GAME INFORMATION

Date: Saturday, Oct. 30
Time: 1 p.m.
Opponent: Manitoba Bisons
Location: Winnipeg, Man.
Venue: Investors Group Field
Watch: SaskTel 49, 349 / Canadawest.tv
Listen: HuskieFAN

SCHEDULE || WATCH LIVE 

What a matchup we're in for. 

It's the Bisons and Huskies going toe-to-toe for top-spot in the Canada West. 

These two top-six ranked programs met up once already in 2021. But that was the preseason. This is the regular-season, in a game with serious postseason implications. 

It may only be week five, but with a win, the Huskies would clinch first-place in the conference, ensuring home-field throughout the entirety of the Canada West playoffs. Meanwhile for the Bisons a win clinches at least top-two seed, but leaves the door open for the green-and-white to still claim first-place with a week-six win and some help in the out-of-town scoreboard.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba both enter this week with matching 3-1 records and are locked-up atop the conference. The Huskies, who are ranked number-five in the nation, have done it off the backs of three-consecutive wins, including their 28-17 victory over the Regina Rams this past weekend.

Meanwhile, the number-six ranked Bisons are fresh off their first loss of the season - a 26-24 defeat at the hands of the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver, a loss that knocked them down two spots in the national rankings.

Saskatchewan will hope they can dish Manitoba their second-straight defeat and end their hopes of finishing a top of the Canada West and ensure that should the two programs meet again, it will happen on home field in a battle for the Hardy Cup.

Quotables:

Flory on the impending first-place showdown against the Bisons:

"That's a beast in itself, right? We'll worry about that tomorrow; watch the film and clean up things, and then we'll get into Manitoba starting on Monday."

Nyhus on the matchup and the current state of the conference:

"We know we're going to have a tough test for sure. Every game in the Canada West is a dogfight. You've seen that the past few weeks that nothing's guaranteed and we know we have to come to battle every day at practice and the games. We're going to be in a dog fight every week."  

Head-to-head vs. Manitoba:

• All-time vs. Manitoba: Saskatchewan is 45-45
• Last 10 meetings: Saskatchewan is 5-5
• Huskies 2019 regular-season record vs. Manitoba: 1-1
• Last regular season meeting: 49-21 Huskies win on Oct. 4, 2019 at Griffiths Stadium

5ish Things:

1. A Saskatchewan win on Saturday would mark their first time since 2010 finishing atop of the Canada West. The Calgary Dinos have finished in first-place in three-consecutive seasons, but with a loss on Saturday, the Dinos would be eliminated from postseason contention.
2. Make it 300 in three-straight. Huskies quarterback Mason Nyhus has hit the 300-yard passing mark in three-consecutive games. The fourth-year pivot has 12 touchdowns through four games, to just one interception.
3. The case could certainly be made for Nyhus being the best quarterback in the country. The fourth-year Regina product leads the nation with 321.8 passing yards-per-game.
4. Part of that success is due to Colton Klassen. The fifth-year receiver is putting up quite the curtain call in his final season with the program, now sitting at six touchdowns through four games. Klassen now has 20 receiving touchdowns in his Huskies career - good enough for second all-time in program history, trailing only his former teammate Mitch Hillis, who finished his tenure with 24.
5. It's been a Saskatchewan offence that just keeps clicking - part of that is due to their success in the ground game. The Huskies lead the nation with 7.3 yards-per-carry, as Adam Machart continues to carry the weight 395 rushing yards through four games.
6. You sure can't knock the Huskies discipline. Saskatchewan is tied for first in U SPORTS with only 35 penalties through four games.

Scouting the Bisons:

When Manitoba last came to town, it was Des Catellier under centre. But a season-ending injury to the Calgary product opened the door for Jackson Tachinski, who has started every game since Catellier went down in week one.

But after Tachinski was injured last week in Vancouver, Sawyer Thiessen played the second half for the Bisons, finishing his day with 51 yards on 2-14 passing to go along with an interception.

Tachinski's health and who starts at quarterback remains in question for Saturday's contest in Winnipeg. 

Whoever starts at centre will be aided by a tremendous group of Bisons pass-catchers. While his stats haven't necessarily shown it, Macho Bockru is one of the conference's best. Bockru, who had three touchdowns in 2019 in Manitoba's season-opener against the Huskies, finished his fourth-year campaign with 41 receptions for 590 yards. But the fifth-year receiver has started slow in 2021, catching just 15 passes for 180 yards in four games.

Elsewhere in the Canada West in week three:

Regina at Alberta, Saturday, Oct. 30 at 1:00 p.m.
UBC at Calgary, Saturday, Oct. 30 at 2:00 p.m.

U SPORTS Top-Ten: