REGINA – The Saskatchewan Huskies were howling loud Saturday after a dominant third quarter lifted them to a 38-31 win over the Regina Rams.
Anton Amundrud's comeback story hit another level in the Huskies' first win in Regina since 2023. Mosaic Stadium, which has not been kind to the Huskies in recent years including last November's Vanier Cup loss, was the scene of Amundrud's 369-yard passing performance against the best defence in Western Canada.
Entering the second half tied 17-17, Saskatchewan outscored Regina 21-0 in a dominant third quarter that included three touchdown drives in a masterful performance by the Huskies quarterback.
"We knew we had to come out in the third quarter and take control of the game," Amundrud said. "I couldn't be more happy with the guys for staying on the field as an offence and for our defence in making plays. We've got to carry that over to the fourth quarter, too. It kind of fell apart there, but I'm proud of the guys for being resilient and finishing it out."
An entertaining first half featured five lead changes and the teams exchanged touchdowns from turnovers before the Huskies took control in the third quarter.
Dawson Lennea hauled in a 15-yard touchdown catch. The Huskies also got a first-half major off a 46-yard fumble return. Linebacker Porter Hanson crossed the goal line after teammate Nathan Casimir caused a fumble by hitting Rams running back Carter Ashman.
James Keane added a field goal to round out the first half scoring for Saskatchewan. This was his second game since being added to the roster to take the field-goal kicking chores off the plate of punter Lukas Scott.
The Rams rode an early Ty Gorniak field goal to go along with a short-yardage direct snap touchdown by Ashman and a 26-yard connection in the end zone between Owen Sieben and Nic Sirleaf. That accounted for their scoring over the first 30 minutes.
Then Huskies and their high-powered Canada West leading passing attack took over.
The first of four Rams two-and-outs gave the Huskies the ball and good field position.
Javin Boynton completed drives of 61 and 38 yards with short-yardage scores and Lennea caught a 37-yard touchdown pass, his second of the day, putting the Huskies and their sleds in cruise control with a 38-17 lead to start the fourth quarter.
Regina made it close in the end with a Chase Murray 72-yard scoop-and-score from a botched Huskies field-goal try and then added another Ashman goal-line touchdown.
But the Rams never caught up with these dogs, losing the game in the second half in what has become a frustrating new trend for them, Coach Mark McConkey, lamented his team's disastrous third quarter.
"We couldn't move the ball and they had three straight touchdown scores. All three phases weren't good enough and it's something we're going to have to look into," he said. "But I'm proud of the guys. They didn't give up. They didn't quit and they made it a one-score game at the end but that third quarter wasn't our best, for sure."
The Rams have now been outscored 50-32 in the second half this season despite outscoring opponents 71-29 in the opening half.
Marshall Erichsen, the runner-up for Canada West MVP a year ago, returned from a torn Achilles tendon that sidelined him for last year's conference championship game. He rushed 11 times for 80 yards including a 13-yard gallop on his first carry prompting a fist pump from him.
But it all came without the win.
"There's a lot of unknowns when you come back from an injury and that run proved that I could still do what I was known to do," Erichsen said. "We just started the second half a little flat, but I'm proud of the guys how they bounced back and we fought back to the final whistle but came up a little short."
The win lifts the Huskies into a tie for first place with UBC at 3-1. The loss drops the Rams to tie for third place with Manitoba at 2-2.
The next game for the Rams is next Saturday when they visit the Calgary Dinos in a game that will be heard on 620 CKRM with the pregame show at 12:45 p.m. and kickoff at 1 p.m. The Huskies host the UBC Thunderbirds on the same day; kickoff is 7 p.m.
