Powered by an impressive offensive showcase by a number of first year players, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football team defeated the University of Alberta Golden Bears by a score of 42-16 this Thursday evening at Griffiths stadium in Saskatoon.

The Huskies amassed 564 yards on the day, and were solid defensively as well, holding Alberta to just 268 yards of their own.

However it was the Golden Bears that looked strong in the early going. After halting the Huskies on their opening drive, Alberta rode that momentum down the field, putting together the best drive of the first quarter for either team. After fifth year receiver Jaxon Hume evaded defenders on a designed screen for 14 yards, the Golden Bears found themselves in the red zone. On second down Alberta had their best shot at a touchdown as they had one-on-one coverage on the far left side of the end zone. Starting quarterback, Eli Hetlinger threw a high arcing spiral to give his receiver a shot at it, however Huskie DB John Stoll stuck with the play and came up with the touchdown saving deflection. The Bears would convert the field goal to go up 3-0.

It seemed that one quarter was all that was needed to get the Huskie offence rolling. After receiving Alberta's punt on the opening play of the second quarter, Saskatchewan starter Anton Amundrud led an impressive drive down the length of the field to give the Huskies their first lead of the game 7-3. Amundrud would exit the game after a touchdown drive, completing 11 of 12 passes on the night for 98 yards. The drive was capped off by a five-yard sliding catch in front of the goal posts made by rookie Tyrus Flory, one of two of Huskie head coach Scott Flory sons on the 2024 roster. 

Alberta would strike back later in the quarter after a muffed punt by Saskatchewan set the Golden Bears up with excellent field position. A series of Huskie penalties further improved Alberta's chances and they found themselves on the one yard line. Quarterback Erik Torhjelm plunged across the goal line through a mess of bodies to put the Bears back on top 10-7.

However, the lead was short lived. It was Tyrus Flory who once again broke things open for Saskatchewan, this time connecting with Griffin Sander. Sander hit a wide open Flory on a streak down the left side of the field, for a 50 yard completion. This set the stage for Huskies third year running back Kayden Miller who zipped untouched 10 yards to pay dirt untouched on an inside hand-off to put Saskatchewan back in front 14-10. 

The Huskies maintained momentum in the third, with rookie running back Javin Boynton controlling the pace on the ground, gaining most of his game leading 82 rush yards in the third quarter. Huskies head coach Scott Flory spoke highly of the talented first year, praising his potential.

"We identified him early on, we recruited him hard and we're just so happy he's a part of our football team. The sky's the limit with that young man, he already does so many things well. The way he runs the ball so naturally and powerfully, he's going to have a very bright future."

Boynton was rewarded for his efforts early in the fourth quarter when he punched the ball in from the one yard line for his first score as a Huskie to make it 28-10 for Saskatchewan. Boynton was the highlight of a strong rookie class that flashed their abilities throughout the game, proving that the Huskies have a lot to be excited about heading into the season. 

Fellow rookie running back Brody Nelson added a late pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one through the air from fellow first year Elias Flory who hung in the pocket until the last moment taking a big hit before getting the ball to Nelson on the flat. Nelson finished the job for his quarterback, fighting off a flurry of defenders before ultimately willing himself across the goal line. 

Alberta would add a late touchdown to bring the final score to 42-16 in favour of the Huskies.

Next week, regular season action begins in the Canada West conference. The Golden Bears will head to Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver to face the UBC Thunderbirds at 7 p.m., Friday August 30th. The Huskies will depart in the other direction as they begin a two-game road trip to start the season. Saskatchewan will face the Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg at Princess Auto Field. The action kicks off at 1 p.m, Saturday August 31st. 

Catch all the action on Canada West TV.