It wasn’t exactly clinical, but the Saskatchewan Huskies stepped up in the big moments to beat the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday and are now the Canada West’s top dogs.
The Huskies got two late touchdowns from running back Aulain Penner to first put them ahead and then pad out a 34-24 win. An interception by Ethan Laing closed out the victory, which improved the Huskies to 4-1 and vaulted them first place in the conference.
That doesn’t mean it was smooth sailing for the Huskies, though. They had to find answers to counter the University of British Columbia’s punches and push through some self-inflicted damage.
The Huskies needed the first of Penner’s majors to retake a lead they surrendered after a gutsy call that cost them dearly.
Huskies coach Scott Flory went for it on third and two at the UBC 39-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Anton Amundrud was sacked. The Thunderbirds got the ball just inside Saskatchewan territory and found the end zone seven plays later when Drew Viotto completed a 12-yard pass to Trey Montour.
Trailing 24-20 with 7:33 to play could have sent the Huskies into a tailspin, especially after relinquishing the lead in that manner. Instead, they rallied.
Penner scored from 11 yards out one play after Amundrud connected with Keaton Belsher for a 48-yard gain down the sideline. That capped off a drive for the Huskies that started on their 21-yard line.
Penner then willed his way over the goal line on the next possession after the Huskies defence forced a two and out. That touchdown came immediately following a UBC offside call with the Huskies ready to attempt a 26-yard field goal.
Penner’s scores marked the fifth lead change of a game that saw plenty of momentum swings.
The Thunderbirds opened a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter as they replied to a 33-yard field goal from Huskies’ James Keane with touchdowns from Ben Gutek and Marvyn Larozar.
It looked like game was slipping away from the Huskies. They seemed stuck in neutral.
The Huskies needed a trick play before opportunistically cashing in off another Thunderbirds penalty to claw back into the game and then take a 17-14 lead just before halftime.
They tried an onside kick, and it paid off as they recovered the ball deep in UBC territory. Javin Boynton quickly found the end zone from three yards out. Kaiden Miller scored on the next Huskies possession, a touchdown that came a play after a major foul on UBC extended their drive.
The Huskies weren’t a buzzsaw in this game, but they were resilient and took advantage of their opponent’s mistakes. They upped their record to 10-2 against the Thunderbirds since the pandemic.
Amundrud completed 21 of his 36 passes for 295 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He’s up to 7,591 yards in his Canada West career and moved ahead of Lawrence Nixon (7,345 yards) for third on the school’s all-time passing list. Next up is Drew Burko at 7,675 yards.
The Huskies return to action Oct. 16 against the Manitoba Bisons (3-2).
