Canada West Season Opener
Saskatchewan Huskies @ Manitoba Bisons
Friday, September 1, 2023
IG Field, Winnipeg, MB
6:00 PM (local time)
 
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
LISTEN: HuskieFan
 
SASKATOON, SK - Huskie fans got a good look at the 2023 roster last Friday night as the team hosted a pre-season game against the Calgary Dinos, winning by an impressive 48-6. The game was not only a chance to have veterans back on the field but provided an opportunity for new recruits put their playbooks into action. All four quarterbacks on the Huskies roster saw action on Friday night, along with both kickers.
 
The Huskies take a veteran team to Winnipeg, MB as they start the 2023 Canada West football season on the road, taking on the Manitoba Bisons. 
 
THE QUARTERBACK QUESTION
Mason Nyhus, arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the Huskie football history, led the team to two back-to-back Vanier Cup appearances. Graduating after the 2022 season, the question posed to Head Coach Scott Flory over the past few months has been, who will get the start at quarterback in 2023? Flory answered that question when he started second-year quarterback Anton Amundrud in the pre-season game against the Dinos.
 
"I think Anton did a good job in his first start, pre-season or not," said Flory. "It was more about executing the offence and going through the reads. He needed to trust his reads, trust his eyes, trust his feet and I think he did that pretty effectively last Friday night against the Calgary Dinos."
 
Praised for his arm strength and presence in the pocket, Amundrud threw majors of 75 and 58 yards in the pre-season game and will get his first Canada West start on Friday night against the Bisons. 
 
The Bisons will also have a new signal-caller starting this season. Third-year Jackson Tachinski, who led the program to the 2021 Hardy Cup after replacing injured Des Catellier, takes the reigns for Manitoba. He's had 18 total touchdowns over eight starts for the Bisons and is sure to make his presence known as starting quarterback.
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MANITOBA MATCHUP
"They're a good football team," said Flory when asked about the matchup. "I don't know how much they're going to change, or how much we're going to change. The same pieces are there, Coach Dobie is there, their staff is still there, same coordinators. They're really good coaches and they're going to have really good athletes. We only play them once this year in the regular season and it's in their backyard. We have to make sure we're ready to go."
 
The Huskies have beaten the Bisons in the playoffs each of the last two seasons, including the 2021 Hardy Cup. Overall, they're 5-1 in their last six games against Manitoba but Coach Flory knows that historical wins don't mean much in football. "They're a tough team, that's for sure. We expect all of our players to perform at a high level come Friday night in Winnipeg."
 
Offensively, both teams will rely heavily on the strength of their run games, which is loaded with depth. The Huskies have 2022 Canada West All-Star running back Ryker Frank, who was second overall in the conference last year with 562 rushing yards. He's joined by fourth-year Ted Kubongo, who was the conference's All-Star returner, racking up 450 return yards. 
 
The Bisons will look to third-year Breydon Stubbs, who tied for first in Canada West in 2022 with five majors. He was third in rushing yards with 489 and is a key component in the Bisons offence.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
Fans can head to CanadaWest.TV for the live stream, while HuskieFan will have the live play-by-play with Wray Morrison and Richard Gabruch.