Huskie Gameday: Battle for First Place on Haligonia

Micah Brown could be in for big day vs. the Mounties last ranked passing defence
(photo credit)

by Jared Hochman

The Saint Mary’s Huskies look to jump to the top of the Atlantic University Sport standings after an 0-3 start when they host Mount Allison University today at 2:00 p.m.

The Huskies have won three straight games since the slow start, most recently a 41-6 drubbing of St. Francis Xavier, and face a Mount A team that sports an identical 3-3 record.

Mount Allison recently snapped a two-game skid with a 20-7 win over Acadia on Oct. 16.

These two teams hooked up on Sept. 25 in New Brunswick, with the Mounties emerging with 23-21 victory.

Working in Saint Mary’s favour is that the team is the only squad in the AUFC that has outscored its opponents this season, with a +47 points differential.

The key for Saint Mary’s to avenge its earlier loss is to keep the Mounties’ offense off the field. Mount Allison leads the AUFC with 372.5 yards of total offense per game, highlighted by quarterback Jake Hotchkiss, who has a 67.8 completion percentage, six touchdowns and a conference-best 228.8 passing yards per game.

The Huskies will rely on their No. 1-ranked rushing attack, which piles up more than 163 yards per contest. Craig Leger is the feature back for the Huskies, averaging 5.6 yards per carry, but quarterback Micah Brown is also deadly with his legs, logging 36 yards per game on the ground.

The game can be seen by webcast on http://www.live.haligonia.ca/. Mavs Gillis will have the call from Huskies Stadium.

Matchup:
Mount Allison Mounties (http://athletics.mta.ca/) – 3-3, tied to first in AUFC
Head Coach – Kelly Jeffrey

Players to watch:
QB Jake Hotchkiss (No. 6) – AUFC-leading passer with 228.8 yards/game.
WR Gary Ross (No. 80) – Leads AUFC with 417 yards in just four games.
DL Ryan Downe (No. 44) – Second in AUFC with five sacks and eight tackles for loss

Huskies Notes:
- Defensive back Jeff Hecht was the AUS defensive player of the week with 6.5 tackles and an interception in last week’s win over St. Francis Xavier.

Jared Hochman lives in Halifax and is a graduate of the Kings Journalism Program. Email comments to sports@haligonia.ca