Machart rushing toward record with regular-season finale on tap
Huskies back averaging 158 yards a game; needs 164 to sit atop all-time U of S list
Adam Machart is on quite a ramble.
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies tailback is mounting a Hec Crighton-calibre season on the strength of hard-churning legs and big, green gaps.
To illustrate: Machart leads the conference rushing race by such a wide margin that runner-up Michael Ritchott of Manitoba would have had to accumulate an impossible 683 yards on Friday night against Regina to get a one-yard advantage.
And Machart still has one game to play — Saturday, 2 p.m., at Griffiths Stadium against the visiting Alberta Golden Bears in a matchup with playoff-positioning ramifications. There’s this storyline, too: Machart needs 164 rushing yards to break the Huskies’ single-season record, established by Doug Rozon in 1999.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t (on my mind) a little bit,” says Machart, whose 1,104 rushing yards — an average of 158 per game — leads both the conference and the nation.
“I know I’ve got to go out and play a great game for my team, get the win and I think the rest will take care of itself.”
The 4-3 Huskies have clinched a playoff spot, but whether that first post-season game is at home or away remains to be seen. First is a possibility; so is fourth. It all hinges on Saturday’s closing day.
And then there’s that rushing record, which the team — including Machart — is low-keying heading into Saturday.
Says head coach Scott Flory: “When you’re talking about Adam and what he’s doing, as I’ve told him, it’s not something I even want to know about as a play-caller. We’re trying to win the football game and Adam’s all in. He’s a leader on our football team and he’s an outstanding teammate. He’s not concerned with it, either. If it happens, it happens, but it’s not on the front burner at all. We’re trying to take care of our business and trying to win a football game on Saturday.
“Listen, it’s no secret he’s a huge part of our game plan. We’re not going to go out of our way or break character to satisfy something. As any player will ever tell you, they’ll sacrifice every one of those individual awards for team awards any day of the week.”
Machart readily concurs.
“At the end of the day, we’re not here for individual records, as cool as they are,” Machart says. “That’s not why I’m here. I’d be honoured, obviously, to get that. But at the end of the day, winning football games and going far in the playoffs is the ultimate goal. I completely agree with coach Flory on that point; you can’t coach for personal records. You’ve got to coach for the win and the rest will take care of itself, as I said earlier.”
Rozon put up 1,267 yards during that 1999 campaign and David Stevens is second on the Huskies chart with 1,229 rushing yards in 2005.
Machart is just the third Huskie to crack 1,000 in a season. He doesn’t know Rozon, but he’s heard a lot about him.
“David Stevens, I know fairly well,” he adds. “He was one of my first trainers for the sport of football and he’s been a really big influence for me and a really big support, helping me along the way with advice. He’s been really good for me.”
The Huskies and Golden Bears (4-3) met earlier this season, when Alberta won 19-17. Both teams are coming off losses. The Huskies lost 38-37 to UBC on Saturday and Alberta lost 31-17 to Regina.
Machart says those two setbacks aren’t far removed as he prepares for Saturday’s regular-season finale.
“They do (sit in a player’s mind), but not in a negative way,” Machart says. “We think of it almost like a little fuel on the fire; we can use those to propel ourselves into this game and into playoffs. Use it as a bit of a chip on our shoulder to play every down a little bit tougher. Use it as motivation.”