SACKVILLE, N.B. – The Mount Allison Mounties will be looking for a quicker start when they host the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in Atlantic University Sport Football action Saturday.
The Mounties have had a rough first half in a pair of losses to open the season, including a 51-5 loss to the X-Men to open the season Sept. 7 in Sackville. That was followed by a tough first quarter in a loss at Montreal last weekend.
“In the two games we’ve played we have competed well in the second half. We need to come out faster, that’s for sure,” Mounties’ coach Kelly Jeffrey said. “I Week 1 we gave up a ton of points in the second quarter and in Week 2 we gave up a lot of points in the second quarter. We’re capable of competing with any team and playing a full game, we just have to put it together.”
Against the X-Men two weeks ago, both teams started tentatively in front of 2,219 fans at MacAulay Field, but St. F.X. busted the game open in the second quarter outscoring Mount Allison 35-2.
Last Saturday in Montreal, the Mounties lost 36-9 to the McGill Redmen, who broke a 23-game losing streak with the win. The Redmen scored two touchdowns before the game was six minutes old.
Saturday’s matchup is the university’s homecoming game and Jeffrey said there will be a lot of excitement around the field. He said it will be important for his team to keep the crowd in the game, but not get distracted with the atmosphere.
“We have to have a good start to get the fans in the game and give them something to cheer about,” he said.
Despite the 0-2 start, Jeffrey said there are a lot of positives with a young team that’s getting better every game.
“Our ultimate goal is to improve every week and I think we’re still on track for that,” he said.
If You’re Going:
Game Time: 2 p.m. at MacAulay field
Who’s Playing: St. Francis Xavier X-Men (1-1) vs. Mount Allison Mounties (0-2)
Last Week: Mount Allison lost 36-9 to McGill, St. F.X. lost 41-20 to Concordia
Next Week: Mount Allison is at Acadia
Stats: St. F.X. leads the conference in offence with an average of 35.5 points and 367.5 yards per game and at eight has the most touchdowns. Mount Allison has averaged seven points and just one touchdown in two games.
