By Dashawn Stephens
In 2007, Steve Sumarah coached the Saint Mary’s Huskies to a 24-2 win over the Laval Rouge et Or in the Uteck Bowl. The Huskies went on to lose in the 43rd Vanier Cup to the Manitoba Bisons. Nonetheless, with Hec Crighton winner Eric Glavic under center, many expected the Huskies to be a Vanier Cup contender for years to come. However, reality proved to be the opposite.
Glavic transferred to Calgary - and led the Dinos to a Vanier Cup appearance - while Saint Mary’s never made an appearance in the big game again. In fact, it’s been 13 seasons since any team from the Atlantic University Sports (AUS) conference has appeared in the Vanier Cup.
13 seasons is quite a long drought. Some would even call it a curse! However, no drought lasts forever. As they say for all good things, all bad things must come to an end. In 2021, the winners of the Loney Bowl will travel to Ontario to face the winners of the Yates Cup in the Mitchell Bowl. Despite the general beliefs of many, this could be the next great opportunity for a team from the AUS conference to advance to the Vanier Cup. With that being said, we’re conducting our own investigation into which Atlantic team has the best chance to break the “AUS curse” and advance to the Vanier Cup in 2021.
Bishop’s Gaiters
Let’s start with the most recent addition to the Atlantic conference. The Bishop’s Gaiters moved to the AUS after spending over 50 years in the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec. In their first two seasons in the Atlantic, the Gaiters won only one game. Their third season proved to be a changing of the guard. The Gaiters went 4-4 and made a run to the 2019 Loney Bowl. In their first conference championship appearance since 1994 (won the Dunsmore Cup) the Gaiter’s came up short to the high-powered Acadia Axemen.
In 2019, the Bishop’s Gaiters were quite a young team. Therefore, expect the Gaiters to bring back the majority of their starters in 2021. Having won four games in 2019 by an average margin of eight points, the Gaiters can still be characterized as a growing contender. As they continue to grow, expect to see massive improvements from the Bishop’s Gaiters in 2021. However, the Gaiters are still a few years away from being considered a national powerhouse.
StFX X-Men
In 2015, Gary Waterman coached StFX to their first Loney Bowl victory since 1996. It would be the first of three Jewett Trophies for the X-Men as they would be crowned conference champions three times over the course of four seasons (2015, 2016, 2018).
Just one season removed from their third Loney Bowl Victory, StFX went 2-6 in 2019 and finished 5th in the AUS - missing the playoffs completely for the first time since 2013. With many key players from their dynasty years having departed, the X-Men have gone all-in on rebuilding as they attempt to recapture the conference supremacy that they once held.
The X-Men may be in the midst of igniting a new era, but history shows that rebuilds don’t take long in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. After missing the playoffs in 2013, StFX found themselves in the Loney Bowl the following year in 2014. Of course, this can easily be attributed to the StFX coaching staff, but it can also be attributed to their strength in recruiting.
Gary Waterman is known to be a master recruiter as he’s been able to land some of the nation's top talents throughout his tenure as X-Men head coach. Some of the most notable names to grace the sacred grounds of Oland Stadium include Hénoc and Cauchy Muamba, Kwame Osei, Kaion Julien-Grant, Jordon Socholotiuk, Gordon Whyte, Dejuan Martin, Kay Okafor, Vernon Sainvil, Devon Bailey, and the late-great Ashton Dickson. Given StFX’s recent history of becoming a professional football factory, one can’t help but ask “who’s next?”
StFX will enter the 2021 season with a young team once again, but If history can serve as an indicator, this rebuild will not last long. However, at this moment, the X-Men cannot serve as the focus of discussion for ending the AUS Vanier Cup appearance drought in 2021.
Mount Allison Mounties
The Mount Allison Mounties are a fascinating phenomenon. After missing the playoffs on eight different occasions in the 2000s, the Mounties enjoyed the 2010’s as they made seven postseason appearances. Those seven postseason appearances also included four consecutive trips to the Loney Bowl (2013-2016). The Mounties even snapped their own Jewett Trophy drought - stemming back to 1997 - as they won back-to-back Loney Bowls in 2013 and 2014.
In recent years, the Mounties have fallen on hard times as they haven’t had a season above .500 since 2015 - Yes, Mount Allison went 3-5 in 2016 and still found themselves in the Loney Bowl! Despite also making the playoffs in 2019 with a 3-5 record, it’s no surprise that losing records are not good enough to win the Loney Bowl, let alone appear in the Vanier Cup.
Mount Allison is in the midst of a rebuild. They may have made the playoffs in 2019, but the core of success begins with winning. To have a season over .500 would put the Mounties in a healthy position to compete for the Jewett Trophy. Until Mount Allison can prove they are a mainstay in the win column, the Mounties cannot be seen as a team that is in the position to end the AUS Vanier Cup appearance drought.
