Wray Morrison

By Greg Campbell

Huskies defeated Rams 11-10 on September 17th.

(4-1) Rams vs. (5-0) Huskies. The re-match

Oct 14, 2022 | 3:05 PM

Football is a game of inches. Sometimes it comes down to a single kick. Both the Saskatchewan Huskies and Regina Rams are hoping that this is not the case this weekend.

Following a come-from-behind win in week four on football day in Saskatchewan in Regina, the two provincial rivals renew acquaintances this weekend.

The Rams have responded nicely from the last second loss via the lace of David Solie, going out to British Columbia to beat UBC 21-13, and then getting a win two weeks ago at home against the Alberta Golden Bears 19-14.

Special teams was key in the Rams last win, with kicker Aldo Galvan being named the U Sports Special Teams Player of the week after hitting three field goals and pinning the Golden Bears four times inside its own 20-yard line. Galvan was the first Rams player to earn national week honours since defensive back Gowrishan Aravinthan in week two of last season.

The inside track to home field advantage and the opportunity to host the Hardy Cup is on the line. The Huskies are looking for a 15th straight win at Griffiths Stadium. Furthermore, Saskatchewan can extend its win streak to five against top-10 opponents this season. The Rams are hoping to snap a five game losing streak in the provincial rivalry.

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If Regina is to come out of Saskatoon breaking multiple Huskies’ streaks, the defence will have to, again, create havoc on a dominant Huskies offence.

Rams fifth-year defensive lineman, Anthony Bennett, ranks second in the nation with 6.5 sacks, which accounts for almost half of the team’s 14 on the season (good for sixth in the country as well). Not to mention that Regina also has the number one ranked rush defence, allowing a minuscule 68 yards a contest. That may be in large part to returnee and 2021 BC Lions draft pick Ryder Varga, who leads all team members with 30.5 tackles, along with a sack, an interception and three forced fumbles.

While the Rams held Huskie fifth-year quarterback Mason Nyhus in check back on September 17th, the rest of the west has not. The Regina product leads a Huskies offence that ranks fourth in Canada in points per game (33.0), while also leading all passers in U Sport with 343 yards/game through the air. Nyhus also sports an 11-1 touchdown to interception mark, completing nearly 68% of his passes. That’s tops in Canada West in both categories.

It helps that Nyhus sports three of the top five receivers in the conference in receiving yards with Caleb Morin (22 receptions, 402 yards) ranking second, Danie Perry right behind him (22 receptions, 371 yards, and two touchdowns), and Rhett Vavra rounding out the top five (19 catches, 330 yards, and two touchdowns).

Regina does have a stout run defence, however, one can not help but wonder whether the continued rising of duo Ryker Frank and Ted Kubongo may be enough to break through that first line of defence. Kubongo is second in the Canada West conference with 436 yards on 65 carries. The former UBC Thunderbird had a breakout performance last weekend against Manitoba with an opening 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, 121 yards on the ground on nine touches, and three receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Offensively, Regina is going to need to find a way to get creative against the Huskies, who have the number one defence in terms of yards allowed and efficiency. Noah Pelletier is on the brink of 1,100 yards through the air on the season, but his 55% completion rate may be cause for concern. His go-to target, Bennett Stusek, has been a bright spot in the offence, accounting for three touchdowns and 364 yards.

Should the Huskies win, it would mark only the third time in program history a 6-0 start. The other two came in 2003 and 2005.

Saskatchewan is 8-2 in their last 10 games against Regina.

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gregcampbellca@gmail.com