Axemen playing for pride

The Acadia football Axemen aren’t that bad – certainly not as bad as their 0-5 record (at the time I’m writing this) would suggest.

It’s hard to argue with the stats: Acadia allowed 151 points in its first five regular season games (all losses) and scored just 80. That kind of differential isn’t going to win you many games.

At the same time, three of Acadia’s five losses were by a total of 14 points – two-point and five-point losses to Saint Mary’s and a seven-point overtime defeat at St. F.X.

How does one explain a 42-21 loss to the formerly hapless Mount Allison Mounties, even if they are a team that has obviously improved a lot over the past couple of seasons?

Anyone can have a bad game against a good team, or even on occasion a bad game against a not-so-good team. However, it seems when the Axemen offense plays well – and racks up close to 500 yards, as it did against both SMU and Mount A – the defense doesn’t. And when the defense has a good day, the offense has troubles moving the ball.

Former Axemen head coach Sonny Wolfe has always been a firm believer there are three battles to be won in any given football game: offense, defense and special teams.

So what’s wrong with the Axemen? One might argue Acadia has been on a downward spiral since its most recent conference title in 2006.

Head coach Jeff Cummins is in line to shoulder much of the blame and, according to some at least, maybe he should.

Personallly, I can’t blame it on Cummins, who I feel has done a decent job of recruiting players who, everything else being equal, should be able to get the job done.

On the other hand, Cummins and his fellow coaches don’t contain the opposing quarterback, or catch the ball – which Acadia didn’t do a great job of against Mount A.

Offensively, the Axemen have solid AUFC-calibre players at most positions – a good quarterback, a decent running game, good receivers and a veteran line. Defensively, while they lack experience at some positions, most of the Axemen unit is solid, especially with all-conference free safety Elliott Richardson back from injury. Acadia can hold its own on special teams, with punter James Michener one of the best in the country, Mike Godfrey a budding all-star kicker and Devon Jones a potential game-breaking kick returner.

It’s doing it all at the same time that has been the problem.

In any league, someone always has to finish last. Everyone else in the AUFC, including SMU, has taken their turn at it over the past 15 years.

Perhaps what hurts the most if you’re an Acadia football fan is, the Axemen, while they don’t always win championships, aren’t that accustomed to looking up at everyone else in the standings either. I honestly can’t remember the last time the Axemen were 0-5.

At the same time, if you really look at it, it’s not that Acadia is that bad: it’s that St. F.X. and particularly Mount A are that much better, making for a far more balanced league in which simply showing up isn’t enough.

That’s a positive for the league. The positive for Acadia is it’s a reality of university sport that everything runs in cycles: everybody ends up with a new team every five years, whether you like it or not.

Play their cards right – and Cummins has already proven he’s a good recruiter and a skilled head coach – and the Axemen will be right back up there fighting for a championship, perhaps even next year.

Even though for the rest of this season they’ll be playing for pride, there won’t ever be a better chance to take stock and make whatever subtle adjustments are needed.