Saint Mary’s Huskies
After their loss in the 43rd Vanier Cup, Eric Glavic and the Huskies would reclaim the Jewett Trophy again in 2008 but would fall to Michael Faulds and the Western Mustangs in the Mitchell Bowl. Glavic would then transfer to Calgary, but the Huskies failed to fold. In fact, Saint Mary’s would win two more consecutive Loney Bowls in 2009, and 2010. In total, the Saint Mary’s Huskies appeared in eight consecutive Loney Bowls from 2006 - 2013 and won four consecutive Loney Bowls from 2007-2010. However, as quickly as consistent successes manifested into conference dynasties, consecutive shortcomings developed into droughts. As their 2011 Loney Bowl loss to Acadia denied Saint Mary’s hopes of winning five straight conference championships, it also began a Jewett Trophy drought that lasts till this day.
Although they haven’t hoisted the Jewett Trophy since 2010, the Huskies have appeared in five Loney Bowls over the last nine seasons - the most of any AUS team. With that being said, there’s no doubt that the Huskies have been capable of competing for a conference championship, they just haven’t been able to get over the figurative hump. What’s interesting is that since 2011, in seasons where the Huskies did not appear in the Loney Bowl, they actually missed the playoffs altogether.
Here we have a tale of a team with two identities. On one end of the spectrum are the Saint Mary’s Huskies that have appeared in five Loney Bowls over the previous nine seasons. On the other end of the spectrum are the Saint Mary’s Huskies who have missed the playoffs in four of the previous nine seasons. Which version of SMU will football fans see in 2021?
If fans are treated to the Huskies that have missed the playoffs, then all conversations surrounding the ending of droughts stop here.
If football fans are treated to the SMU Huskies that have been scratching at the doorstep of championship glory for the better part of a decade, then the conversation of ending droughts is wide open. However, before the Huskies can set their sights on ending the AUS Vanier Cup appearance drought, they have to work towards ending their current Jewett Trophy drought. SMU has historically been an Atlantic powerhouse and has put together extremely talented teams in recent years. But before James Colzie III and his staff can begin plotting Saint Mary’s triumphant return to the Vanier Cup, their focus lies on how they can bring the Jewett Trophy back to Halifax.
Acadia Axemen
The Acadia Axemen have dominated the Atlantic conference for two of the last three seasons. In 2017, the Axemen went 6-2 en route to winning their third Loney Bowl of the decade. After a short week - due to a delayed Loney Bowl - the Axemen fell to the eventual Vanier Cup champion Western Mustangs in the Uteck Bowl. After being bounced by StFX in the semi-finals of the 2018 AUS playoffs, the Acadia Axemen entered 2019 with vengeance on their mind. The 2019 incarnation of the Acadia Axemen went undefeated in the regular season. After defeating opponents in convincing fashion, the 2019 Loney Bowl served as a coronation of Acadia’s dominance in the AUS. The Axemen nearly shutout the Bishop’s Gaiters to reclaim the Jewett Trophy in a 31-1 victory. The Axemen would sit on the other end of a complete shutout out in the following week during a 38-0 loss to the Montréal Carabins in the Uteck Bowl, ending their hopes of making a run to the Vanier Cup.
The 2019 Acadia Axemen were a team like no other. A team that included the AUS MVP, AUS Defensive Player of the year, AUS Lineman of the Year, and the AUS Head Coach of the Year, the 2019 Acadia Axemen were only the second team of the decade to win four of the five postseason conference awards.
It’s worth noting that the driving force behind the 2019 Acadia Axemen were players in their fourth year of eligibility. With U SPORTS recently awarding all fourth-year players from 2019 an additional year of eligibility to finish their careers on a rightful note, the Acadia Axemen can possibly run it back one final time with this record-breaking roster. Notable fourth-year players from the 2019 Acadia Axemen include the following:
(QB) Hunter Guenard - 2019 AUS MVP
(OL) Oliver Grant - 2019 AUS Lineman of the Year
(LB) Bailey Feltmate - 2019 AUS Defensive Player of the Year, 2019 Second Team All-Canadian, Drafted in the 2020 CFL Draft by Hamilton
(RB) Dale Wright - 2017 AUS MVP, 2019 Second Team All-Canadian
(DL) Thomas Grant - 2018 AUS Lineman of the Year, 2019 Second Team All-Canadian
(WR) Cordell Hastings - Drafted in the 2020 CFL Draft by BC
At this moment it’s unknown whether any of these key seniors will return to Acadia for the 2021 season - especially those who were drafted. However, if some - or all - of these players do find themselves back in Wolfville, Nova Scotia come August, then expect Acadia to be the favorite to reclaim the Jewett Trophy.
The Acadia Axemen possess all of the potentials to win the Loney Bowl in 2021 but do they possess the potentials to advance to the Vanier Cup? Yes, they do.
In 2019, the Acadia Axemen had the highest-scoring offence in the country (309 Total Points, 38.6 PPG). If the Axemen can find a way to recreate their 2019 offence, while maintaining their veteran core, there is no reason to doubt this team on the national stage. When comparing this potential 2021 Acadia Axemen team to all 2021 Yates Cup contenders in the OUA, Acadia’s veteran core puts the Axemen over the top -on paper - as they are equipped with veteran seniors who are among the best in the country at their respective positions. Jeff Cummins has assembled a number of impressive teams during his 16-seasons at Acadia. However, this may be his most impressive creation of all. It is because of this, the Acadia Axemen are the team best equipped to break the 13 season AUS Vanier Cup appearance drought in 2021.
