Returning leaders make X-Men a threat to win fourth straight AUS title

HALIFAX, N.S. (Aug. 22, 2024) – The 2024 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) football season kicks off this weekend with a pair of games set for Saturday, Aug. 24.

Before we dive into who is playing let’s talk about the three-time defending champs from STFX, who will actually have to wait another week (Aug. 31) to begin their quest for another title when they take on Bishop’s University in a rematch of last season’s AUS Loney Bowl. Another title earned this season would mark the first time the X-Men have won four straight championships since the 1960s when they captured five consecutive banners (1960-1964).

“With the success that we have had over the last few years we understand that we are going to have a huge target in our backs,” said X-Men head coach Gary Waterman. “What we have expressed to our players is that they should take nothing for granted, and rather than focus on the result, focus on the process of getting better each day.”

The X-Men should once again be considered a favourite thanks to the offensive weapons that have returned to STFX Stadium this season. Back in the fold this year are the league’s leading passer, leading rusher and top two receivers from last season’s squad.

Under centre is fourth-year pivot Silas Fagnan, who threw for a league-best 2,075 yards and 13 touchdowns – which was good enough to capture his second Chris Flynn Trophy as the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

Should Fagnan replicate last year’s 2,000+ passing yards, that would vault the product of Bonnyville, Alta., into second place all-time in AUS history with more than 7,300 yards – coincidentally, passing Flynn (7,292 yards) in the process. Acadia’s Larry Jusdanis sits atop the record book at 8,766 yards passing in five seasons (1991-95).

Hauling in passes from Fagnan will be the X-Men duo of Zachary Houde and Ben Harrington. The two sat Nos. 1 and 2 in receiving last season – Houde recording a league-best 662 yards, with Harrington at 557. Harrington’s six touchdowns tied for the AUS lead amongst receivers with Bishop’s University's Oliver Burnett. And if those two are not open, Fagnan is just as confident in throwing it to Devaughn Blackwood, who finished seventh in receiving yards last year (346 yards).

When Fagnan is not airing it out, there is a good chance he is handing the ball off to Malcolm Bussey, who blew the league away with 1,038 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. Bussey’s season in which he finished 362 yards ahead of his nearest competitor earned him a third-straight AUS All-Star nod.

“We are extremely excited going into the 2024 season,” Waterman added. “With Silas Fagnan, Malcolm Bussey, Zachary Houde, Devaughn Blackwood, and Ben Harrington all coming back, we return a strong core of explosive and dynamic playmakers. Not only are they extremely talented athletes, but they are also all great leaders.”

Now on to Saturday’s action which begins at 2 p.m. with the Acadia Axemen against the host Mount Allison Mounties at Alumni Field in Sackville, N.B. While both teams are coming off seasons in which they had a losing record – Mount Allison at 3-5, Acadia at 1-7 – the Mounties earned a berth to the AUS semifinals before falling to Bishop’s University.

This season marks the five-year anniversary of Acadia’s last AUS title back in 2019, so head coach Jeff Cummins might be leaning on some of that nostalgia to get them back to the Loney Bowl this season.

For Mount Allison, it’s the 10-year anniversary of their last championship back in 2014 so they, too, will look to the past for a little inspiration this time around. Head coach Peter Fraser has been leading the team since 2018 and is hoping to turn four consecutive playoff appearances into a Loney Bowl title.

The Mounties will have a bit of momentum on their side following a 17-10 pre-season win over STFX last weekend. Acadia lost 53-17 to Saint Mary's University in their lone pre-season contest.

The Bishop’s University Gaiters will begin their season Saturday when they take on the host Saint Mary’s Huskies at 3 p.m. at Huskies Stadium.

The Gaiters went 6-2 last season, making it all the way to the Loney Bowl before falling to the X-Men. SMU on the other hand, went 2-6 and lost to STFX in the AUS semifinal.

Saint Mary’s and head coach Steve Sumarah will be looking for the program’s first AUS title since ending a four-year run on top of the AUS in 2010 and are coming off a dominant 53-17 pre-season victory over Acadia just last weekend.

The Gaiters, who again have head coach Cherif Nicolas roaming the sidelines, have reached the Loney Bowl in three of the past four seasons but have yet to place their hands on the trophy. Their lone pre-season matchup saw them fall to Laval 25-3.