October 28, 2006

SMU rolls into playoffs

Monty Mosher, Herald Sports

Slotback Ryean Warburton put into words what the rest of the AUFC has thought for weeks — the Saint Mary’s Huskies are coming on like a speeding train heading into the playoffs.

Warburton had 129 yards receiving on seven catches and 83 yards on punt returns as the Huskies thumped the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 32-0 Friday night before 1,980 fans at Huskies Stadium. It was SMU’s first home win this year.

"It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish," said Warburton. "People have to take us serious. Now is the time to turn it up and win four in a row."

SMU tailback Jacques-Oliver Lumbala plowed for 128 yards on the ground as the Huskies outgained the free-falling X-Men 432-216 overall.

The Huskies have made their 0-3 start a distant memory. If it hadn’t been for a three-point loss in overtime last week at fourth-ranked Concordia, the Huskies would be unblemished since September.

Saint Mary’s captured second place at 3-4 with the win and will host the X-Men or the Mount Allison Mounties in a semifinal next Saturday at Huskies Stadium. The X-Men, idle for the last 13 days due to a viral outbreak, lost their fifth straight to finish 2-5.

The first-place Acadia Axemen (4-3) visit the Mounties to cap the regular season this afternoon (2 p.m., EastLink). The 2-4 Mounties, on a two-game winning streak, finish third with a win and drive the X-Men into the basement.

The Axemen will host the other semifinal next Saturday and would also host the Jewett Trophy game on Nov. 11 should they advance through the first round.

The Huskies raced away to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter and a 23-0 spread at the half.

Quarterback Erik Glavic, named the starter earlier this week, and Lumbala had short touchdown runs and Billy Robinson came off the bench to throw a 23-yard touchdown pass to slotback Joe Doherty. Robinson’s touchdown throw came on his first series after Glavic sat out for a few plays with a sore left arm.

Robinson and Glavic shared the duties all night with Robinson, a fifth-year senior in his last regular-season game, getting the last snaps of the night.

Glavic scrambled away from a series of would-be X-Men tacklers with six minutes left in the fourth quarter before dumping off an eight-yard touchdown toss to A.J. Tufford.

Head coach Steve Sumarah said he liked what both of his quarterbacks accomplished in the game and feels good about the position heading into the post-season.

"Erik did enough definitely to go next week for sure," said Sumarah, endorsing his six-foot-six sophomore for the start to begin the playoffs.

The 32 points was as much a reflection of success on defence and special teams as it was offensive execution. The SMU defence sacked St. F.X. quarterbacks Justin Connors and Corbin Sharun four times and held the X-Men run game to 32 net yards, SMU kick returners had 198 yards in total returns and the Huskies blocked or hurried three punts.

"I thought we played hard and that was the big thing," said Sumarah, who was concerned his players might not respond to a game dragged out to nearly three and a half hours by a national television broadcast. "We had some big plays on special teams early and our defence was on them from the beginning. Pitching a shutout is impressive at any point."

Glavic was allowed to command the game from the pocket more than in his first start, when he ran for 122 yards at Acadia. He was 12-for-22 for 214 yards through the air and eight-for-57 on the ground.

He said he doesn’t know if he will get the call next week or Robinson. He thinks there is a place in the SMU attack for both of them.

"We got the win and I couldn’t be happier," said Glavic, who is anticipating a rematch with the X-Men. "We wanted to send a message to them. They better be ready."

It was another in a string of uninspired efforts for John Bloomfield’s X-Men. A team expected to contend this year has been outscored 136-21 in the five setbacks.

If not for some deep balls from Connors to Bryan Pozzobon (4-77) and Nick Guest (3-82), the X-Men would have spent the whole night near their own goal-line.

Bloomfield beat a hasty retreat from the field after the game, but his players said they aren’t ready to quit.

"All we’ve got is each other," said tailback Marvin McCooty. "I don’t think very many people are giving us a chance. But when times are tough, that’s when families come together."

Notes: SMU rested three key members of its secondary. Andre Knights (ribs), Al Birthwright (quadriceps) and Marc Beswick (knee) were the scratches … SMU rookie kicker Justin Palardy had two chances to tie the team single-season record for field goals of 15. He missed from 41 and 42 yards … Ex-CFL head coach Joe Paopao scouted the game. Paopao’s son, Andrew, is a SMU lineman out for the year with a knee injury ... The Huskies were incensed that an X-Men player attempted to poke defensive lineman Clayton Chiurka in the eye in the second half and were trying to find the play on videotape after the game.

( mmosher@herald.ca)

’It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. People have to take us serious. Now is the time to turn it up and win four in a row.’