They host the Huskies again next Saturday in Moncton and then travel to La val to face the Vanier Cup cham pions for the first time.

“We’re still not where we want to be," said Huskies tail back Tristan Jones, who had an 18-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. “We still have a lot of work to do. We’ve just got to execute better."

He said being resilient in games means you got yourself into trouble in the first place.

“We shouldn’t have to do that," he said. “We should be able to get up on teams and keep it going from there. It’s good that we can battle through ad versity, but that’s not where we want to be. We want to be beat ing teams from the get-go and by halftime having some drinks."

“Our biggest challenge right now is to try to piece together 60 minutes on all three sides of the ball," said Huskies head coach Steve Sumarah. “Right now that’s sporadic."

Mount A receiver Gary Ross had 11 catches for 130 yards, but only one reception in the sec ond half after suffering a bruised hip late in the second quar ter.

The Mounties were undaunt ed by the loss and are already looking forward to next week’s rematch.

“We definitely do believe," said Ross, moving into range of the conference record for recep tions. “I think the first half will show the younger guys we can play with teams as good as Saint Mary’s, but it will also show them that if you don’t play a full game you’re not going to get the desired outcome."

The Huskies, lifeless at the outset last week against Sher brooke, came out feisty with Fi­rass El Fateh recovering an on side kickoff to open the game. Creighton marched the offence 49 yards on four plays with Mur ray catching a 25-yard touch down pass at 1:50. But the Mounties didn’t buckle with rookie quarterback Jake Hotchkiss (20-28-237) tak ing his team the length of the field on their first possession, ending the 11-play, 78-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Jared Collett at 6:09.

SMU moved into the Mount A red zone on the next series but stalled in close, settling for a Pa lardy 15-yard field goal at 10:13. Craig Leger’s fumble just be fore the end of the quarter got Mount A into position for the go-ahead score. Hotchkiss was on the money to Ben Stehr from 18 yards for a 14-10 lead at 13:55. Tristan Jones put SMU back on top with his scamper at 5:52 of the second quarter. Olivier Eddie’s 16-yard field goal at 9:37 tied it 17-17.

A pass interference call in the end zone led to a one-yard dive by Devon Jones at 11:27 for a 24-17 Huskies’ lead.

Palardy’s second field goal at 13:32 from 38 yards gave SMU a 10-point lead. Mount A had a punt single on the last play of the half to make it 27-18.

The Huskies carved up the Mount A pass defence to start the third quarter with Creight on going up top to Hardwick from 23 yards for a 34-18 spread at 1:20. Creighton fired his third touchdown pass, this one a six yard strike to Joe Doherty, for a 41-18 SMU lead at 8:52.

Palardy booted his third field goal, another 38-yard effort, less than a minute into the fourth quarter and a 12-yarder at 13:23.

(mmosher@herald.ca)