GAME INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 12
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Opponent: UBC Thunderbirds
Location: Saskatoon, Sask.
Venue: Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park
Watch: Sasktel max TV 49, 349 / Canadawest.tv
Listen: HuskieFAN
SCHEDULE | WATCH LIVE
For the second straight season, the Saskatchewan Huskies have the opportunity to finish their pursuit of a Hardy Cup on home turf.
Said opportunity is a testament to what head coach Scott Flory has built since taking over the program in 2017. Flory has led the Huskies to the conference championship game in each of the last four seasons, and ultimately to the 19th and 20th Hardy Cup's in program history.
This weekend presents a chance for No. 21 — a mission for Saskatchewan since the team had their 2021 season end one win too soon in last year's Vanier Cup. The path back to the national championship runs through this weekend, with the Hardy Cup serving as potentially the next tick on the checklist for this year's Huskies team's pursuit of a return to the Vanier.
After a near perfect 7-1 regular-season that locked up first-place in the Canada West, a win this Saturday would bookmark on another dominant conference campaign for Saskatchewan, The one blemish was thanks to UBC, who are the only team to defeat Saskatchewan this season— a 35-29 loss in Week 7 in Vancouver. The green and white get the chance for some redemption this weekend, as they take on the Thunderbirds on the conference's biggest stage.
The Huskies have held the advantage against the Thunderbirds on home turf in recent memory. During Saskatchewan's 17-game winning streak at Griffiths, which dates back to Sept. 14, 2018, the Huskies have won three games against the Birds — including last season's 39-17 win in the 2021 Hardy Cup semifinal.
But if the Dogs are going to extend said streak to 18, they're going to have to do so against an equally hot team. The Thunderbirds enter the meeting as winners of four of their last five after eliminating the No. 9 Regina Rams last week in Regina to punch their ticket to the Hardy Cup for the first time since 2017 — the last season the Huskies haven't appeared in the Hardy Cup.
For Saskatchewan, Saturday represents an opportunity to return to the national stage for the third time in the last four seasons, but most importantly — conference glory. A win this weekend would mark three Hardy Cups in four seasons — something only one other program in the conference has done since 1985.
The blueprint is there. Last season, a Hardy Cup win on home turf catapulted the program to new heights and eventually, the Huskies first Vanier Cup appearance since 2006. To get back to that point once again, it all starts with a win on Saturday.
5(ish) Things:
- This is the first meeting between the Huskies and Thunderbirds in a Hardy Cup since 1999 — the last time the Huskies won back-to-back conference championships on home turf.
- UBC's lone win over Saskatchewan in a Hardy Cup came back in 1976 — the first year the conference champion was decided in a championship game instead of through a regular-season winner. Saskatchewan has won the last five meetings since (1989, 1990, 1996, 1998 and 1999).
- With a win, Mason Nyhus would finish his tenure as the program's starting quarterback with an undefeated 16-0 record at Griffiths. Since taking over as Saskatchewan's starter under centre in 2019, the Huskies have yet to lose on home field.
- UBC is making their first Hardy Cup appearance since 2017. After winning the program's first Hardy Cup since 1997 and first Vanier Cup in program history in the 2015 season, the Thunderbirds lost both the 2016 and 2017 Hardy Cups to the Calgary Dinos.
- A victory would punch the Huskies ticket to next weekend's Uteck Bowl — a game that will be hosted in the Maritimes by the AUS Loney Bowl champions. The St. Francis Xavier X-Men are playing host to the Mount Allison Mounties in Antigonish, N.S. on Saturday.
- Elsewhere in the country, the Western Mustangs and Queen's Gaels are meeting in the OUA's Yates Cup, while the Montreal Carabins and Laval Rouge et Or are meeting in the RSEQ's Dunsmore Cup. The winners of both of these respective champions will do battle in the Mitchell Bowl — a national semifinal that will be hosted by the OUA Champions next Saturday afternoon.
Quotables:
Flory on the opportunity to win the Hardy Cup on home field for the second-straight season:
"I mean that's part of the focus of the regular season. At the end of it, we just want to go 1-0 each week, but we also want to give ourselves the opportunity to be able to have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. We secured that. We had a good game last week and took another step forward. And then, we're gonna be ready to go this weekend — we got a great team coming in here in the UBC Thunderbirds."
