Huskies lock up home playoff game, Machart breaks team season rushing record

Adam Machart broke the Huskies record for rushing yards in a season.

    Even in the face of a major individual team record being broken, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team’s focus was on the task at hand.

    On Saturday at Griffiths Stadium, the Huskies overcame an 8-0 first quarter deficit against the visiting University of Alberta Golden Bears, led 9-8 at halftime and cruised to a 22-9 victory in a U Sports regular season game played before 1,105 spectators in frigid conditions.

    The win allowed the Huskies to improve to 5-3 and finish second in the Canada West Conference, while the Golden Bears fell to 4-4 to place third.

    That means the Huskies, who are rated seventh in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, will host a Canada West semifinal playoff game against the Golden Bears expected to be held this coming Saturday at Griffiths at a time to be announced.

    The Huskies pulled out victory in the most recent encounter between to the two sides due to the fact star running back Adam Machart ran the ball 29 times for 226 yards.

Adam Machart ran for 226 yards in the Huskies win on Saturday.

    He had three catches for 46 yards in the receiving game too.

    Machart’s performance was the third best rushing game in the history of the program eclipsing the 219 yards he ran for in a 49-21 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons on Oct. 4.

    He set a new Huskies record for most yards rushing in one regular season by an individual carrying the ball 156 times for 1,334 yards scoring eight touchdowns in the process.

    The old record was held by Doug Rozon, who ran for 1,267 yards on 151 carries and scored five touchdowns in the 1999 campaign.

    The former number two spot was occupied by David Stevens, who ran for 1,229 yards on 174 carried and scored 12 touchdowns in 2005.

Adam Machart carried the ball 156 times for 1,330 yards this season.

    “It is incredible,” said Machart. “You look at Doug Rozon’s numbers, and they were incredible.

    “A guy like David Stevens is just a powerhouse guy. Dave is a mentor of mine, and he has been really great to me coming up. I’ve known him for a long time, so to pass him is a huge honour.”

    When Machart was 15-years-old, he began working out at Ignite Conditioning, which is now know as Ignite Athletics. Stevens was one of the company’s founders and was still more heavily involved with training athletes there until family obligations and work as a firefighter pulled him in a different direction.

The Huskies starting offensive line helped Adam Machart set his record.

    Machart said working with Stevens was an eye-opening experience with him.

    “He (Stevens) is a guy you look up to,” said Machart, who is now 22-years-old. “He’s got that energy you know that work ethic that a young kid can learn a lot from.

    “I’ve been with him for a long time, and yeah, it is pretty cool.”

    Machart officially broke Rozon’s record on a 43-yard run late in the third quarter, but he didn’t know about what he had done until way later in the game.

    “I think it was the fourth quarter I kind heard some guys whispering,” said Machart. “No one was trying to tell me anything.

    “I didn’t know until actually later in the game. Obviously, I talked to a couple of people after the fourth quarter, and they let me know. It was pretty cool.

Adam Machart ran for eight majors on the ground this season.

    “I think they were trying to like save it for like after the game to celebrate a little bit.”

    Due to focusing on trying to capture a home playoff game, Huskies head coach Scott Flory said where Machart was in relation to the Huskies regular season rushing record slipped his mind until the final outcome in the contest was less in doubt.

    “I actually asked in the fourth quarter,” said Flory. “I asked upstairs right at the end of the game.

    “(Running backs) coach Dan Houle told me it was 229 or something like that. I was like, ‘Woo, OK.’ You know what, that is what he (Machart) has done with us all year.

    “He has made us right. He is just kind of, ‘Oh wow.’ He is phenomenal young man, and he is a phenomenal football player.”

    Flory played on the Huskies offensive line from 1994 to 1998 and blocked for Rozon and another Huskies great at the running back position in Morrie Norsten. The now Huskies sideline boss was pleased to see Machart hit such lofty statistical heights.

    “I’m just so happy and so proud of Adam (Machart),” said Flory. “He is just such an awesome young man.

The Huskies defence limited the Golden Bears to 38 yards rushing.

    “You just want success for guys like that. He works so hard, (and) he does all the right things. I’m just happy for him, and he absolutely deserves it.

    “There are some great running backs that have been through this program. For him (Machart) to do what he did this year is remarkable.”

    Machart’s run at the Huskies rushing record obviously caught the attention of the Huskies who play on the defensive side of the ball. Fifth-year defensive tackle Evan Machibroda was pleased to see Machart get the record.

    “We couldn’t be more happy for the guy,” said Machibroda, who had five total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery on Saturday. “He’s deserved everything he has got.

Mason Nyhus threw for 226 yards for the Huskies.

    “You have to give that credit to the O-line too. They are busting their butt out there too.”

    Machart gave props to his offensive line for allowing him to get the Huskies rushing record for the season. The starters on the offensive line including left tackle Noah Zerr, left guard Mattland Riley, centre Connor Berglof, right guard Tanner Secord, right tackle Nick Summach and frequent substitute Andrew Serke blocked for most of the yardage Machart piled up.

