WOLFVILLE, N.S. - The CIS No. 7 ranked Mount Allison Mounties remaining undefeated with one game remaining as they improve to an impressive 7-0. More impressive was the Moutie following at Acadia's Homecoming. While still out-numbered and out cheered, the fan club watched the Mounties take a slim 10-5 halftime lead and push it to a 33-5 final after 23 unaswered points in the second half.
Leading the way was senior pivot Brandon Leyh who was 14 for 23 pass attempts for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the air. Teammate Chris led the Mountie attached on the ground with 23 carries for 113 net yards and 1 touchdown.
Mount Allison stuck first with a 48 yard Ryan Lambert field goal at the 11:35 mark of the first quarter. Acadia grabbed two quick points on a safety early in the second frame to trail the Mounties 3-2.
Looking more like a hockey score, Ryan Begin nailed a 29 yard field goal, his sixteenth in a row - a prefect 16 for 16 this season to give Acadia a 5-3 lead. But the Mounties pulled together a six play 81 yard drive that was capped by a 18 yard rush for the first of four Mountie touchdowns.
With Mount Allison heading into the halftime with a 10-5 lead, game was not out of reach for the home team Axemen.
But the Mounties pulled the plug in the opening of the second half. Following a Mount Allison rouge, the Mounties added their second major of the day after a Michael Bohan returned a Begin punt 61 yards to the Acadia six yard line. From the second play of scrimmage, Leyh tossed a seven yard pass to Matt Rose to pull ahead 19-5 after the convert.
Mount Allison would add an additional rouge and then two touchdowns in the final quarter to end the game with a convincing 33-5 win. Emmanuel Musangu had a two yard run for seven points at 0:42 in the fourth, while teammate Rodreke Joseph scored the final touchdown just over a minute after Musangu's touchdown. Joseph's major was setup by an Acadia fumbled kickoff following the Musangu major.
While the Axemen outgained the Mounties 251-223 in the air, on the ground was a different story as the Mounties defensive front seven stifled the Axemen ground attack holding Acadia to 47 net yards on the ground. Brian Jones led the Axemen with 119 yards in receiving on eight catches while first year quarterback Thompson Richards posted an impressive 24 completions on 34 attempts for 251 yards passing.
Mountie head coach, Kelly Jeffrey, was humble with the win over the Axemen. "Acadia has a great defense and their new quarterback was very accurate. I give them a lot of credit for playing well as a team", pointed out Jeffrey. "We were able to gain some momentum in the second half and capitalize on turnovers."
When asked about his team's clinching of hosting the AUS Championship with a win last weekend, Jeffrey was excited about his team's opportunity to host. "We're excited to host the Loney Bowl. It's a great reward for our fans and community who have supported us over the years. Our players are looking forward to playing at home in such a big game."
The Axemen will finish off the regular season on the road as they play the winless Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax while the Mounties host StFX in Sackville, NB. The Mounties have a chance to post an 8-0 record, a first in the AUS since the Saint Mary's Huskies went undefeated in 2001.