Huskies host Bisons in 2021 Hardy Cup re-match

Saskatchewan will look to continue its recent dominance over the Bisons, having won five of the last six meetings overall, including three straight at home. Manitoba has not won at Griffiths Stadium since Oct. 28, 2017.

If all lines up, the Huskies will be looking at their sixth 5-0 start to a season by the late stages of Friday night.

Should the Huskies claim the top spot in the conference, then Scott Flory and company are not looking at another road game (outside of one regular season contest) until potentially Nov. 19, where the Hardy Cup winners would travel to Atlantic Canada to take on the Jewett Trophy winners (Atlantic University Sport).

However, for legendary coach Brian Dobie, who stands as the winningest head coach in Bison football history, the game will be a measuring stick to see whether his teams’ early season roller coaster ride is smoothing out into another deep playoff run.

Despite the early season concerns seen by those on the outside, Dobie points out that this current team’s resiliency stems back to last season. In a span of 72 hours, the team lost their starting quarterback, had a player with a life-altering injury, and lost an assistant coach tragically and suddenly. That small window can break the back of most people, but for the Bisons they “Became a closer team. They have each other’s backs. They fought for everything.”

The prior quote is a tribute to the living, breathing organism that is team culture, something that always has to be worked on and is ever-evolving.

Dobie’s team may sit at .500 on the young season, but a recent 46-4 shellacking of the Calgary Dinos, thanks in large part to the Bisons duo of running back Breydon Stubbs and line backer Dolan Hills (both who were named Canada West Players of the Week) has this team looking to hand the Huskies this first loss in their last 14 contests at Griffiths Stadium.

Stubbs averaged nearly 10 yards a carry on 17 touches out of the backfield in their recent win, including a touchdown. For a player coming off a week where he received conference honours, Friday night’s tilt serves as a business trip individually, as Stubbs talked about how as a veteran leader now, his goals go beyond that of the stat sheet. “I focus on my mental skills more than physical. Things such as continuing to develop my blocking, studying filming, and reading holes as a running back.”

For Stubbs, the fifth game of the season can be seen as a “Rematch for the Hardy Cup.” Dobie believes the Huskies are the best team in the country (sorry Western).

Yet, the Bisons do have the pieces in place to do what many would consider a big upset.

It begins with Hills, a second-year Red Deer product, who was a problem for Calgary QB Matteo Spoletini last week, finishing with an interception, 6.5 tackles (including one for a loss), and a sack. Hills, who has stepped into the starting lineup over the last three games for injured All-Canadian Nick Thomas, made 16.5 tackles in his last two games. The linebacker’s ability to read and play with speed has helped the Bisons creep back into the USports top ten rankings (currently ninth after being the season ranked sixth) and a recent recipient of the USports Defensive Player of the Week.

Despite the accolades, the ability to replace an all-Canadian smoothly also speaks to the mental development of both Hill and the defence as a whole (which has not allowed a touchdown since week two). Dobie points out how incredibly complex conceptually the Bisons are, referencing how players need to learn howl to learn and conceptualize before they can begin to digest a defence.

The protection of Bison’s fifth-year quarterback Des Catellier will start with a pair of brothers who are living any football siblings’ dreams in Matteo and Giordano Vaccarao. Matteo, who anchors the Bisons offence via the centre position, as been entrenched in that spot in the line and in his second year as a starter, while Giordano is a 2022 recruit from Clearwater Academy in Florida and flanks Catellier’s blind side. The pair of brothers with be a big part of the RPO offensive attack the Bisons look to deliver into the trenches. It’s a formula that the two brothers take pride in, having been referenced to both extremely professional, due to their approach and pride in each rep as the only one that matters.

That dedication and drive to become better athletes, students of the game and classroom, and people, are what Dobie says makes coaching to this day so valuable, particularly when each day sees more than 100 players giving back to you in some way as a coach.

“The longer I coach, the more I see the big picture. It’s about relationships. That’s seen every day at the office, at the football field…Each day has a story to it, and it’s a story about their (the athlete’s) lives…”

What story does the next day hold? Well, for Dobie, it boils down to simple things. “I want us to fight. I want us to be aggressive. I want us to finish reps.”

Accomplish those, and well, the team’s annual trip to Fuddruckers on the way out of town may be a lot more fun.

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From: Greg Campbell

by Wray Morrison

Huskies host Bisons in 2021 Hardy Cup re-match

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