    “Obviously our O-line, you have to thank those guys,” said Machart, who has caught 20 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns this season. “They are warriors, and they make it happen.

    “They are humble guys, and they like to give me credit. You look at the holes I am running through, I’m breaking tackles on linebackers and DBs not on 250-pound D-lineman, so that is huge.”

    As for Saturday’s game itself, it got off to an uncertain start for the Huskies. Kicker David Solie had a 30-yard field goal taken off the scoreboard in the first quarter due to a procedure penalty against his side.

Huskies DT Evan Machibroda pressures Golden Bears QB Brad Launhardt.

    Solie missed a subsequent 35-yard attempt, and Golden Bears defensive back Wesley Bookland returned the missed kick 120 yards the other way for a touchdown to give the visitors a 7-0 edge.

    Golden Bears kicker Jonathan Giustini booted the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for a single point to give his side an 8-0 edge. U of A had the wind advantage in the first and third quarters, while U of S had the wind in its favour in the second and fourth quarters.

    The Huskies, with the wind at their backs, took the lead in the second quarter, took a 9-8 lead, when Solie hit field goals from 17, 38 and 12 yards out. The last made kick came on the final play of the first half.

    The Bears conceded a safety early in the third quarter to give the Huskies an 11-8 advantage.

Sam Baker, with ball, celebrates a TD catch for the Huskies.

    With 4:28 remaining in the third quarter, Huskies quarterback Mason Nyhus hit sure handed receiver Sam Baker with a one-yard touchdown toss on a third and goal gamble from the one yard-line to put the Huskies up 18-8.

    Guistini scored single on a 29-yard missed field goal at the 5:34 mark of the fourth quarter to cut the Huskies lead to 18-9.

    Solie rounded out the Huskies scoring with a 31-yard field goal with 36.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and followed that up with a rouge on a second attempt on the following kickoff. The first kickoff was called back due to an off-side penalty on the Huskies.

    “We wanted a home playoff game, and we got it,” said Machibroda. “I couldn’t be more happy for all the guys out there.

    “The offence played great. Machart had an unreal game. O-line had a great game.

Tanner Secord (#77) locks up on a block for the Huskies.

    “The DBs were flying around. It was just everyone was playing on fire today.”

    Nyhus completed 19-of-32 passes for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Baker topped all Huskies receiver with six catches for 68 yards to go with his one score.

    Fourth-year quarterback Brad Launhardt completed 15-of-27 passes for 115 yards and one interception and ran the ball once for 16 yards. The Golden Bears were held to 38 yards rushing as team.

    Nelson Lokombo and Nathan Cherry each had single sacks for the Huskies, while Riley Pickett and Nicholas Dheilly shared a sack. Charlie Ringland hauled in an interception for the U of S.

Bookland, Anthony Hume and Donovan Burgmaier each had single sacks for the Golden Bears. Jayden Dalke had an interception for U of A.

Colton Klassen (#7) waits to great the Huskies fifth-years in pre-game.

    The Huskies suffered some huge bad news near the end of the first quarter, when star utility player Colton Klassen broke his right leg. The fracture was a gruesome one for those in the stadium to see, and KIassen was carted off and is out for the entire U Sports playoffs.

    Klassen led the Huskies with 456 receiving yards coming on 37 catches and he scored two touchdowns. He topped the Huskies in receiving for two straight seasons.

    “My heart breaks for that young man,” said Flory. “We don’t know the extent of it right now, but it doesn’t look good.

    “Again, it is not fair, and I know he wants it more for this team than anybody else. He is a huge part of it. When he went down, it eliminated a huge chunk of the game plan.”

The frigid Huskies faithful sing “Sweet Caroline.”

    The other Canada West semifinal will set the first place University of Calgary Dinos (6-2) host the fourth place University of Manitoba Bisons (4-4).

    The Golden Bears finished ahead of the Bisons in the standings due to winning the lone head-to-head regular season encounter between the two sides 29-26 on Sept. 13 in Edmonton, Alta.

    The University of Regina Rams (3-5) and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (2-6) finished fifth and sixth respectively in Canada West in missing the post-season.

    Flory was pleased his side will open the playoffs hosting a post-season game.

The Huskies are pumped about hosting a home playoff game.

    “It is important for us,” said Flory. “It is important for the university.

    “It is important for us not to travel and be home to the pre-game meal, the routine. I like wearing green instead of wearing white. It is important for us to be here.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Huskies control destiny for elusive home playoff game

The Huskies storm on to the turf at Griffiths Stadium.

    For a moment, first place in the Canada West Conference flashed before the eyes of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team and the squads’ supporters.

    In an instant, that flash was gone.

