REGINA, Sask. —
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A U-Prairie Challenge showdown was decided by a third-quarter avalanche from the U SPORTS No. 5-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies, who turned a halftime deadlock into a double-digit lead and held on for a 38-31 road win over the No. 7 Regina Rams on Saturday (Sept. 26).
In the latest chapter of the provincial rivalry, Saskatchewan improved to 3-1 on the season thanks to an explosive passing attack led by quarterback
Anton Amundrud, who completed 28-of-37 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns. With another standout outing, Amundrud became just the third quarterback in program history with 7,000 passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns, surpassing both milestones in the win.
After Regina opened the scoring with a field goal, the Huskies answered midway through the opening quarter. Amundrud engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive before finding fourth-year receiver
Dawson Lennea from 15 yards out for the game's first Saskatchewan touchdown.
The Rams responded with a late first-quarter touchdown and briefly held a 10-7 lead, but Saskatchewan's defense provided a momentum-changing play early in the second quarter. Defensive back
Nathan Casimir forced a fumble that linebacker
Porter Hanson scooped up and returned 46 yards for a touchdown, putting the Huskies back in front. The score marked the Huskies' first defensive touchdown of the campaign.
Regina answered once again on a 26-yard touchdown connection from Owen Sieben to Nicholas Sirleaf, but Saskatchewan closed the half with a 30-yard field goal from
James Keane to send the teams into the break tied 17-17.
The game turned decisively in the visitors favour in the third quarter.
Saskatchewan scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions while holding Regina without a point in the frame. Running back
Javin Boynton capped an eight-play drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge to give the Huskies the lead for good. Just over two minutes later, Amundrud connected with Lennea on a 37-yard strike that stretched the advantage to 31-17. Boynton added his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon midway through the quarter to complete a 21-point explosion and put Saskatchewan firmly in control at 38-17.
Lennea was the offensive star of the day, matching his career high with seven receptions for 108 yards while recording his first career multi-touchdown game. Rookie
Keaton Belsher added six catches for 75 yards, while veteran pass catcher
Rhett Vavra recorded six for 74 yards.
Defensively, defensive back
Connor Tyson led the way with seven total tackles, a sack a forced fumble, while
Aidan Low also added seven tackles and linebacker
Kenten Effa, making his Huskie debut, recorded six. Defensive lineman
Nathan Jule also added a sack as the Huskies limited Regina to 196 passing yards.
The Rams mounted a late comeback attempt with a 72-yard fumble return touchdown from Chase Murray and a fourth-quarter scoring drive to get within seven points, but Saskatchewan's defense came up with a final stop in the closing seconds to secure the victory.
The Huskies finished with 25 first downs and out-gained Regina 408-339, continuing a strong season now at the mdiway point while earning an important road victory over their provincial rivals.
Saskatchewan returns home for a Week 5 meeting with the UBC Thunderbirds, set for a 7:00 PM kick off on Saturday, October 3 and serving as the culmination of the second annual Football Day in Saskatoon.
