VANCOUVER, B.C. — The Saskatchewan Huskies saw an early lead slip away Friday night (Oct. 30) as the UBC Thunderbirds erupted for 29 fourth-quarter points en route to a 59-24 victory at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.
The result not only saw the Huskies see their 6-game win streak snapped and record drop to 6-2, it also saw the Thunderbirds solidify the No. 1 seed and home field advantage through the Canada West postseason. UBC jumps Saskatchewan based on head-to-head point differential, in which they earned a +25 margin.
Despite what the final score might indicate, the Huskies controlled much of the opening half and appeared poised to challenge a UBC team who had failed to suffer a home loss entering Friday's contest. Saskatchewan struck first after a special teams turnover gave them excellent field position and
Aulain Penner capped a short 33-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
After UBC answered with a 74-yard touchdown drive and major from Riley Michaud, the Huskies continued to move the ball through the air behind quarterback
Anton Amundrud. However, unable to finish a pair of drives deep into Thunderbird territory, Saskatchewan was forced to settle for a pair of
James Keane field goals from 24 and 33 yards to carry a 13-7 lead into the second quarter.
The Thunderbirds edged ahead early in the second on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Drew Viotto to Trey Montour, but Saskatchewan responded with one of its biggest defensive plays of the night. A sack by
Porter Hanson pinned UBC deep in its own territory and resulted in a team safety, restoring the Huskies' lead at 15-14.
Keane added a single later in the quarter to push Saskatchewan ahead 16-14, but UBC regained a narrow 17-16 advantage before halftime on a 31-yard field goal from Alexander Hillyard.
The home team then began tot tilt the field in the third quarter. An 85-yard kickoff return by Josh Martin set up a UBC touchdown on the opening possession of the half, and the Thunderbirds added two field goals to stretch their lead to 30-17 entering the fourth.
While the Huskies accumulated plenty of offense, totaling 529 yards and 26 first downs, a recent trend from Saskatchewan's previous two outings continued as penalties proved costly throughout the night. The Dogs was flagged 14 times for 117 yards and saw several promising drives stall because of infractions.
Early in the fourth, the home team put the game out of reach. Touchdowns from Zach Patfield and Montour's second of the night increased the margin before defensive lineman Alex Longo intercepted a pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown.
Amundrud finished 31-for-45 for 397 yards, while freshman receiver
Keaton Belsher hauled in eight receptions for 185 yards.
Rhett Vavra added nine catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, while
Dawson Lennea recorded nine receptions for 58 yards.
Backup quarterback
Jake Farrell provided a bright spot late, engineering an 88-yard touchdown drive and throwing the game's lone Saskatchewan touchdown pass to Vavra.
Defensively,
Aidan Low paced the Huskies with eight tackles, while Hanson and
Nathan Jule each contributed sacks. But UBC's explosive passing attack, led by Viotto's 370 yards and three touchdowns, proved too much to overcome as the Thunderbirds secured the 59-30 win.
Despite the loss, Saskatchewan has still earned themselves the right to host at least one playoff game, with Griffiths Stadium set to a host a Hardy Cup Semi-Final next Saturday at 2:00pm. The opponent visiting Saskatoon has yet to be decided with tomorrow's contests between Manitoba and Regina, and Calgary and Alberta set to decide the final two playoff seeds.
