SASKATOON- The University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team took care of business in the Canada West semifinal, after a 39-17 win over the UBC Thunderbirds at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park.
Saskatchewan led from start-to-finish, after picking up a single on the game's opening kickoff and didn't look back, ensuring the 84th Hardy Cup will be played in Saskatoon.
"It's awesome," said Huskies linebacker Nick Wiebe, who is in his first year with the program. "It's hard to put into words. All the work we've put in over the off season, you see the faces in there, the guys who were grinding all year and then didn't get to play last year, unfortunately. You can tell, it just means the world to these guys and I'm super fired up for them."
The Huskies have pushed the importance of staying at home all throughout the year. They've won their last 11 games on home field dating back to Sept. 14, 2018. And now, unlike 2018 and 2019, they'll have the opportunity to host the Hardy Cup at Griffiths for the first-time since 2009.
"It feels pretty great," said Huskies receiver Sam Baker. "In this state of playoff football, it's week-by-week. We're just thankful we're here and that we're playing another week of football."
Saskatchewan has been one of the most dominant running teams in the nation and UBC prepared around that. They limited the Huskies ground game to just 66 rushing yards, leaving it up to the Dogs to do it through the air — and they executed. Mason Nyhus threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns on 27-35 passing, helping him remain undefeated as a starting quarterback at Griffiths.
Of those 381, 148 went to Baker, who had a monster day, hauling in eight passes, including a 14-yard touchdown. Baker was counted on throughout the afternoon from Nyhus, who trusted his veteran receiver to go up and get it - and he seemingly won on every one those 50/50 balls.
"Mason's my guy. Ever since year one when we came here, we were roommates together. That connection has been building for the last five or six years," said Baker on his rapport with his quarterback.
Daniel Perry also had a big day, recording seven receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown. While Adam Machart was limited on the ground, he did still find the paydirt twice, once on a 14-yard carry in the game's opening quarter and later through the air on a 23-yard screen-pass.
On the UBC side Garrett Rooker played well, recovering from a sluggish first quarter in his first-career Canada West playoff game. Rooker threw for 218 yards and rushed for 16 and a touchdown.
Saskatchewan hopped out to a 10-0 lead, but the visitors fought and clawed back into the ball game. Rooker's one-yard-run on third-and-goal sparked the Thunderbirds, who trimmed the lead to just three at halftime.
However, Saskatchewan got it going in the third. The aforementioned Perry major helped the Huskies take a 12-point lead into the fourth. But the visitors made it clear they weren't going away easily. A pivotal conversion from Rooker to Edgerrin Williams on second-and-20 from the Dogs 28-yard-line led to a six-yard scamper by Lucas Mastrodomeni to trim the homeside's lead to just five.
But from then on, it was all Saskatchewan. 17 points in the final 7:24 helped seal it.
Despite the one-sided, Huskies head coach Scott Flory didn't downplay the talent of the Thunderbirds.
"They're young, they're athletic, they're a good football team. They're well coached."
But in the end, Saskatchewan was too much to handle for a young UBC team, making their first playoff appearance since 2018, spelling an end to a successful season which saw them win three of their final four to reach the postseason.
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan's season lives to see another day. One more date at home, as they search after their 20th Hardy Cup title in program history.
"We have a reputation at Griffiths to play some pretty good football. So I think every team that'll come in here will know that," said Wiebe.
Saskatchewan will take on either the Manitoba Bisons or Alberta Golden Bears next Saturday afternoon, with kick off scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
"We know it's going to be a good game next week. We know whoever wins this football game here is going to come in here and it's going to be tough," said Flory.