    Last Saturday in Vancouver, B.C., results earlier in the day in the U Sports regular season play broke to give the Huskies a path that they could control for first place in Canada West. First, the Huskies needed to down the host University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    The Huskies entered the fourth quarter holding a 37-25 lead in that contest. The Thunderbirds rallied to pull ahead 38-37. Thunderbirds kicker Garrin McDonnell hit a field goal from 11 yards out with 31 seconds to play to push the host side into the lead.
    U of S had a chance to pull out the win, but kicker David Solie wasn’t able to connect on a difficult field goal from 49 yards out. 

Nixen Voll, left, makes one of his three interceptions on the season.

    Thunderbirds running back Daniel Appiah ran the ball out of the end zone to preserve the one-point win for his side helping the Thunderbirds improve to 2-5.

    With that setback, the Huskies lost control in the race for first place. The Huskies last finished first in the Canada West standings back in 2010 with a 6-2 record.

    Still, the Huskies, who won the Canada West title last year for the first time since 2006, haven’t made it a habit in recent years to top the Canada West standings or make long playoff runs.

    That seems to still belong to the University of Calgary Dinos, who current top Canada West with a 5-2 record.

    The Huskies in the current generation are still trying to build a new tradition of success that can be linked to the team’s past. As a result, there will still be bumps in the road, especially due to the fact the Canada West Conference in football is highly competitive.

QB Mason Nyhus can guide the Huskies to a home playoff date.

    All the Huskies and their supporters could do is feel sorry for themselves for that Saturday night and move forward the next day. The sun still rose on Sunday morning.

    Currently, the Huskies, University of Alberta Golden Bears and University of Manitoba Bisons all have 4-3 records to sit tied for second to fourth in Canada West and all three squads will be part of the post-season.

    The Huskies and Golden Bears conclude their respective regular season campaigns playing each other on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon. The winner will lock up at least a second place finish in Canada West and host one of the conference’s two semifinal playoff games.

    Right now, that is what the Huskies can control. The Huskies last hosted a home playoff game in 2014, when they fell to the eventual Canada West champion Bisons 47-39.

    Since finishing first in Canada West in 2010, the Huskies have only hosted one home playoff game with that contest in 2014.

    If the Huskies were given the scenario that they could host a home playoff game if they could win their final regular season contest at the start of the campaign, they would likely take that scenario.

U of S still has an outside shot at first place. If the Huskies beat the Golden Bears this coming Saturday and the Dinos fall to the Thunderbirds in Calgary this coming Saturday, the Huskies will finish first.

Adam Machart could break the Huskies record for rushing yards in a season.

    The one thing Huskies have going for them in that Dinos clash with the Thunderbirds is Blake Nill is the UBC head coach, and teams coached by Nill do not roll over and play dead even if a playoff position can’t be obtained.

    On an individual front, Huskies supporters will be watching to see if star running back Adam Machart can break the Huskies record for rushing yards in one season in the team’s final regular season game. Machart has carried the ball 127 times for 1,104 yards and eight touchdowns, and he has caught 17 passes for 158 yards and three major scores.

    The team record is currently held by Doug Rozon from the 1999 campaign. That season, Rozon carried the ball 151 times for 1,267 yards and five touchdowns.

    Machart, who is just the third member of the Huskies to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a season, will establish a new team record if he runs for 164 yards against the Golden Bears.

    David Stevens ran for the second most yards in one regular season in team history carrying the ball 174 times for 1,229 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2005.
    Machart would be the first to exchange any personal milestones for wins. 

The Huskies can still potentially enjoy another special season.

    With that noted, his performance has brought an extra spotlight on the Huskies in the current campaign, and it would be cool to see him break a long standing record, if he is able to do that.

    If the Huskies were 5-2 or 6-1, Machart would have a really strong chance at possibly claiming the Hec Crighton Trophy as the football MVP for U Sports. The Huskies 4-3 record does dampen the chances for possibly winning that national award.

    While the Huskies experienced a heartbreaker last Saturday and dropped a tough to take on 19-17 to the Golden Bears in Edmonton on Sept. 21, the U of S side is still sitting in a good spot.

    The Huskies still have a great opportunity in front of them to do some special things this season.

Rams have to lament the ones that got away

QB Josh Donnelly (#17) and the Rams lost too many close ones.

    The University of Regina Rams are likely doing some second guessing with how their season has gone.

    The Rams and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds will both miss the U Sports playoffs as they each currently sport 2-5 records to sit tied for fifth and sixth in the Canada West Conference. Both teams will play one last regular season game before their campaigns come to an end.

    The Rams could have been going into the final week of regular season play sitting in the thick of the chase for a playoff spot or the playoff picture. They lost three of their games by a combined total of seven points.

    On Sept. 6, the Rams dropped an 18-17 heartbreaker to the University of Alberta Golden Bears at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. On Sept. 28, the Rams traveled to Winnipeg, Man., and fell 27-26 to the University of Manitoba Bisons.

    On Oct. 4, the Rams dropped a 33-28 decision to the Thunderbirds at Mosaic Stadium.

