The Saskatchewan Huskies are turning the page and preparing for another chapter in one of the province's biggest football rivalries.
After a disappointing 59-24 loss to the UBC Thunderbirds last Friday close out to the regular season, the Huskies are looking to put their best foot forward when they welcome the Regina Rams to Griffiths Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a Canada West semifinal. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The No. 2-seeded Huskies finished the regular season 6-2, earning home-field advantage for Saturday's game. It will be the third consecutive year Saskatchewan and Regina have met in the playoffs, with the two programs splitting their previous two Hardy Cup encounters.
For Huskies head coach Scott Flory, the challenge is familiar, but the opportunity is one his team is embracing.
"Every time this team and this group we've been challenged, we've been able to rise to the occasion," Flory said. "I'm really looking forward to Saturday and looking into playing the Rams here and playing football."
Saskatchewan is coming off a difficult loss to UBC despite putting up 529 yards of offence.
Flory believes the Huskies had chances to make the game much closer, particularly in the first half when they settled for field goals instead of touchdowns. Two red-zone interceptions also proved costly, and UBC capitalized on both turnovers.
A big return to open the third quarter helped the Thunderbirds seize control, and the game quickly got away from Saskatchewan.
"Those are the opportunities that they capitalized on," Flory said. "That's the way it is in this conference. Everybody's got lots of talent. The guys are well coached. And if you fall asleep for a minute or take your foot off the gas for a second, other teams are going to capitalize on that."
Despite the disappointing result, Flory isn't interested in throwing away the game film. Instead, the Huskies have taken the time to review what went wrong before turning their attention to the postseason.
"We're not burning the film. It happened. We got to understand that it happened," Flory said. "I'm so confident in our leadership and the guys that they're a prideful group here. And I know we're going to be ready to go for Saturday."
The Huskies have an opportunity to draw confidence from their previous meeting with the Rams. Saskatchewan earned a 38-31 victory at Mosaic Stadium during the regular season, largely thanks to a dominant third quarter.
The teams went into halftime tied 17-17 before quarterback Anton Amundrud and the Saskatchewan offence put together three consecutive touchdown drives to take control.
Amundrud finished the afternoon with 369 passing yards, while Dawson Lennea hauled in two touchdown receptions. Javin Boynton added a pair of short-yardage majors as the Huskies built a 38-17 lead heading into the final quarter.
Regina responded with two touchdowns, including a 72-yard fumble return by Chase Murray, but couldn't complete the comeback.
Flory knows the familiarity between the programs will be an important part of this week's preparation. The two teams have met in the postseason each of the last two seasons, and plenty of connections exist between the players and coaching staffs.
"It's not that we played them three times already this year, but there's still familiarity," Flory said. "They know us. We know them. We know the intersectionality between the rosters. Regina guys and South guys, and the U18S; all that stuff. A lot of the rosters know each other, and coaching staffs have been pretty similar here for years."
However, Flory believes Saturday will ultimately come down to execution.
"It's always about who's making fewer mistakes and who's capitalizing on opportunities when they get them," he said. "I know that there's going to be a high energy level, I know that there's going to be a focus, and it's going to be a physical football game."
The Rams are coming to Saskatoon with momentum after qualifying for the playoffs with a 26-15 victory over Manitoba last Saturday.
Running back Carter Ashman was instrumental in the win, recording 267 all-purpose yards and two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Owen Sieben completed 15 of 19 passes for 208 yards, while kicker Ty Gorniak connected on four field goals.
Gorniak also established a new Regina single-season record with 23 field goals, surpassing the previous mark of 20.
The Rams finished third in Canada West with a 4-4 record, earning another postseason trip to Saskatoon.
For Saskatchewan, the opportunity to play at home is one of the rewards of its regular season performance, although Flory isn't putting too much emphasis on the surroundings.
"Obviously, you love being at home," Flory said. "You use the regular season to set yourself up for the postseason and postseason success through playing at home. You want to play at home. We like playing at home."
The veteran head coach added with a smile that one of the biggest benefits is sleeping in his own bed the night before the game.
Beyond that, the preparation remains the same. One of Saskatchewan's keys is getting its defence back to making game-changing plays. Flory pointed to the importance of being assignment-sound against a Regina offence that likes to move players around, establish the running game and use play-action opportunities.
He also expects the defensive line to play an important role, noting the Huskies have eight or nine defensive linemen they are confident putting on the field.
"Every phase of our football needs to take another step into being playmakers," Flory said.
Offensively, Saskatchewan will once again lean on Amundrud, who has provided stability and leadership in his fifth season at quarterback. Flory also praised offensive coordinator Mason Nyhus and the number of weapons available to the Huskies.
He believes having an experienced quarterback is a significant advantage when the stakes get higher.
"Success at the collegiate football level usually boils down to how well your quarterback is playing at an upper year for a fifth-year quarterback," Flory said.
The Huskies will also look to continue getting contributions from young players such as Keaton Belcher, who has made an immediate impression since arriving at the university level. But in the postseason, Flory believes the biggest factor could be the leadership in his dressing room.
He has built much of the program around player accountability and ownership, and he is confident that group will help guide the Huskies through the challenge ahead.
"Every championship team I've ever been a part of, players take absolute ownership of it," Flory said. "I'm more than happy to be a bystander. I've got the best seat in the house on the sideline."
The Huskies need that leadership, along with a strong performance in all three phases, to get past a Regina team that knows exactly what it takes to win in November.
Saturday's game is also the centrepiece of a busy weekend for Huskie Athletics.
The men's and women's basketball teams open their Canada West home schedules against the Manitoba Bisons at the PAC. Friday night features a special celebration as the back-to-back U Sports national champion women's basketball team raises its championship banner and receives its national championship rings before tip-off.
The women's game goes Friday at 6 p.m., with the men's team playing at noon. Both teams return Saturday, with the women tipping off at 5 p.m. and the men at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, the first-place Huskie men's hockey team hosts the Trinity Western Spartans for two 7 p.m. games Friday and Saturday at Merlis Belsher Place.
But Saturday afternoon belongs to football.
The Huskies and Rams will meet for the third straight year in the Canada West playoffs, with a berth in the Hardy Cup championship game on the line.
Kids and youth tickets are just $2, giving families an affordable opportunity to be part of the action at Griffiths Stadium.
After a difficult regular-season finish, Flory and the Huskies are ready.
"I have utmost confidence in these guys. They're ready for it. They know it. They're ready for the challenge," Flory said. "And I know we're going to rise to the occasion."
You can hear Saturday’s Canada West semifinal streamed on CKRM-2 starting at 1:45 p.m.
