GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Sept. 23
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Opponent: Alberta Golden Bears
Location: Edmonton, Alta.
Venue: Foote Field
Watch: Sasktel 49, 349 / Canadawest.tv
Listen: HuskieFAN
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Six days after taking down the No. 6 ranked Regina Rams, the Saskatchewan Huskies will be back on the field — Foote Field — as they battle with the No. 9 Alberta Golden Bears.
The Huskies will carry an undefeated 3-0 record and their number-two ranking with them into the meeting, in what is the program's third-straight matchup against a Top 10 ranked team.
Saskatchewan is coming off of their first true test of the 2022 season on Saturday night in Regina. It took a David Solie 32-yard field goal with just two seconds left on the game clock for the Huskies to escape Mosaic with an 11-10 win.
While much of the conversation thus far this season has been about the production of Mason Nyhus and the offence, the defence shifted the narrative last week. Third-year linebacker Nick Wiebe was named the U SPORTS defensive player of the week — his defection of a Noah Pelletier pass led to Tanner Reiber's first-career interception as a Huskie, and eventually, a go-ahead field goal from Solie — his second of three on the night.
Now, the Huskies travel to Edmonton on a short week.
The Bears present what figures to be another tough test. After a convincing 34-23 win over Calgary in Week 3, they now sit tied for second in the Canada West with a 2-1 record. That victory put the nation on notice as they vaulted into the U SPORTS Top 10 for the first time this season.
The matchup is a meeting between the second and third ranked offence's in yards-per-game this season. They've done it in a similar fashion — through the air. The Huskies and Golden Bears rank one-two in the country in passing yards-per-game and are tied for second in the country in touchdowns scored.
With their 3-0 record and a chance to improve on it come Friday night, the Huskies have an opportunity to grab a stranglehold on the Canada West. This is the lone meeting between Alberta and Saskatchewan this regular-season, meaning it is a pivotal one. The winner would grab ahold of the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Huskies want to defend the Hardy Cup in Saskatoon at Griffiths — a win on Friday night would certainly help them in that pursuit.
5(ish) Things
- Saskatchewan is looking to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 2006.
- On the other side of the sidelines, with a win Alberta would begin the year with a 3-1 record for only the second time since 2006.
- Through three games this season, the Huskies have only allowed two touchdowns this season and are ranked first in the defensive yards-per-game allowed.
- Despite Saskatchewan winning seven of their last nine, including three-straight against Alberta, they have lost their last two games at Foote Field.
- This will be Mason Nyhus' first career start in Edmonton. Nyhus was injured the last time the Huskies made the trip to Foote Field. Ethan Watson stepping in as the team's starting quarterback in a game Saskatchewan lost 19-17 back in 2019.
- Nyhus ranks first in the country in passing yards-per-game, right behind him is Alberta quarterback Eli Hetlinger who is second in U SPORTS with 311.7 passing yards per-game.
- Second-year pass catcher Rhett Vavra enters the matchup ranked second in the country in yards-per-catch (23.2). The Swift Current, Sask. product is second in the Huskies in receiving yards with 230.
- Vavra, Daniel Perry and Caleb Morin are all in the top 20 in the nation in receiving yards-per-game, with Saskatchewan being the only school with three receivers in the top 20.
Quotables:
Nyhus on the Week 3 win:
"I've been kind of saying it all year — every team can really beat any team on any given day. It was no different Saturday night in Regina. They're a good team. We knew it was gonna be a dogfight and it was a dogfight. Great teams find a way to win and we found a way to win that week and hopefully we can do the same this Friday."
Nyhus on what he's seen from the Golden Bears on film:
"Just speaking defensively — they're athletic. They're long. They're ranger. They're pretty talented in the back end. We're gonna have our work cut out for us. But there's a lot of thing to build on from Saturday in Regina, and hopefully we can kind of right the ship this Friday in Edmonton and get back to another 1-0 week."
Nyhus on the performance of the Saskatchewan defence through three weeks:
"We knew they're gonna be a pretty talented defence. We didn't know it was gonna be this dominant this early, but there's no surprise that they're at the top of the list in the country."
Nyhus on who's stood out for him on the Huskies defence:
"I think Nick Wiebe kind of anchors that group in the middle linebacker spot, he was obviously the U SPORTS defensive player of the week this week — well deserved. He's just very athletic, he's a good leader, he's a really good sideline to sideline player. He's just kind of a freak athlete for the size he is — six-foot-three, 240lbs — to run around that well and move that well at that size is pretty unique in the Canadian game. He's kind of a big focal point there on the defence."
"The addition of Katley Joseph out of Maine has been instrumental. This guy is truly clamps at the boundary corner spot. I haven't seen many balls thrown his way — every go-ball has been clamps. He's just been such a big add. It was kind of funny — to start training camp Daniel Wiebe was getting frustrated because he wasn't getting open on this guy and I was just like stick with it, stick with it. Now he's having a pretty good start to the season himself and I'm just like 'You're going against one of the top corners in the country — if not the top corner in the country — so it's kind of iron sharpening iron. He's obviously a huge add."
