Huskies defensive lineman Carson Bell. (Photo By Josh Schaefer/Huskie Athletics/GetMyPhoto.ca)

By Wray Morrison

It's Playoff Time.

Dog’s D out to ground T-Birds

Nov 10, 2021 | 8:07 AM

Statistically speaking, the Huskies’ defense is peaking at the right time. The “Dog’s D” put up a season high eight sacks against the Calgary Dinos in last Saturday’s regular season finale. First year Huskie Carson Bell, who came over from the Regina Thunder, was credited with 1.5 sacks in the 31-23 U of S win. The Assiniboia SK product, who weighs in at 6-3 / 275, has fit in to a defensive unit that dominated the Dinos along the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter. “We’ve been gelling since day one” Bell said of his teammates. “The culture on the defense is the best I’ve ever played with.”

Bell’s performance is not a surprise to Huskies head coach Scott Flory. “Carson is just a gamer.” (Flory played with Carson’s uncle, Chris Bell, from 1994-96.) “(Carson) is a calming presence” added Flory. “He’s such a joy to have on the team.”

The UBC Thunderbirds visit the Huskies in a Canada West semi-final at 1pm at Griffiths Stadium on Saturday. The current five game win streak that the Huskies now enjoy started with a 43-15 win over UBC, in Vancouver, on October 1^st. “It’ll be a completely different team that we line up against this Saturday. I think they’ve evolved in a lot of ways” said Huskies’ linebacker Nick Wiebe. The 3 and 3 T-Birds have won three of their last four contests and are coming off of a 30-27 win over Alberta in their final regular season game.

Thunderbirds first year quarterback Garrett Rooker, from League City, Texas, had 206 yards in passing and one touchdown toss in the win over the Golden Bears. “He’s a really good quarterback” said Bell. “We have to keep him in the pocket.” Rooker also left a lasting impression with Scott Flory in their week two meeting at Thunderbird Stadium. “He got outside on us 4-5-6 times. We have to be at our best.”

While UBC has a young quarterback, they do have some experienced playmakers. 4^th year receiver Lliam Wishart is averaging over 11 yards per catch, while 5^th year pass catcher Trey Kellogg has four touchdown catches in five games this season.

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Winter like conditions are expected to settle in to Saskatoon for the football game. There is a good chance that there will be snow on the ground when the Thunderbirds arrive to Griffiths Stadium. As a result, UBC may lean on the ground game. Running back Isiah Knight leads the conference in rushing, averaging 104.3 yds per game with three touchdowns. “He’s cracked a few” said Flory. “We have to be gap sound.” Like Rooker, Knights is in his first year with the Thunderbirds.

The Huskies head coach hinted that the conditions may be something that UBC’s younger players have to adjust to. “A lot of these guys haven’t been here before. We welcome them” Flory said with a smile.