SASKATOON, Sask. - On Truth and Reconciliation Night at Griffiths Stadium, the Huskies earned a narrow come-from-behind victory over the visiting U of A Golden Bears on Friday Sept 27th. The Dogs erased a 16-point 4th quarter deficit by outscoring the Golden Bears 18-9 in the final frame, culminating in a successful 47-yard field goal attempt from kicker
Lukas Scott and giving the Dogs a 3-point lead with 54 seconds remaining. Alberta made a final push to tie the game in the final seconds, but the Huskies defence held strong and sealed the win by a final score of 33-30.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Both teams commanded a strong aerial attack as the Huskies and Golden Bears threw for 260 and 230 passing yards, respectively.
The difference in the ball came on the ground thanks to a potent Huskies rushing attack. The Dogs chewed up a total of 215 yards on the night, led largely by starting running back
Ryker Frank. The engineering major from Regina dozed his way for a game high 185 yards on the ground, picking up 2 rushing touchdowns in the process.
In the early goings, both teams struggled to put up points as 4 of the first 5 drives resulted in punts, but the Huskies eventually broke through late in the 1st quarter thanks to Frank's first touchdown of the game. The 5-yard scamper from the fourth year running back gave the Huskies an early 7-2 lead.
U of A answered with a 30-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to narrow the Huskies lead, however the Dogs immediately followed with another major. This time it was quarterback
Jake Farrell who rolled out and connected on a pass with running back
Kody Gutek, pushing the Huskies lead to 14-5.
The Golden Bears offence eventually found their rhythm near the end of the 1st quarter. Bears quarterback Eli Hetlinger commanded a steady 76-yard drive which resulted in a 13-yard touchdown pass to Erik Torhjelm.
With less than 2 minutes remaining in the first half, the Bears offence was looking for more. Hetlinger and the Bears worked methodically down the field and the Hetlinger-Torhjelm duo found paydirt once again thanks to a 21-yard catch and run over the middle of the field. Torhjelm set the pace for the receivers on this night, as the second year receiver totaled 7 receptions for a game-high 123 receiving yards.
At the half, the Bears led the Huskies by a score of 20-14.
The beginning of the 2nd half was a near mirror image of the game's opening minutes as 7 of the first 8 drives resulted in punts. The lone scoring play in the 3rd quarter was generated via the Golden Bears' second safety of the game, extending their lead to 22-14.
After the Huskies defence forced a two and out, the hometown Dogs looked to capture the momentum late in the 3rd quarter. Instead the opposite occurred, as the normally sure-handed
Daniel Wiebe was stripped of the football on the ensuing punt return.
The game's lone turnover set up the Alberta offence in good field position at the Huskies 35-yard line and the Bears made no mistake capitalizing. Hetlinger and company promptly converted the turnover into points on a touchdown pass to Cody Peever in the back corner of the endzone. The Bears QB finished the game with a respectable stat line of 18 for 33, 230 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns.
But hungry dogs run faster, and
Ryker Frank was hungry to run the ball in the 4th quarter.
From just outside Bears territory, the Canada West leading rusher ripped off his biggest run of the night, dashing his way through the Bears defence for 52 yards. Frank would eventually be rewarded for his efforts, capping off the drive with his second touchdown run of the evening.
With the Huskies now down 30-20, the offence turned to quarterback
Anton Amundrud to continue the momentum. The Dogs' field general led a masterful drive through the air, ending in a 10-yard touchdown strike to rookie wide receiver
Ercy Avul. The catch was a special one for the Abbotsford, B.C. product as he earned his first ever U SSPORTS touchdown on the play.
For Amundrud, the quarterback ended his night with 235 yards through the air and 1 passing touchdown.
On the next offensive possession for the Huskies, kicker
Lukas Scott converted on his first field goal attempt of the game from 21 yards out, tying the game 30-30.
After the Huskies defence forced a second consecutive two and out, Amundrud and company retook the field looking to complete the comeback.
After a series of plays, the Huskies eventually managed to fight their way to the Bears 40-yard line, setting up Scott for a 47-yard field goal attempt.
The rookie kicker stayed composed and made no mistake as he split the uprights to give the Huskies a 33-30 lead with less than one minute remaining.
But the Golden Bears would not go quietly. Hetlinger led the Alberta offence to the Huskies 44-yard line, allowing Alberta to set up a game tying field goal attempt.
However, the preceding kick fell short and so did Alberta, allowing the Huskies to secure the victory with a final score of 33-30.
The result moves the record of each team to 2-3 and into a momentary tie for 2nd place in the Canada West. The Huskies will look to continue their momentum next week as the Dogs fight for rank in a crowded western division.
UP NEXT
The Huskies continue their homestand and take on the undefeated Manitoba Bisons Friday Oct 4th at Griffiths Stadium. Get your tickets at
https://huskies.usask.ca/ or catch the action live on CanadaWest.tv.