Flory on what he liked most about his team's semifinal win:
"I liked how nobody whined or complained about the conditions — it didn't faze us. Regardless of what was going on with Mother Nature throwing a blizzard at us — it just didn't faze us, and I'm just really proud of the guys for that."
Flory on if he credits that to last year's experience in suboptimal in Laval:
"I just credit it to them. I credit it to the leadership within the locker room. I credit it to the fact that we were prepared. They knew that we were prepared — not only from a game plan standpoint, but also from a performance apparel standpoint."
Flory on how fun it is to be a part of playoff football:
"This is a fun time of year. Later and later in the season, absolutely — it's good. It's another day here around the clubhouse with all our players and our coaches. Man, it's just another opportunity to play the game we love — that's just our kind of messaging."
Flory on the team's attention staying on UBC and not looking ahead:
"Our focus is 100% on this game. Anything else would just be disrespectful to the game itself and to our opponents that UBC that's a really good football team. Yeah. Man, they beat us a couple of weeks ago and are out there play. So I know nobody's looking past anything. That's for sure."
Flory on what his takeaway was from UBC's 28-14 win over Regina in the Hardy Cup semifinal:
"They were very opportunistic. They took advantage of their opportunities. They generated turnovers. They were effective on offence. I don't think they turned the ball over and then they generated an interception and took it down to the goal line. They had a couple of third-down stops, I believe — but they also turned that into points. I want to say they have 17 points off turnovers, at least. That's a team that's playing connected and that believes in each other."
Flory on the Huskies reaching their fourth Hardy Cup in the last four seasons:
"That'll be a postseason reflection. We got lots of time in the offseason. I don't spend any time worrying about that or thinking back on any of that stuff now. I think that we live and we learn and we move forward and there'll be time to reflect. For me, and for us right now, our focus is 100% on being at our best on Saturday at 1:00 p.m."
Head-to-head:
- All-time vs. UBC: Saskatchewan is 64-34
- Last 10 meetings: Saskatchewan and UBC are tied 5-5
- Huskies 2022 record vs UBC: 1-1
- Last postseason meeting: 29-10 Huskies win on Sept. 9, 2022 in Saskatoon
Scouting the Thunderbirds:
Starting quarterback Garrett Rooker was injured in UBC's Week 7 win over Saskatchewan. The injury to the League City, Texas product paved the way for Grapevine, Texas product Derek Engel to assume the job under centre. Engel has been the team's starter ever since and finished 12-29 for 176 yards and a touchdown in the team's semifinal win over the Rams.
Second-year running back Isaiah Knight, who is fresh off the second Canada West All-Star nod of his young Thunderbirds career, has been the feature point of the UBC all season long. The Ottawa, Ont. product led the conference with 754 rushing yards on 110 carries. However, Knight was held in check by the Rams in the semifinal, registering just 40 yards on 11 carries. Knight did not see a carry in the team's final possession of the ball game, as Dane Kapler closed out the win for the Birds.
Kapler, who is the son of San Francisco Giants manager and 2004 World Series champion Gabe Kapler, racked up 79 yards on 15 carries in the win — including a game-clinching 27-yard touchdown run on third-and-one to give the visitors a two-score lead with just 49 seconds remaining.
Offensive lineman Giovanni Manu and Theo Benedet, who were ranked eighth and 15th in the CFL Scouting Bureau's top-20 rankings for the 2023 CFL Draft, were each named Canada West All-Stars. Manu and Benedet joined Huskies lineman Dayton Black and Austin Haas, as well as Alberta Golden Bears standout Daniel Shin on the unit. Benedet was one of four unanimous conference all-stars.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ryan Baker, Kyle Samson and Lake Korte-Moore joined the trio of Thunderbirds to receive conference all-star nods.
Baker, a second-year linebacker, led the conference with 59.5 total tackles this season, while adding a pair of sacks to his stat line. Baker and Korte-Moore played big roles in the Thunderbirds win over Regina, combining for 18 total tackles.