    Had the Rams won one of those games, they would have been playing for a playoff berth this coming Friday, when they host the Bisons at 7 p.m. at Leibel Field.

    Had the Rams won two or all three of those close games, they would have been sitting in a real comfortable spot.

    The Rams season shows just how slim the margin is between having a successful season to missing the post-season entirely in Canada West.

    It is possible the Rams and Thunderbirds could both win their final regular season outings and finish with 3-5 records, which can get teams into the post-season in the majority of Canada West campaigns.

Did unexpected bye do in Thunder?

QB Blake Scherle (#14) and the Thunder lost out in a tight playoff game.

    Could the rust factor have cost the Regina Thunder?

    The Thunder fell to the Edmonton Huskies 20-17 in a PFC semifinal contest on Sunday at Leibel Field in Regina. With the setback, the Thunder were eliminated from the CJFL playoffs, while the Huskies advance to face the five-time defending CJFL champion Saskatoon Hilltops in the PFC final this coming Sunday at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.

    The clash between the Thunder and Huskies saw two clubs with 6-2 regular season records going at it. The Thunder beat the Huskies in the only regular season encounter between the two sides 24-21 on Sept. 22 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

    The Thunder were supposed to host the Winnipeg Rifles in the final regular season contest for both sides on Oct. 13 at Leibel Field. The Rifles weren’t able to make it due to snowstorm conditions in Manitoba that close portions of the Trans-Canada Highway.

    As a result, a game cancellation couldn’t be avoided. The Thunder won that contest 1-0 via forfeit. The Rifles were on a season ending tailspin and finished off at 1-7.

    With that regular season clash cancelled, that meant the Thunder hadn’t been in game action since dumping the Calgary Colts 37-9 on Oct. 6 at Leibel Field. At the time, that was Regina’s third straight win.

    One wonders if the unexpected wait between games was enough to throw the Thunder off in the PFC semifinal against the Huskies. The Huskies jumped out to a 15-1 lead in the first quarter and were able to hold off the Thunder the rest of the way.

    The Huskies won the turnover battle 3-0, which also did not aid the Thunder’s cause.

    If the Thunder were able to play that last regular season game with the Rifles, the Regina side might have had that extra polish that could have helped them overcome the Huskies.

    When the dust settled, the Thunder were forced to look towards next year.

Fajardo signs extension with Roughriders

Cody Fajardo (#7) signed a contract extension with the Roughriders.

    The football community in Saskatchewan rejoiced on Monday afternoon, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders held a press conference in Regina, Sask., to announce they signed star quarterback Cody Fajardo to a contract extension.

    The 27-year-old signed a two-year extension with the club keeping him with the team through 2021. He signed a one-year contract with the Roughriders as a free agent in February.

    The Roughriders did not disclose financial terms of the deal, but Farhan Lalji of TSN is reporting the deal is worth approximately $450,000 per season.

    A backup for three CFL seasons from 2016 to 2018 with the Toronto Argonauts and British Columbia Lions, Fajardo has taken Rider Nation by storm this season.

    Fajardo became the Roughriders number one quarterback when Zach Collaros, who began the campaign as the team’s starter, suffered a concussion three plays into a 23-17 regular season opening loss to the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, Ont., on June 13.

    With Fajardo at the controls, the Roughriders have posted an 11-5 record to sit second in the CFL’s West Division. The Calgary Stampeders hold first place with an identical 11-5 mark due to sweeping the Roughriders in the two head-to-head regular season games between the two sides.

    The graduate of the NCAA’s University of Nevada Wolfpack football team has put up strong numbers for the Roughriders completing 313-of-438 passes for 3,873 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

    Fajardo is the popular and likable star quarterback the Roughriders has been waiting for since Darian Durant was traded from the club following the 2016 season.

    It is safe to say most Roughriders fans believe the best part of the Fajardo era is just beginning.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Huskies seek redemption in rematch with Bisons

Mason Nyhus and the Huskies are set for the Bisons.

    The Bisons game stench remains for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team.

    The Huskies, who are rated seventh in the U Sport Top 10 rankings, came into the current campaign with a tonne of excitement and optimism after winning the Canada West Conference title last season. The high hopes were put on ice during Week 1 of the regular season.

    The Huskies traveled to Winnipeg, Man., on Aug. 30 to face the University of Manitoba Bisons in the regular season opener for both sides. The Bison exited IG Field with a convincing 43-19 victory.

    What hurt the Huskies most in that clash was their self-inflicted wounds. They lost the turnover battle 7-0 giving the ball away on three fumbles, two interceptions and twice on downs.

    The Huskies outgained the Bisons in total offensive yards 487 to 359, but the turnovers more than nullified the advantage in offensive yard gained.

    On Friday, the Huskies (3-2) will have a chance to bury that Week 1 encounter in their collective memories, when they host the Bisons (3-2) in another U Sports regular season contest at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

    “Honestly, we got kind of punched in the mouth the last time we played them,” said Huskies quarterback Mason Nyhus. “I wish it didn’t happen.”

