GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Sept. 9
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Opponent: UBC Thunderbirds
Location: Saskatoon, Sask.
Venue: Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park
Watch: Sasktel 49, 349 / Canadawest.tv
Listen: HuskieFAN
SCHEDULE | WATCH LIVE
Rally Alley returns to Griffiths Stadium and opens at 5:00 p.m. on Friday night. The first 1,200 fans through the gates at Friday's game will receive free Huskie Original 16 sunglasses. Friday's game is presented by Original 16.
There's no place quite like home.
At last, the Huskies are back at home Friday night, as they welcome the visiting UBC Thunderbirds to Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park for Week 2 Canada West action in what will serve as the first conference clash in Saskatoon since Nov. 20, 2021.
After meeting the Calgary Dinos for a rematch of the 2018 and 2019 Hardy Cup last week, Saskatchewan will take on UBC in a rematch of the 2021 Hardy Cup semifinal — a game the green-and-white won 39-17.
The Huskies will enter this edition of Dogs vs. TBirds with a 1-0 regular-season record after a convincing 44-5 win over the Dinos last Friday night in Calgary. Mason Nyhus was spectacular through the air for Saskatchewan, throwing for 408 yards and five touchdowns before being pulled in the fourth quarter — en route to a Canada West offensive player of the week nod.
But like Saskatchewan, UBC opened up their season with a win thanks to a 30-21 win over the Alberta Golden Bears on Saturday night in Vancouver. Garrett Rooker's six-yard rushing touchdown gave the Thunderbirds a two-score lead with just 2:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, as they joined the Regina Rams and Huskies atop the Canada West standings.
The matchup will serve as a meeting between two of the top-ten ranked programs in the nation, according to the latest U SPORTS Top Ten. The Huskies remained as the number-two ranked team, trailing only the Western Mustangs, while after being unranked in the first edition, the Thunderbirds rose to ninth.
Rooker and company will be looking to do something no team has done in 1,452 days — beat Saskatchewan at Griffiths Stadium. The Huskies have been dominant on home field in recent memory, with Mason Nyhus entering the meeting against the Thunderbirds having never lost a game at Griffiths as the team's starting quarterback. Saskatchewan has won their last 12 games on home field, with their last loss at Griffiths being a 37-20 defeat to Calgary back in 2018.
It's a team that, rightfully so, feels immense confidence in getting the job done each and every time they run out of the dog onto the field at Griffiths. With what figures to be the biggest crowd in more than three years, the Huskies will be looking to move to 2-0 in 2022 and make it 13 straight on home turf, as the team has an opportunity to cement their reputation as one of the West's best once again.
Quotables:
Flory on his big takeaway from the team's Week 1 win in Calgary:
"I think the biggest thing was just the execution level. Offensively the fifth-year quarterback is playing at an incredibly high level — we just got to make sure that the surrounding pieces and that everybody is just doing their job and that we're executing. That was part of the big difference in that game — us making those plays when they were there to be made. And defensively too. There's a lot of moving parts to our defence and there's a lot of athletes. It's about those guys just being smart and playing within the system and structure. Again, it comes down to execution."
Flory on the return of a true homecoming game — the first since 2019:
"Really looking forward to it — with everything back, you can just feel the excitement on campus walking around. Hopefully we get a ton of students out — it should be a great night of football."
Flory on the matchup with UBC:
"We had some really good games with them last year. I think both teams matchup pretty well. We have a ton of respect for them. They're incredibly well coached. They got athletes all over the field. We got our hands full. It's gonna be a really good game. I'm really looking forward to it."
Nyhus on what's ahead for the Huskies:
"We have that set goal in our mind that — hey, we want to be playing for a Vanier Cup at the end of the year. That's ultimately our goal. But we know it's about the journey and not the destination, so each week, each practice, each game — we're taking it day-by-day."
