Football: Hec of a problem for Saint Mary's

"Saint Mary’s Huskies quarterback Erik Glavic, last year’s winner of the Hec Crighton Trophy, says he is no better than 50-50 to play this year. He still has pain in his surgically repaired left knee and is certain he will be unable to participate in contact drills when training camp opens Aug. 23." -- Monty Mosher

Talk during the winter was that Glavic would miss at least the first or second game for the Huskies. It's a shame to hear this, since he's so fun to watch.

The obvious question is who would end up being SMU's starting quarterback. Ted Abraham was put in a tight spot in the Vanier Cup, making his first career start against a veteran Manitoba defence, so it's hard to make a judgment call on him. Newcomer Nathan Beeler, who was with the Calgary Dinos in '06, could be a real X factor. Beeler had a great year in junior football with the Ottawa Sooners last fall, running a pro style-passing attack that's not unlike Saint Mary's (one of his receivers, Jon Delahunt, will be playing in the Big East with the UConn Huskies this fall).

What about the Hec Crighton race? Between Gary Ross possibly not returning to Mount Allison and Glavic maybe missing the season, the front-runner to be the Atlantic nominee is wide-open. Mount A QB Kelly Hughes might have a shot, although his team had its own setbacks this off-season.

Related:
Glavic could miss ’08 season (Monty Mosher, Halifax Chronicle-Herald)