The Saskatchewan Huskies cruised to a 26-7 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds on Nov. 1 at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon in the Hardy Cup semifinals.
The win puts the Huskies back in the conference championship game for the sixth time in eight years. They will face the winner of the other semi-final, between Manitoba and Regina, at Griffiths Stadium.
Thunderbirds quarterback Drew Viotto threw for 263 yards and one touchdown in the loss, outduelling Huskies rookie quarterback Jake Farrell, who tossed for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
Wideout Shemar McBean recorded a UBC team-high 86 yards and the team's sole touchdown on the night.
Saskatchewan running back Ryker Frank exploded for 194 yards on the ground on 30 attempts, while receiver Daniel Wiebe caught six passes for a total of 131 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Huskies keep rolling
Although it was a dominant night for Saskatchewan, the first quarter was a slow start for the Huskies.
UBC conceded a safety twice in the opening frame, and that was all there was for scoring from either side before the second quarter hit.
Jake Farrell guided the Dogs' offence down the field and capped off a 75-yard five-play drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Wiebe in the first minute of the second quarter. Saskatchewan added another safety to their 13-0 lead, but did not score again until the final minute when Lukas Scott nailed a 27-yard field goal for the Huskies to go up 16-0 at halftime.
With Saskatchewan holding a significant lead entering the second half, there was still time for UBC to get back into the game.
However, both defences came out and put zeros on the scoreboard, pushing the game into the final frame with UBC still in striking distance. Lukas Scott ended the scoring drought in the early moments of the fourth with his second field goal of the night, this time from 18 yards out, which kickstarted the Dogs' offence. Three minutes later, it was Saskatchewan again, and this time, Jake Farrell found Dawson Lennea for a 13-yard touchdown to end a 64-yard, six-play drive to push the Huskies' lead to 26-0.
UBC did manage to get on the board late thanks to a 107-yard drive finished off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Shemar McBean from Drew Viotto. But it was far too late with the Huskies' lead at 26-7 in the final minutes of the game. Saskatchewan held on and punched its ticket to extend its season and host the Hardy Cup game next weekend at home.
Up next
Saskatchewan Huskies: Saturday, Nov. 8 vs Regina