The St. Francis Xavier X-Men are hoping the second half of the season is kinder to running back James Green.
The Halifax native and fifth-year Atlantic University Sport all-star battled nagging injuries in the first half while dealing with significant personnel changes and still managed 176 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries.
“He was banged up more than anything, some nagging things were bothering him that just lingered around,” said X-Men head coach Gary Waterman. “There’s no concern now.”
Green averaged 135 yards per game last season, a total that has dipped to just 44 yards per game this year.
A healthy Green could do more damage in the second half, especially if the X-Men show they have adjusted to life without graduated offensive linemen Steve Myddelton and Rory Campbell and fullback Jeremy Marchand.
“We’re not the same team as last year … We’re missing three major parts of our run game,” Waterman said. “We ran the ball a lot last year and we ran it fairly well.
“We’d like to run and get that balance, but it’s taking a little longer to get up to speed with the changes.”
The X-Men, first place in the AUS with a 4-0 record, visit the Acadia Axemen tomorrow at 7 p.m.
