FINAL SCORE
Saskatchewan - 30
Manitoba - 27

WINNIPEG, MB - After falling just short in back to back seasons, facing defeat in the Vanier Cup in 2021 and 2022, the Huskies came into the 2023 season hungry. Being ranked among their peers as the third best team in the nation and tied with UBC for top spot in the Canada West, many would say that they were the team to watch in week one of the regular season. And if you did watch any Huskie football on Friday night, you wouldn't be disappointed. 

The Huskies left IG Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba with a 30-27 win over the Manitoba Bisons, starting their road back to the Vanier Cup 1-0. They earned every bit of that win Friday night. 

It was a rocky start to the game against the Bisons. An interception from quarterback Anton Amundrud, who has taken over for longtime Huskie quarterback Mason Nyhus, was followed by a quick score by the Bisons. Just as it looked like Amundrud and coach Scott Flory's offence was ready to respond with a long drive, they were stopped on a third and goal try from the five yard line. The Bisons took advantage of their defensive stop, and drove the ball down for another touchdown, going up 14-0 early in the game. It wasn't long after that Amundrud successfully responded and hit third year receiver Rhett Vavra for his first career touchdown pass. 

While Amundrud did show flashes of what was to come later in the evening, the Bisons still finished the half with three more scoring drives, finishing the first half up 25-7 over the Huskies. Head Coach Scott Flory made some adjustments on both sides of the football at half-time, leading to what was a spectacular second half for Saskatchewan Huskies.

The Bisons offence was held to zero points the second half by a Huskie defence led by captains Ramsey Derbas, Katley Joseph, Nick Wiebe, Cam Skinner and George Idoko. Playing lights out, the Huskie defence gave the team the momentum they needed to move the ball offensively in the second half.

Amundrud connected with his receivers on three second half touchdowns, two of which went to Daniel Wiebe. The game changer was a highlight reel worthy 95 yard touchdown run by Daniel Perry. Amundrud wrapped up the game with 18 completions for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns, being named the  player of the game in his first Canada West start.

"It feels amazing," Amundrud said post-game regarding the second half comeback, "Obviously (it's) not the first half we wanted, but we knew we were better than that so we came for the second half and I was really proud of the guys. We didn't give up and it was a wonderful game."

NEXT UP
The Huskies have a long bus ride back to Saskatoon, as they turn their attention to their week two two matchup against the Regina Rams. The game is the university's annual Homecoming Game and marks the kickoff of the 2023 U Prairie Challenge presented by SaskMilk, an annual competition between the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan athletic programs. 

Kickoff is scheduled for Friday, September 8th at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park at 7:00 PM. Co-op Rally Alley returns for the season starting at 5:00 PM, featuring games, prizes, giveaways, happy hour pricing on food and beverages, and a live performance by Saskatoon's own The Gong Show. Co-op Rally Alley is a free event open to the general public.

The Homecoming Game is expected to sell out so grab your tickets before they're gone at HuskieTickets.com.