The Huskies defence aims to pounce on the Bisons.

    The Huskies are coming into their upcoming clash with the Bisons having downed the previously undefeated University of Calgary Dinos 29-15 last Friday at Griffiths Stadium.
    The Bisons have won two straight having slipped past the University of Regina Rams 27-26 last Saturday at IG Field.

    Star running back Adam Machart enters the clash with the Bisons lead all of U Sports in rushing with 712 yards coming on 86 carries and scoring five touchdowns. He expects his squad to have some extra jump for the battle with the Bisons after having beaten the Dinos.

    “It is a super big confidence booster,” said Machart. “Obviously, we kind of know what we are capable of, and I think we showed a little bit of that tonight.

    “We just have to keep on carrying that on.”

Adam Machart rumbles home for a touchdown.

    While the Huskies defence limited the Bisons to 359 yards of total offence in the Week 1 encounter, the Dogs didn’t like the fact they weren’t able to produce a single takeaway.
    Tom Whiting, who is a third-year linebacker, said he hasn’t forgotten what happened in the regular season opener.

    “You always have to keep it in the back of your mind just to dig into later,” said Whiting.

    Friday’s clash potentially has big ramifications in determining how the final Canada West standings could look. The winner of the battle between the Huskies and Bisons will still be in the thick of the race for first or second place and the chance to at least host one of the conference’s two semifinal playoff games.

    The Dinos and the University of Alberta Golden Bears are tied for first and second in the conference with identical 4-1 records.
    They face each other on Saturday at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

    The Huskies dropped a heartbreaking 19-17 decision to the Golden Bears in Edmonton, Alta., on Sept. 21.

The Huskies want to keep hitting higher gears as the season goes on.

    Huskies head coach Scott Flory said his team will eventually have to figure out how to be better away from Griffiths Stadium.
    “I just told the players that we just need to bottle what we are doing at home and take it with us on the road,” said Flory. “The concerning part for me is two of those road games where we showed up like that.

    “We’ll find a way to correct that.”

    For now, the goal for the Huskies is to have a better performance against the Bisons than what happened in Week 1. Nyhus said how that contest played out due to the errors the Huskies made should be enough to get his team going.

    “I guess I’ll use it for a bit of motivation just watching film and see what they did to us,” said Nyhus. “They are probably going to repeat it, so we’re going to have to beat it.”

Machart gets second player of the week nod

Huskies RB Adam Machart had a huge game against the Dinos.

    On Monday, it was déjà vu time for Adam Machart in the player of the week front.

    The star running back for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies football team was named the offensive player of the week for the Canada West Conference for the second time this season.

    Last Friday, Machart, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 185 pounds, had a huge game as the Huskies downed the previously undefeated U of Calgary Dinos 29-15 at Griffiths Stadium.

    In that contest, Machart carried the ball 23 times for 171 yards and one touchdown. On top of that, he hauled in three passes for 35 yards and one major score.

    The defensive player of the week for Canada West was U of Manitoba Bisons linebacker Reilly Gordon, and the special teams player of the week was U of Alberta Golden Bears kicker Jonathan Giustini.

    Machart’s previous offensive player of the week nod came after the Huskies downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 40-7 on Sept. 6 at Griffiths Stadium.

    So far this season, Machart has carried the ball 86 times for 712 yards and five touchdowns. He needs to gain one more yard to sit alone with the eighth best single season rushing yardage total in the history of the Huskies program. He has caught 14 passes for 137 yards and two major scores this season as well.

    Machart has equalled Doug Rozon’s performance in rushing yards from the 1997 campaign, when Rozon piled up 712 yards on 131 carries and scored three touchdowns.

Smith moves on from Huskies women’s hockey

Chloe Smith, centre, celebrates a significant goal at Rutherford in 2018.

    The last member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team to ever score a goal at the ancient Rutherford Rink has moved on to be an alumna of the program.

    After two seasons, power forward Chloe Smith has decided to move her life in a different direction. The 20-year-old has elected to not rejoin the Huskies for a third season.

    On her Instagram account, Smith has tabbed herself as a Huskies alum and member of her hometown Swift Current Fire Auxiliary.

    Smith was an education major during her two seasons with the Huskies, but she always longed to pursue a career in firefighting. It really came off that a career in firefighting was something Smith really wanted in a deep way.

    While I don’t have any confirmation on this front, it would be a strong educated guess that Smith is likely following the firefighter path.

    Smith, who stands 5-foot-7, came to the Huskies after playing four seasons with her hometown Swift Current Diamond Energy Wildcats from 2013 to 2017 in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League.

    She appeared in 110 career regular season games piling up 42 goals and 62 assists for 104 points. Smith is the 19^th all-time leading scorer in the history of the SFMAAAHL.
    During her rookie campaign with the Huskies in 2017-18, Smith forever cemented her spot in the team’s history.

