SASKATOON — For the second time this season, the No. 8 Regina Rams pushed the No. 2 Saskatchewan Huskies to the brink, but it was the Huskies that prevailed with a 23-20 victory on Saturday afternoon at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park.
"We won," said Huskies head coach Scott Flory. "But at the end we didn't finish the game the way we wanted to or the way we should've and I don't think we collectively played to our standard — start to finish — in that game. So yes, we won and we're happy but we know we got a lot of work to do."
With Regina trailing by 11 points in the late stages of the fourth quarter, the visitors orchestrated a 16-play, 93-yard drive, which was capped by Noah Pelletier a one-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion — making it a three-point ball game with under two minutes remaining.
On the ensuing kickoff, Rams kicker Aldo Galvan executed the sky ball to perfection, as Regina recovered the onside kick and was suddenly set up at the Saskatchewan 46-yard-line with 59 seconds remaining.
But it was John Stoll who played hero and stopped the comeback attempt in its tracks on the very next snap.
Stoll, a Melville, Sask. product, made the biggest play of his young Huskies career as he picked off Pelletier to give Saskatchewan the ball back and allow quarterback Mason Nyhus to eventually go into victory formation.
"For John Stoll to go out there and make that play, I'm very very happy for him," said Huskies defensive back Katley Joseph. "We come in with that mindset to create turnovers right and get the ball back to our offence."
"It was a whirlwind at the end," said Nyhus." "Obviously I trust our defence to make stops and when we needed it, we got that pick and they iced the game."
The interception — which was one of three on the day for the Huskies defence — helped Saskatchewan move to 6-0 for the third-time in program history and in the process, clinch top-spot in the Canada West and home field throughout the entirety of the postseason.
"We've been pretty successful here in the past at Griffiths — some home cooking for the boys. So it's nice being here and we're just happy that we clinched, but once again, it earns us nothing on Saturday's. We just got to keep plugging away and go 1-0 each week," said Nyhus.
"At the end of it, there are going to be good teams coming in here. We know we clinched home field through playoffs, but we know that earns us nothing on Saturday's. So we're just taking it play-by-play, game-by-game and just keep stacking wins."
After an opening half interception from Nyhus that resulted in the Rams taking a 12-3 lead, the fifth-year quarterback settled in and helped lead the Huskies out of said deficit. Saskatchewan scored 20 unanswered and shutout Regina from the 11:00 mark of the second quarter, until Pelletier's one-yard scamper with just 1:01 remaining.
The Hec Crighton Trophy hopeful, who entered the day as the nation's leading passer, threw for 297 yards and a touchdown on 20-30 passing. 132 of those yards were to second-year running back Ryker Frank — who added 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground — in what was his most impressive performance as a Huskie.
"Kid can play. Yeah he can play," said Flory. ""He's a special kid. He's a special athlete — no doubt about it. On and off the field, in the classroom specially. Really proud of him."
"We always knew what we had in Ryker, but him getting the chance to show it here on a game-by-game basis — he's only getting better each and every day."
The victory also marked the Huskies fifth-straight win against a Top 10 ranked team, while also extending their win streak against their provincial rivals to six.
"Right now, if you ask any guy in that locker room — we're not satisfied," said Joseph. "Yes, we know we're 6-0 but that doesn't mean anything. You can still lose at any point. We've got to stay level headed. We've got to stay grounded. Stay where our feet are and keep having that dog mentality."
Saskatchewan also picked up a half-point in the inaugural U-Prairie Challenge — an annual competition between the Huskies and Cougars/Rams. The Huskies now lead the U-Prairie Challenge 1.75 to 0.25.
The Rams, who had already clinched a postseason appearance entering the meeting, fell to 4-2. They're back in action next week in Calgary for a meeting with the Dinos, who picked up their first victory of the season earlier in the day against the Alberta Golden Bears.
Noah Pelletier threw for 147 yards on 17-35 passing, with Riley Boersma finishing with a team-high 73 yards receiving on seven receptions. Josh White led the Rams with 5.5 tackles.
Meanwhile, up next for the Huskies is a trip to the West Coast for a meeting with the UBC Thunderbirds in Week 7 action. Kick off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. You can watch all the action on SaskTel maxTV or on Canada West TV, or listen along on the HuskieFAN app.