"I think getting Charlie Ringland healthy this year is massive. Charlie Ringland has never had a season where he's been fully healthy or repeating at the same position. His first year as a true freshman, they threw him in at field corner — you're new to the Canada West, it's a crazy transition. Then he goes to boundary corner, so it's a new spot. Even though they're both corner, field corner and boundary corner is night and day in the Canadian game. Then he goes to boundary halfback and he's injured. Then there's COVID and he misses that year. This is the first year that he's going back to the same position, he's fully healthy and he's had a great start to the year. I think those three names are massive. And I should add one more here, Jonathan Leggett. The leadership he's brought to the defensive line after losing Nathan Cherry and Riley Pickett. He's had a great start to the year. He stops the run, he's a vocal leader, he gets to the passer. He does all the little things right."
Nyhus on Rhett Vavra ranking 10th in the country in receiving yards-per-game and his strong start to the season:
"In the words of Justin Dunk, Rhett va-va-va-VAVRA with the burners — I actually got such a kick out of that. That was fantastic. He's one of those guys that's just a corky, funny dude — but he's making plays. He's a splash play kind of kid, because he's got the wheels, right? He can just take the top off of a defence. If you're going to throw a go-ball, there's not many better guys to throw it to than the fastest guy on the field. He's making plays right now. When the ball is coming his way, he's coming down with it. If he keeps doing that, I'm going to keep throwing him the ball."
Nyhus on Alberta quarterback Eli Hetlinger:
I've watched a bit of him, but not a ton. Obviously he's having a great start to the year, which is fantastic. It's great to see another guy in the Canada West making big plays and having a great start to the season. Hopefully not this Friday, but for the rest of the season I wish him well and a great rest of the year."
Nyhus on the outlook of the Canada West and how the conference looks heading into Week 4:
"People were always asking like 'Oh, who's going to be good this year? I don't know who's going to be good and who's not.' I've always been one of those guys who respected the Rams game. I thought they were going to be a good team and they are a good team. I've been kind of plugging myself, just saying I called it."
"Alberta has kind of shocked some people with being 2-1, but they've been a team that's been recruiting really well over the last couple of years and people shouldn't be too surprised. Then I think it's kind of just a mash in the middle — I think this is a great week to separate ourselves. I know Manitoba started 0-2, but they kind of got the ship corrected last week with the win against UBC — UBC is a great team too. They're at 1-2 as well, but that was kind of a rainy game as well. Hopefully we separate ourselves and then there's about four teams in the mush there."
Head-to-head:
- All-time vs. Alberta: Saskatchewan is 55-33-1
- Last 10 meetings: Saskatchewan is 7-3
- Huskies 2021 regular-season record vs. Alberta: 1-0
- Last regular season meeting: 54-27 Huskies win on Oct. 16 at Griffiths Stadium
Scouting the Golden Bears:
Alberta head coach Chris Morris is looking to lead his program back to the postseason for the third-straight season — but to the Hardy Cup for the first time since 2010.
Despite being ranked fifth in the Canada West preseason coaches poll, the Bears have proven to be one of the best in the west already this season. Despite losing defensive stalwarts Josiah Schakel and Jayden Dalke to the CFL, the team returned both Rodeem Brown and Peter Kozuska, who were each 2022 CFL Draft selections in their own right.
Brown and Kozuska have helped keep the pocket clean for Hetlinger. The Edmonton product, who is using his first year of eligibility after redshirting the 2021 season, is second in U SPORTS with 311.7 passing yards-per-game. His seven passing touchdowns is tied with Nyhus for second in the country. Hetlinger won the job over Regina product Luke Honrung, who started for Alberta in their lone game against Saskatchewan last season (6-19, 73 yards and an interception.
A large deal of Hetlinger's success has come via his connection with Kolby Hurford. Hurford leads the country with 109 receiving yards-per-game — 16 yards-per-game more than the next closest receiver. The Week 2 U SPORTS offensive player of the week also is tied for first in U SPORTS with five receiving touchdowns. The second-year pass catcher has stormed onto the scene this season, already upping his season-long receiving yard total of 138 yards from all of last season.
While Hurford leads the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, it's Chevy Thomas that leads the Bears in receptions — 17 through three games.
On the defensive side of the ball, 2023 CFL Draft hopeful Jake Taylor is fresh off his biggest game of the season for Alberta. Taylor recorded his first interception of the season, five total tackles and a pass breakup last week in the win over Calgary.
Fellow halfback Tyshon Blackburn, who was a Canada West All-Star and U SPORTS All-Canadian in 2021, has only played one game this season, after missing both of the last two weeks.
Elsewhere in the Canada West:
Friday, Sept. 23: Regina Rams @ UBC Thunderbirds, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 24: Calgary Dinos @ Manitoba Bisons, 2:00 p.m.