Chloe Smith in action for the Huskies last season.

    On Feb. 24, 2018, she scored the winning goal that broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Huskies a 2-1 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in Game 2 of Canada West semifinal series.

    Smith’s second period goal in that contest allowed the Huskies to sweep the best-of-three series 2-0.

    That was the final game the Huskies women’s team ever play at the Rutherford Rink, and Smith holds the distinction of being the last member of the Huskies women’s team to score a goal in that facility and score the last women’s playoff series winner in that building.

    It seemed Smith might be Kaitlin Willoughby’s successor in becoming the Huskies next high profile star forward. Willoughby played out her final season of eligibility as Huskies captain in Smith’s rookie campaign.

    Willoughby had the Huskies first goal in the 2-1 victory over the Thunderbirds in that final game for the women’s program at Rutherford.

    A feature I put together on Smith that was posted on Sept. 23, 2017 is still my sixth all-time most viewed post surpassing 5,750 page views.

    Smith appeared in 26 regular season games in 2017-18 collecting three goals and three assists. She skated in 26 regular season game last season collecting three goals and five assists.

    While she was still looking for a breakout season offensively, Smith still had the potential to hit another gear in that department. If she has a change of heart, she still has three seasons of eligibility to use.

Chloe Smith will succeed in any path she takes in life.

    With all that said, it is likely tougher in the present day to be a U Sports athlete than it has at any time in history. U Sports athletes put in countless hours in the classroom and into preparing for their sport and honestly get very little recognition in the current day.

    When Canada’s media industry was larger, U Sports athletes received more recognition.

    If a U Sports athletes’ career goals do not match up with their path of study, the time comes to make a hard decision to move on, because it is hard to just take classes in or to play a sport.

    Smith is one of those who will be a great success in any path she takes in life.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Watson has the right stuff for football Huskies

Backup QB looked good under live fire

Ethan Watson (#5) calls signals for the Huskies on Friday night.

    If Ethan Watson has to come to the rescue, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team will still be in good hands.
    The 19-year-old Calgary, Alta., product is the Huskies backup quarterback. He was a redshirt last season and is in his first year of eligibility this season.

    If all went according to pre-season plans, he wasn’t expected to see the field much outside of entering games for mop up work. That changed last Friday night during a U Sports regular season game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

    Near the end of the third quarter with the Huskies holding a 26-9 lead on the University of Regina Rams, Huskies starting quarterback Mason Nyhus went down taking a hit on a delayed blitz. He banged his head on the turf, came back for one series and sat out the rest of the game as a precaution.

Nyhus was helping Watson and the Huskies coaches from the sideline, when Watson was at the controls.

    Watson went in for what was in all reality his first live action that counted in the final outcome of a game. At that point in the contest, the Rams could potentially mount a comeback.

    The Huskies utilized a more cautious play calling scheme for Watson, but gave way to allow him to make plays as the rest of the contest went on.

Ethan Watson fires a pass downfield for the Huskies.

    Watson, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, completed 4-of-6 passes for 46 yards and his first career U Sports touchdown. He ran the ball three times for 20 yards.

    Early in the fourth quarter, Watson guided an eight-play, 87-yard touchdown drive that ate 4:57 off the clock. He ended the march hitting running back Josh Ewanchyna on a six-yard swing pass that went for a touchdown.

    That score gave the Huskies a 33-9 lead. They ultimately claimed the contest 44-9.

    After the game, Huskies head coach Scott Flory was pleased with the production he got from Watson.

    “I am really high on him (Watson),” said Flory. “He can run.

    “He can use his legs. He can push the ball down the field. We obviously were controlling him at that point and all the throws and that kind of stuff.

    “He is doing all the right things, and he has a really bright future.”

    Going forward, Nyhus is still the Huskies unquestioned starter at quarterback. With that said, Watson showed well enough one wonders how good he might play going a full week taking the reps as the starter at practice.

    Huskies starting running back Adam Machart said it was great to see Watson enter the game and do well on Friday.

    “It is good for us,” said Machart. “It was good for Ethan (Watson) to get out there and get some reps.

Ethan Watson is elusive on the ground.

    “He did an awesome job, so I was super proud of him.”
    Huskies defensive back Nelson Lokombo, who return an interception 98 yards for a major after Watson’s touchdown pass, said it perked up the Huskies defence to see the offense was still moving with Watson at the controls.

    “It is awesome knowing that you can count on other guys to come in if somebody goes down and produce,” said Lokombo.

    At the moment, Nyhus is pegged to be the starter when the Huskies return to action this coming Saturday, when they travel to Edmonton, Alta., to face the University of Alberta Golden Bears in a battle of 2-1 teams.

    If Watson has to enter that contest for meaningful minutes or even start, the Huskies will still be able to roll.

Superman pose draws the flag

Jesse Kuntz hauls in a touchdown reception for the Huskies.

