SASKATOON, Sask. — The No. 5-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies erased a fourth-quarter deficit and finished with a dominant late surge to defeat No. 7 UBC 34-24 and take firm control of the Canada West standings. The victory came in a back-and-forth battle that featured momentum swings, costly turnovers and a decisive ground attack from the Huskies when the game was on the line.
The win moves Saskatchewan to 4-1 on the season and provides sole possession of first-place in the conference standings. For the Thunderbirds, the loss drops the Vancouver-based program to 3-2 on the year and second place in Canada West.
The Huskies struck first after
James Keane opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal on the home team's second dive of the game. The Thunderbirds responded with a methodical 75-yard march capped by a 36-yard touchdown pass from Drew Viotto to Ben Gutek, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead after one quarter.
UBC extended the advantage early in the second quarter when star running back Marvyn Larozar punched in a three-yard touchdown run which was set up by a muffed Saskatchewan punt deep in their own territory. The score pushed UBC ahead 14-3 and put the Huskies on their heels.
However, after a pair of Saskatchewan stops on defence, the Dogs answered before halftime.
Javin Boynton punched in a major from three yards out to cut the deficit to four points, before the Huskies took advantage of a late interception by
Nathan Casimir. With one second remaining in the half, quarterback
Anton Amundrud found
Kayden Miller for a nine-yard touchdown pass, sending Saskatchewan into the break with a 17-14 lead.
The third quarter belonged largely to the defenses. Saskatchewan extended its lead on a rouge by
James Keane, but UBC answered with a 25-yard field goal from Alexander Hillyard to pull within one. Moments later, the Huskies forced a safety when UBC conceded points deep in its own territory, creating a 20-17 Saskatchewan advantage heading into the final quarter.
UBC reclaimed momentum midway through the fourth though following a stalled Saskatchewan drive that ended with a 17-yard UBC sack. Drew Viotto engineered a 54-yard march and connected with Trey Montour on a 12-yard touchdown pass for a 24-20 lead with 7:33 remaining.
The Huskies responded with their best drive of the night on the following possession.
Anton Amundrud completed back-to-back passes to
Keaton Belsher, including a 48-yard strike that set up an 11-yard touchdown run by
Aulain Penner. The score put Saskatchewan back in front 27-24 with four minutes to play.
The game turned for good on the next UBC possession. Saskatchewan's defense forced a punt after a sack by
Connor Tyson, giving the offense excellent field position. From there,
Aulain Penner carried the load, rushing for 37 yards on the drive before finishing it with a 14-yard touchdown run that stretched the margin to 34-24 with 1:32 remaining.
Penner was outstanding for the Huskies in limited action, rushing eight times for 66 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, while
Anton Amundrud threw for 295 yards and a major.
Keaton Belsher led Saskatchewan through the air with 86 yards. On the opposite side of the ball,
Porter Hanson recorded a game-high 14 tackles and
Ethan Laing added nine tackles and a late interception to seal the victory.
The win sees Saskatchewan head into the conference-wide bye week on a four-game winning streak as the Dogs sit atop the Canada West standings. Their next matchup comes back at home in Griffiths Stadium, when the team will play host to the Manitoba Bisons on Friday, October 16.
