T-Birds beat up on the Huskies

Saskatchewan trailed just 17-16 at halftime after an Aulain Penner touchdown and a pair of James Keane field goals kept the score tight through the first 30 minutes. UBC responded in the first half with a touchdown run from Riley Michaud and a touchdown catch by Trey Montour.

The Thunderbirds pulled away quickly in the third quarter. UBC quarterback Drew Viotto connected with Owen Herle on a 20-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 24-16. Alex Hillyard then kicked a 14-yard field goal to give the Thunderbirds the 11-point margin they required.

“Give credit to them,” Flory said. “They made the plays when they needed to make them.”

Hillyard later added a 30-yard field goal to make it 30-16. Saskatchewan’s lone point of the third quarter came on a missed field goal by Keane.

UBC dominated the fourth quarter with 29 points. Viotto opened the frame with a 33-yard pass to Santiago Llarena, setting up the ball at the Saskatchewan two-yard line. Zach Patfield scored on a short quarterback keeper to make it 37-17.

The Huskies’ struggles escalated when first-year defensive lineman Alex Longo intercepted a pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to extend the UBC lead to 51-17. Saskatchewan receiver Rhett Vavra and Michaud traded touchdowns late in the game to cap the scoring.

Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud threw for 397 yards but had no touchdowns and threw two interceptions. Saskatchewan receivers struggled with dropped passes, and the team was penalized 14 times for more than 100 yards.

“The penalties,” Flory said. “We can complain about the reffing all we want, but that’s on us for making bad decisions.”

Viotto finished with 390 passing yards and three touchdowns for UBC. Michaud rushed for 75 yards and two scores, while Montour caught two touchdowns and finished with 178 receiving yards.

UBC secures home-field advantage throughout the Canada West playoffs. The Huskies will host a semifinal match on Nov. 6 at Griffiths Stadium against the third-place finisher.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Flory said. “I’m eager to see the response and the fight in this group. It’s there, we just have to find it.”

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wray.morrison@pattisonmedia.com

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by Wray Morrison

T-Birds beat up on the Huskies

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