    Jesse Kuntz’s attempt at a déjà vu moment celebration didn’t seem appreciated by the officials in Regina.

    Early in the second quarter of the U of Saskatchewan Huskies 44-9 romp over the U of Regina Rams last Friday at Mosaic Stadium, Kuntz hauled in a 14-yard touchdown reception in the west corner of the north end zone to put the Huskies up 16-3 at that point in the contest.

    Back in 2013 at the Grey Cup held at Taylor Field, Saskatchewan Roughriders star receiver Geroy Simon made a diving 15-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter in almost an identical spot at that iconic facility to Kuntz’s grab last Friday. Simon’s touchdown sparked the Roughriders to a 45-23 romp over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

    After Kuntz made his touchdown catch on Friday, he broke out Simon’s old “Superman pose” to celebrate the score. Kuntz did the celebration in a perfect spot for Huskies official team photographer Josh Schaefer to get a picture of that moment.

    Schaefer got a number of gems in last Friday night’s game, and I am sure that was one of them.

    The officials weren’t as impressed. A penalty flag was thrown for unsportsmanlike conduct.

    With the clash between the Huskies and Rams being a rivalry game, the flag was likely the officials message to both teams they were going to crack down on acts like Kuntz’s celebration to prevent tensions from escalating.

    Still, the celebration was something that was fun, and I myself wouldn’t mind seeing it again.

The awkward spy camera

The Mosaic Stadium big screen camera loved Mason Nyhus.

    It seemed like the big screen camera at Mosaic Stadium last Friday seemed to be in love with hometown Regina product Mason Nyhus at an awkward time.

    Nyhus, who is the starting quarterback for the U of Saskatchewan Huskies, went down late in the third quarter of his team’s 44-9 romp over the host U of Regina Rams. He bumped his head on the turf after taking a hit on a delayed blitz.

    After the hit, the camera for the big screen at the stadium stayed on Nyhus as he came off the field and remained on him for a lengthy time when he was being looked at by the Huskies training staff. After the big screen cut to a play that was being run, the camera shot would be back to what was going on between Nyhus and the trainers.

    This happened about two or three times. The Huskies players that didn’t dress decided to act as a screen for the camera.

    Friday’s game was being shown on the television network run by SaskTel. It is likely the football on the big screen was dictated by the television broadcast.

    Still, that whole situation felt really awkward, and it seemed to be trying to discover if the Huskies would do something wrong.

    At game’s end, the Huskies tabbed the awkward camera as a non-issue.

    “We’re focused, we are here to play our game, and that’s it,” said Huskies head coach Scott Flory. “It is every snap.

    “We’re not getting into the extra-curricular and all that other stuff. We’re just playing a clean game and getting back to Huskie football.”

“Baby Shark Dance” burn song fail

The Huskies celebrate a pick-six from Nelson Lokombo.

    Before U Sports football games, it is common to introduce the opposing team with a burn song, but the one used at Mosaic Stadium in Regina last Friday was a fail.

    When the visiting U of Saskatchewan Huskies were introduced for their rivalry clash with the U of Regina Rams, the “Baby Shark Dance” was played over the facility’s stereo system when the Huskies came on to the field.

    The Huskies romped to a 44-9 victory. The biggest highlight came late in the fourth quarter when third-year defensive back Nelson Lokombo returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown to put the visitors up 41-9 at that point in the contest.

    The Huskies defensive team celebrated the score running across the end zone making a shark fin motion with their hands on top of their helmets.

    As far as the “Baby Shark Dance” song went, the Huskies defence got the last laugh.

“Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” song fail

The Huskies love, TDs, wins and “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon.”

    The game crew at Mosaic Stadium in Regina seemed to be good at song fails last Friday night.

    After the U of Saskatchewan Huskies thumped the U of Regina Rams 44-9 in a U Sports regular season football contest, the game staff decided to play The Guess Who’s “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon.”

    That move drew laughs from some of the Huskies players, who follow action in the Western Hockey League especially last season’s WHL playoffs.

    Due to the fact the Saskatoon Blades lost an intense six game series to the eventual WHL champion Prince Albert Raiders, a number of the Huskies players know that “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” is played at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert every time the Raiders beat the Blades.

    That tune is also played at the Art Hauser Centre on the hockey front every time the midget AAA Prince Albert Mintos beat either the Saskatoon Blazers or the Saskatoon Contacts and when the female midget AAA Prince Albert Northern Bears beat the Saskatoon Stars.

    After “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” was played at the U Sports contest last Friday at Mosaic Stadium, the Huskies players got a kick out of the move, because it was played after their side won in convincing fashion.

    With all that noted, the crew at U of Regina Athletics will have a couple of chances to get that song burn right in another intense rivalry between the two schools namely the Huskies versus U of Regina Cougars rivalry in women’s hockey.

