Huskies defence dominates in 33-7 win over defending champion Gaiters

(HALIFAX, N.S.) The Saint Mary's defence made big plays all afternoon, led by a sack and forced fumble by Player of the Game Jahmari Brown, as the U SPORTS no. 10-ranked Huskies defeated the no. 6-ranked Bishop's Gaiters 33-7 in AUS football action on Saturday afternoon at Huskies Stadium.

The game began with a big special teams play by the Huskies, as kicker Adam Johnston (Rothesay, NB) boomed the opening kick into the endzone, and linebacker Robert Wood (Newmarket, ON) was able to tackle returner O'Shae Ho-Sang (Montreal, QC) at the Bishop's one-yard line. Gaiters quarterback Justin Quiron (Saint-Georges, QC) was able to complete back-to-back passes to Ho-Sang and receiver Cedric Maurice (Laval, QC) for 23 and 46 yards respectively. But the Huskies defence stood tall and forced a Gaiters punt to end the threat.

Both teams exchanged punts over their next few drives. Saint Mary's had the first chance to put points on the scoreboard, as a 39-yard punt return by Chandler Zinck-Marier (Pleasantville, NS) led to a Johnston missed field goal, but the teams remained scoreless.

The Huskies finally broke the deadlock late in the first quarter, as Shibley found receiver Joshua Jack (Brampton, ON) streaking down the right sideline for a 36-yard gain, before being forced out at the Gaiters five-yard line. Running back Malik Williams (Ajax, ON) finished it off with his U SPORTS leading fifth rushing touchdown of the season, and Johnston converted the PAT to put the Huskies ahead 7-0.

The Huskies defence began flexing their muscles after the score, as defensive end Jahmari Brown (Oshawa, ON) forced a Quiron fumble. Bishop's recovered, but trapped deep in their own zone, elected to concede a safety, putting Saint Mary's ahead 9-0, which was the score after the first quarter.

The second quarter picked up where the first left off, as Jahmari Brown sacked Quiron, and Gaiters kicker Xavier Gervais (Ottawa, ON) missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, scoring a single point to cut the lead to 9-1.

On the ensuing Huskies possession, Shibley was able to drive down field with two completions to each of Trydell Mintis (Halifax, NS) and Kade Smith (Halifax, NS), with Smith's second reception going for a 21-yard touchdown, with Johnston hitting the extra point to make it 16-1.

The Huskies aerial attack continued on the next drive, with Shibley connecting on passes to five different receivers, headlined by a 28-yard gain to Cherokee Robinson (Halifax, NS), before hitting Trydell Mintis for a three-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 23-1.

Bishop's offence continued to struggle, but their defence made a big play to end the half, as defensive back Alex MacDonald (Eastern Passage, NS) picked off Shibley for the interception, but the Huskies took a 23-1 lead into halftime.

No points were scored in the third quarter, as both defences made big plays, including another Bishop's courtesy of defensive back Joseph Manga (Yaounde, Cameroon).

The Huskies offence got back on track to begin the fourth quarter, with Shibley hitting Robinson for a 28-yard catch and run, before Shibley plunged two yards into the end zone for the major, with Johnston's PAT extending the lead to 30-1.

Johnston added a 19-yard field goal to put the Huskies ahead 33-1, before the Gaiters hit the scoresheet with a one-yard touchdown from receiver Mathieu Bellavance (Quebec City, QC), but the two-point conversion attempt failed bringing the score to 33-7, which would go down as the final score.

Huskies defensive end Jahmari Brown was named Player of the Game with two tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. Linebacker Matthew Schill led all players with nine solo tackles and the Huskies also got sacks from defensive linemen Cam Buchanan and Romareo Reid.

Offensively, Shibley completed 19/28 passes for 239 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, with Allan Young completing both his attempts for 37 yards in relief. Nine different players caught passes for the Huskies, led by Joshua Jack with four receptions for 80 yards, Kade Smith with five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown, Cherokee Robinson with two receptions for 47 yards, and Trydell Mintis with four receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. Nicholas Park led the Huskies rushing attack with seven rushes for 39 yards, while Malik Williams and Justin Shibley each scored touchdowns on the ground.

The Gaiters were led in defeat by Justin Quirion, who completed 25/36 passes for 349 yards. O'Shae Ho-Sang ran 12 times for 58 yards, and Alex MacDonald recorded nine total tackles and added an interception.

With the win, the #10 ranked Huskies improve to 3-0 on the campaign, and currently lead the AUS in nearly every team statistic, including points scored and point differential. The Huskies have a bye next week, and return to action on Saturday, Sept. 20, as they visit the STFX X-Men (2-0) at 2 p.m. AST.

The Gaiters loss drops their record to 1-1 on the campaign. Bishop's will be back in action next Saturday, Sept. 13 as they visit STFX at 2 p.m. AST.

Source: Allan April for Saint Mary's Huskies Athletics