After losing to the Regina Rams 19-14 in the 2024 Hardy Cup, there is one thing on many Huskies' fans' minds as the calendar hits football season: revenge.
It's one thing to lose the Hardy Cup, but it's another to do it against your provincial rivals. So if it feels like this season is one where the Huskies have to answer back and silence the doubters, that's because it is.
The good news is they are in a great position to do just that. With many key contributors returning, this team is near the top of everyone's list of teams that could win it all in 2025.
Here is everything you need to know about the Saskatchewan Huskies ahead of the upcoming season.
Coaching staff: Familiar face Flory adds new coordinators
Scott Flory is returning for his ninth year as head coach of the program and will be on the cusp of a significant milestone in his coaching career this season. With a 34-20 record since 2017, Flory's 40th win as head coach of the Huskies is within reach for the CFL Hall of Famer in 2025.
There will be two new coordinators joining him on the sidelines this year, with Warren Muzika, the team's 2024 defensive coordinator and Jeremy Long, the team's 2024 offensive coordinator, both departing over the summer.
The new offensive coordinator will be a familiar one for Huskies fans. Mason Nyhus, the Huskies' former quarterback from 2017-2022 and the school's leader in career pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, joins the team as the team's assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
And on defence, Cody Halseth — who is also a former Huskie himself after playing for the team in 2009 and 2010 — has been promoted to the team's defensive coordinator after serving as a defensive assistant since 2011.
The changes at coordinator for both sides of the ball will be a storyline to follow through the new season.
Roster analysis: Veteran core chasing a title
Among some of the more notable returnees are 2024 Second-Team All-Canadian running back Ryker Frank, quarterback Anton Amundrud, wide receiver Daniel Wiebe, offensive lineman Jack Warrack and last but not least, the 2024 First-Team All-Canadian at linebacker, Seth Hundeby.
One of the benefits the Huskies have this season is the plethora of experience they have on defence and offence. Frank, Amundrud and Wiebe are all in their fourth year or later and will be the anchors of the Saskatchewan offence through the regular season.
All the stars have aligned for the trio to return, and it is what makes this team a favourite for the Vanier Cup. Few teams have a better comparable offence on paper than the Huskies. And it only gets better when you look at defence.
Hundeby stands out as the most dominant player. However, with players like defensive back John Stoll and defensive lineman Riece Kack also returning, the Huskies have solidified their game wreckers at all three levels.
This roster is filled with talent and experience. With that experience, though, comes the inevitable fact that several key contributors are in their final year of eligibility.
It will be the last time for many of these players to get a crack at bringing a Vanier Cup home to Saskatoon.
It feels like a championship or bust season for the Huskies with this group. 2024 may have been an underwhelming finish, but 2025 could change all of that. Whether it be a Hardy Cup win or a Vanier Cup appearance, it seems only fitting if this group goes out with a bang.
New additions: Fresh talent to watch
The team signed 22 freshmen for their spring training camp. Among the players who could make an impact early on defence, watch out for defensive back Aidan Low and linebacker Carlos Teku.
Low and Teku were both mentioned as possible candidates to break camp with some significant playing time.
On offence, watch for offensive lineman Bernard Leslie, running back Aulain Penner and wide receiver Liam Piccinin. Leslie, Penner, and Piccinin also received high praise from their head coach during spring training camp.
These players will be some to keep an eye on throughout the season to see where they fit into Flory's game plan.
Position battles: Depth over drama
The one thing that may be missing from Huskies training camp this year is an evident position battle.
Flory was quick to point out in an interview with OB.SESSED at the beginning of camp, that with the team returning most of their roster, there has been little room for a position battle to emerge. However, he does still expect to see some players take another step in their development.
"We've returned a fair chunk of guys, so all that does is as a coach, those are kind of your knowns," Flory said. "There's always the new guys... some guys are gonna take big leaps and others, it all depends on the work that they put in."
With a veteran-heavy lineup, it will make it difficult for any rookie to have a breakout season, but if one does, they will be a very welcome addition — especially on defence.
"We have battles every day, like that's what it is to me. That's what camp is all about... the best players are going to play. They're the ones that are going to be stepping on the field in Week 1, and they've got to do what they can to be in that top 12 to be on the team at that time."
Strengths and weaknesses: Lessons from 2024
Speaking of defence, it will be one area fans should expect to see some improvement. If the Huskies want to get over the hump, improving their points against per game and yards allowed per game would go a long way in doing so.
Saskatchewan allowed the most points in the Canada West conference and the tenth most yards per game in U SPORTS last year; however, among the Canada West teams ranked higher than them are Alberta and Manitoba.
This should improve under a new defensive coordinator, but it is also something to keep an eye on early in the season to see if any changes are made.
Flipping to the other side of the ball, the strength of this team starts with the talent at the quarterback position. Only UBC had more passing yards as a team than Saskatchewan last year — and they only trailed by 59 yards of claiming that spot for their own.
But don't forget the lethal running game led by Ryker Frank. The running back finished second in the country for total rushing yards last season.
Flory also mentioned in his interview with OB.SESSED that "situational awareness" was among the top priorities that he was looking to improve on from last year.
"Sometimes it just takes time with reps," said Flory. "I think we've done a decent job of it... And maybe I'm speaking to myself more than the players, because as you know, that's kind of my job and our job as leaders to make sure that we're putting those guys in positions. But that'd be kind of one thing."
Player spotlight: Frank and Amundrud lead the charge
Saskatchewan has plenty of weapons who will be instrumental to their success this season. However, there may be no two players more critical to the team's success than Ryker Frank and Anton Amundrud.
Starting with Amundrud at quarterback, looking back at how dominant the Huskies were in the air proves that the team will lean on him to lead the offence every night.
