(SACKVILLE, N.B.) - The AUS regular season wrapped up with a showdown for first place and the game did not disappoint, with the visiting StFX X-Men coming away with a 24-18 win at Mount Allison.
Both teams finished the season with indentical 5-3 records but the Mounties clinched first place on point differential in head-to-head play with the X-Men.
The Mounties will now host the 2015 Subway AUS Loney Bowl for the second straight year at Alumni Field on Saturday, November 14th at 2pm. With the win, StFX finishes in second place and will host the Acadia Axemen in the AUS semi-final game next Saturday, November 7th at 2pm.
StFX opened the scoring midway through the opening quarter when kicker Jonathan Heidebrecht recorded a single point off a missed field goal.
The Mounties responded on their next drive, marching 75 yards before freshman Josh Hicks caught a 13-yard TD pass from QB Brandon Leyh. It marked the second straight week Hicks has had a touchdown reception. The Mounties extended their lead to 9-1 when StFX conceded a safety late in the 1st quarter.
The lead increased to 12-1 for the Mounties when kicker Ryan Lambert struck from 30 yards out. Heidebrecht then kicked consecutive field goals for the X-Men from 27 and 39 yards to bring the score to 12-7 with six minutes remaining in the half.
Lambert, the AUS scoring leader, then connected from 27 yards out with two minutes remaining to extend the lead to 15-7 for the Mounties. Heidebrecht added another single point to leave the score at 15-8 at halftime.
Lambert kicked his third field goal of the afternoon from 32 yards out to give the Mounties an 18-8 lead with 5 minutes to play in the third quarter.
With the three field goals on the day, Lambert finishes the season with 22, a new Mounties school record and one short of the AUS all-time single-season record of 23.
Heidebrecht hit from 21 and 43 yards to trim the lead to 18-14 and then a Mount Allison conceded safety brought the score to 18-16 with six minutes remaining in the game. StFX grabbed the lead two minutes later when running back Ashton Dickson scored from two yards out. With a successful two-point conversion, the X-Men went ahead 24-18. The X-Men had a couple more possessions in the final minutes but were unable to add any more points to their total.
Leyh finished 18-of-33 for 175 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Quinn LeBlanc rushed for 102 yards on 21 carries while Josh Hicks led all Mounties receivers with 6 catches for 66 yards.
For the X-Men, QB Tivon Cook was 19-of-32 for 236 yards. Dickson had an AUS single-game record 41 carries in the win for 226 yards and a touchdown while Donald Tabor had eight catches for 99 yards.
With the result, it means the Mouties will make their third straight appearance in the Subway AUS Loney Bowl.
StFX will host the Axemen next Saturday in the AUS semi-final. Last season the X-Men, who trailed for the entire semi-final game against Acadia, pulled off a last minute victory before falling to the Mounties in the 2014 AUS final.
Next week's game along with the Subway AUS Loney Bowl game will be televised live on Bell Aliant FibreOp TV1 and will be available via webcast at www.AUStv.ca
Source: Mount Allison Communications