Flory on the importance of his group staying focused on the task at hand:
"I lean so much on our executive leadership guys. They have and continue to be locked in on a daily basis. I think that we've got a lot of trust within our group — peer-to-peer, player-to-coach, coach-to-player — and that alleviates a lot of the anxiety or any issues that can arise. Now listen, we got to show up and we got to make sure that we're ready to compete. That being said though, I trust and I know that these guys are going to rise to the opportunity."
5(ish) Things:
- Since taking over as the program's head coach in 2017, Scott Flory has never lost in the team's home opener. The Huskies possess a 4-0 record in home openers over the last four seasons — including that 40-7 win over UBC in 2019.
- Saskatchewan will take the field Friday night as winners of four of their last five against UBC. The Huskies have also won 14 of their last 17 at Griffiths against the Thunderbirds, dating back to the 2001 season.
- Mason Nyhus has quickly entered the Hec Crighton Trophy conversation. Nyhus became only the ninth quarterback in program history to throw five touchdown passes in a single game — the first since Kyle Siemens did so on Sept. 29, 2017. He also became the first Canada West quarterback since Calgary's Adam Sinagara to throw for five majors in one game, which was back on Sept. 7, 2018.
- After beginning the season with 35 touchdowns, Nyhus now has 40 which is good for fifth in the Huskies all-time record books. He trails Brent Schneider's all-time record of 56 with seven games remaining, as well as former teammates Kyle Siemens and Drew Burko, and Steve Bilan.
- This is a meeting between the first and third-ranked teams in the Canada West preseason coaches poll.
- Saskatchewan's 525 yards-per-game ranks second in the nation, trailing only the McGill Redbirds mark of 588 yards-per-game.
- Ted Kubongo showed what he was capable of on Friday night. In his Huskies debut, the Calgary product did it both in the rushing and receiving game — tallying 30 yards on four carries, including a 17-yard touchdown, as well as 55 yards on five receptions.
- Nine different Huskies caught passes on Friday night — the most for the Huskies since Week 2 of 2019, when the Huskies beat the Regina Rams 44-9 on Sept. 13.
Scouting the Thunderbirds:
Blake Nill enters his seventh season as head coach at UBC. Nill, who was the head coach of the Calgary Dinos from 2006-14, is looking to take another step forward with his young Thunderbirds team and help the program win their first playoff game since Nov. 4, 2017.
For UBC, their Hardy Cup hopes start and end with Garrett Rooker. The six-foot-three second-year quarterback from League City, Texas was outstanding in his freshman season for UBC, throwing for 1437 yards and eight touchdowns, while adding in three majors on the ground. Rooker was 14-23 for 203 yards and two touchdowns through the air in Week 1, to go along with his aforementioned major on the ground.
The highlight of the Week 1 win for UBC was a 98-yard touchdown reception from Rooker to first-year receiver Shemar McBean. The touchdown, which is the second-longest in Thunderbirds program history, helped McBean make a grand entrance onto the U SPORTS scene. The Calgary product finished the UBC debut with five receptions for 136 yards — most among Canada West receivers in Week 1.
One of UBC's two Canada West All-Stars in 2021, Isaiah Knight ripped off 106 yards on 13 carries on Saturday night — second among conference rushers. The second-year back finished last season in style, racking up 104.3 rushing yards-per-game en route to the conference all-star team as the other running back alongside former Huskie Adam Machart. An issue for Knight last season was ball security. He fumbled the ball four times in 2021 — but didn't put it on the ground last week against Alberta.
Second-year linebacker Ryan Baker led the Thunderbirds defence in Week 1. The North Vancouver, B.C. product finished with a team-high ten total tackles and a sack. His sack was one of four on the day for the UBC defence. The Thunderbirds allowed 21 points to the Golden Bears — second fewest to only the Huskies in Week 1 of Canada West action.
Elsewhere in the Canada West:
Calgary @ Regina — Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Manitoba @ Alberta — Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:00 p.m.