It will depend on how much the Huskies decide to go to the run over the passing game, but when you have a star in Daniel Wiebe at the line of scrimmage, it is difficult to believe that he won't find a way to get open and rack up passing yards for Amundrud. 2025 should be another excellent season for the signal-caller. And it could be even better than his 2024 campaign with a new offensive coordinator.
Frank was one of the most dominant backs in all of U SPORTS last year — and that shouldn't change in 2025. He will have only improved with another full offseason to work on his game, and it should mean the Huskies have a reliable player in the backfield to move the ball at any time they choose to.
Will Frank improve from his 2024 numbers? It is too early to tell, but you can bet on him having another great year — which will be his last at the school.
Goals and expectations: Championship or bust?
2025 will be a year that Saskatchewan needs to come home with some hardware. The team is ranked highly for a reason. They very well could be in the fight come late November and be the ones heading to Regina for a matchup in the Vanier Cup.
The goal for this team should be to win the Canada West and capture the Hardy Cup. However, they have the potential to do more than that and go all the way.
If there is such a thing as a safe pick to win the Hardy Cup and represent Canada West, it's the Huskies. They have the experience, the right pieces and a head coach who has gotten them to the big game before. It's something that few other programs nationwide can claim.
As always, once the first game gets underway, everything changes and all bets are off. But that should be the goal and expectation of the Huskies in 2025.
Flory mentioned in his interview with OB.SESSED that he is taking a more game-by-game approach and focused on continually improving through the year — something that has worked for the team in the past.
"I think everybody in the country would have the same goal at the end of the year. They want to be playing the last game possible and win the last game possible," he said.
"We expect to win every game that we step on the field. That's just a standard within our program... I don't get into the crystal ball and that prediction stuff. I really don't. I just ask our players to trust that we're going to get them right."
"We want to start fast. We want to finish strong ... we're going to concern ourselves with us and we just want to get better each and every day."
The sched ahead
Week 1: @ Golden Bears
Starting the season in Alberta on Friday, the Huskies will face the Golden Bears at Foote Field. The Huskies took down the Golden Bears in Saskatoon last year thanks to a 157-yard and two-touchdown performance from Ryker Frank. If that is any indication of what we can expect in Week 1, then Frank will be off to a strong start in 2025.
Alberta is bringing in a new head coach, Stevenson Bone, who will make his head coaching debut against the Huskies. How the Golden Bears' lineup changes from 2024 to Week 1 may give them the element of surprise, but Saskatchewan has the upper hand when looking at last year's result.
Week 2: vs. Thunderbirds
After that, it will be homecoming for the Huskies as UBC rolls into Griffiths Stadium for a matchup on Friday, Sept. 9. It will be a chance for Saskatchewan to get some revenge for the Thunderbirds topping the Huskies 38-28 at Thunderbird Stadium in September 2024. However, this year's UBC team is much different from previous years.
They had several key pieces move on, making them a boom-or-bust candidate. It will also be new offensive coordinator Mason Nyhus's first game against the team for which he formerly worked as an assistant.
Setting the tone at home will be crucial to the Huskies' season, as they lost only once at home in 2024 — that sole loss coming in the Hardy Cup to Regina.
Week 3: @ Bisons
Then comes the first actual test for Huskies. Saskatchewan will head to Manitoba on Saturday, Sept. 13, for a game against a team that also seems poised to finish near the top of the conference.
This will be sure to draw the eyes of many football fans to see who comes out on top in a match between two Canada West titans.
It was the Bisons who emerged victorious the last time these two teams met in Winnipeg, defeating the Huskies 37-24 in the first week of the 2024 season. However, the Huskies would get the last laugh later that season, beating Manitoba 42-24 in Saskatoon on Oct. 4.
Amundrud lit up the Bisons' defence in both games last year, hitting 356 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 and 293 yards and two touchdowns in October. This will be the first measuring stick game the Huskies play. Be sure not to miss this one.
Week 4 & 5: vs. Rams & @ Dinos
And then it will be back-to-back rivalry games for Saskatchewan. The Huskies return to Saskatoon on Friday, Sept. 19, to play the Regina Rams for the first time since their Hardy Cup loss in the fall before heading to Calgary the following week on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Both games will be ones to circle on the calendar for Huskies fans as the season hits the midway point and offer a chance to set the tone for the second half of the season.
Week 6: Vs Golden Bears
A new addition to the schedule this year is the inaugural "Football Day in Saskatoon" game, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, at Griffiths Stadium against the Golden Bears. The event will feature multiple youth football games played at the stadium throughout the day, leading up to kickoff, and is aimed at "bringing together fans from across the region for a day of games, activities, and community."
Week 7, 8 & 9: Bye Week, @ Thunderbirds & Vs Bisons
For the dogs, it's into a bye week before flying to UBC on Friday, Oct. 17 and then finishing the regular season at Griffiths Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25 against Manitoba.
Conclusion
The 2025 season has a lot riding on it for the Saskatchewan Huskies. Expectations are high, and the appetite for a Vanier Cup in Saskatoon is even higher. The team has all the pieces to the puzzle; it will just be a matter of figuring it out over the course of two months before the playoffs begin.
In his interview with OB.SESSED, Flory had a simple message for Huskies fans ahead of the season.
"We just want everybody to come out, have a great time and sit back, relax and enjoy the show," Flory said. "The people that show up, they support us, they love us. We're so thankful for all their support. Football matters. It's a big part of our culture within our province, within the City of Saskatoon and especially the University of Saskatchewan. We have high standards as a program."
The Huskies' season gets underway Friday at Foote Field against the University of Alberta Golden Bears with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. MT.