SASKATOON — The University of Regina Rams were just fine with a 7 o'clock kickoff after all.
It was lucky seven's for the Rams all around who forced that many turnovers on the conference's leading offence in a 39-27 U-of-R upset win.
The Rams capped a drama-filled 48 hours that moved Saturday's Canada West semifinal playoff game back five hours with their first win over the University of Saskatchewan since the 2024 Hardy Cup.
Huskies quarterback, and Canada West leading passer, Anton Amundrud turned the ball over a half dozen times including four interceptions, one fumble and a botched lateral to running back Aulain Penner.
The Rams won the turnover battle 7-2 including a late turnover on downs that sealed the win.
The Ram defence bailed out their offensive teammates time and time again after Regina opened the game with five straight two-and-outs, offensively but somehow ended the first quarter with a 6-3 lead.
U-of-R defensive back Tyleon Ocaya had an early interception that he ran back for 41 yards to swing the momentum in the Rams favour early.
"Brandon Wong made a great play," Ocaya said. "That pick was as much Brandon Wong's as much as it was mine. He made a tip and I was in the right place at the right time."
"We've got the best coaches in the whole entire country and we schemed for them and knew what we had to do. We went out there and executed. It's not over after the Hardy Cup either. That's just the next step that we've got to take."
Rams kicker Ty Gorniak had the opening points and supplied the margin of victory going 4-for-4 on field goal tries including one from 41 yards out.
Regina quarterback Owen Sieben settled down after the lacklustre opening quarter, connecting with Nic Sirleaf and Adley Mayala for touchdown scores sandwiched around a 63-yard quarterback sneak touchdown from Carter Ashman, in building a 26-3 lead.
"When the guys up front are getting so much push, it makes it easy for me," Ashman said. "I don't really do much. I;m so excited to go to Vancouver and play UBC in the Hardy Cup."
The Huskies regained momentum from a late first half score to Aulain Penner that closed the gap to 26-10.
The teams exchanged 3rd quarter touchdown catches from Michael Eagle Bear for Regina and Rhett Vavra the end the quarter at 33-17 Ram lead.
The Huskies opened the 4th quarter with a quick touchdown strike to Thomas Jule and later a James Keane field goal to the score to 33-27 Rams. But that's as close as the Huskies would get. Regina's defence slamming the door shut the rest of the way, allowing two more Ty Gorniak field goals to ice their third straight Hardy Cup appearance, set to happen in Vancouver next Saturday, November 14th.
But this was a night to celebrate a weekend filled with adversity including the controversy around the delayed kickoff, a broken down bus that stranded the Ram defence in the country for two hours the day before the game and to slay the ever so powerful Huskies in their own backyard.
"It's a hard place to win," Rams head coach Mark McConkey said. "I read before the game they were 15-1 at home and we were the only team to beat them here and now they are 15-2. It took everyone. It wasn't pretty but we got it done and that's all that matters."
"We overcame a lot of adversity but I'm just so proud of the guys for how they handled it and moved through it and we thrive in adversity. We're built on adversity. That's our whole season and that's our program."
As for 7 o'clock starts, the coach sounds all for it.
"I hope (UBC head coach) Blake Nill picks one o'clock and then changes it to next day," McConkey laughed.
And he's laughing all the way to the west coast for his team's third straight Hardy Cup appearance.
That Rams-UBC Canada West championship game will be broadcast live on 620 CKRM radio from Vancouver on Saturday, November 14th. Stay tuned for kickoff time.