    It is fairly well known that Cougars head coach Sarah (Howald) Hodges loves the Huskies women’s hockey team about as much as getting a root canal from a dentist without anaesthetic.

    The Cougars host the Huskies on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. and again Friday, Feb. 7, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Co-operators Centre.

    You can already see someone on the U of R game staff all set to make that song selection for a game-clinching empty net goal and post-game after a win.

    If they need any help on that front, they could always call in the services of Art Hauser Centre music man Dennis Ogrodnick.

    For those on the university front that are unfamiliar with the story of “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon” as it relates to the hockey rivalry between Saskatoon and Prince Albert, I wrote a piece on that last February that can be found right here.

    For those that don’t know the song, it is used in a video put together by Chanda Ulmer that can be seen below.

Huskies gave greatest song burn in 1999

The StarPhoenix sports front from Sept. 13, 1999.

    The best song burn ever in the history of U Sports has to go to the U of Saskatchewan Huskies from way back in 1999.

    It occurred before the first ever U Sports regular season football meeting between the Huskies and the U of Regina Rams. The Rams had just moved to the U Sports ranks after spending 45 years in the Canadian Junior Football League from 1954 to 1998.

    The Rams wrapped up their time in the CJFL ranks winning the league title in five out of six years from 1993 to 1995 and in 1997 and 1998.

    The Huskies entered the 1999 campaign as the defending Vanier Cup champions and had also won the U Sports national title in 1996 and 1990. The two sides met on Sept. 11, 1999 in a highly anticipated encounter at Griffiths Stadium.

    The Huskies entered that contest with a 1-0 record having downed the UBC Thunderbirds 28-20 at Griffiths. The Rams were 0-1 falling 37-28 to the U of Manitoba Bisons at Taylor Field in Regina. Both of those games were held on Sept. 4, 1999.

    Leading up to the clash between the Huskies and the Rams, U of R defensive end Ciaran Gilmore told the incomparable Ian Hamilton of the Regina Leader-Post the Rams needed to play new music in their dressing room.

    “We need to be tougher,” said Gilmore. “We listen to the Backstreet Boys in the locker room and everyone knows the words.

    “I hate that! We need to work on our mental toughness.”

    At the time, teams were introduced by individual player introductions either with the starting offence or defence. The Rams defence was announced with Gilmore leading the way.

    When he entered the field, the game staff at Griffiths played “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys.

    The Huskies spotted the Rams an early 11-0 lead. The Dogs then got going and rolled off 42 straight points and ultimately posted a 56-12 curb stomping.

    How dominate were the Huskies in that first encounter?

    They piled up 440 yards rushing as a team on 43 carries. The Rams had 244 yards of total offence in that game.

    Due to how that contest played out, a song burn likely never worked out any better.

When “Barney from the bowling alley” stirred the pot

Darrell Utley liked to take shots at the Regina Rams.

    Back when the U of Saskatchewan Huskies and U of Regina Rams met for the first time in a U Sports regular season game in 1999, the Saskatoon StarPhoenix ran regular stir the pot type columns from a freelance writer named Darrell Utley, who was known as “Barney from the bowling alley.”

    In those days, the sports department of the StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post had a lot more of their own distinct voices that were influenced and mirrored the views of their respective communities. Those voices weren’t streamlined similar ones often produced in the current day with both outlets being owned by Postmedia in Canada’s budget cut media era.

    Utley indulged in stirring the pot in the rivalry between Saskatoon and Regina, and a couple of his favourite targets were the Rams and their legendary head coach Frank McCrystal.

    When the Rams played the Huskies in their first regular season encounter on September 11, 1999, Utley wrote quite the humourous and biting column taking shots at the Rams.

    In one paragraph, Utley wrote, “For the next few years the rivalry will likely play out this way: The Huskies will host the Rams once at Griffiths Stadium, the Rams will return the favour at Taylor Field and the Huskies will enjoy post-season playoff action in November and the season for the Rams will end and the defensive line will have lots of free time to study for their underwater soap-carving final.”

    Another paragraph from Utley went, “McCrystal and his Rams have nothing to lose today (except the game) as his historic squad of Christians face a hungry pack of howling lions who are running out of pinkies for championship rings.”

    Utley of course was making reference to a long standing perception that the Rams were a Catholic football coming from the fact McCrystal had a long career as a teacher in the Regina Catholic school system.

    After the Huskies destroyed the Rams 56-12 in that first contest, the StarPhoenix sports staffers did take some shots at the Rams in their post-game stories that appeared in the Monday, September 13, 1999 edition of that paper.

    One common refrain was it would take the Rams three to five years to do anything of substance at the university level.

    The Rams proved that wrong by winning the Hardy Cup as Canada West champions and making the Vanier Cup in 2000 falling 42-39 to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

    Looking back, columns like the ones Utley wrote are a lost art, and it did create lots of interest in games. In today’s world, people are so thin skinned you would be hard pressed to find that type of writing anywhere.

    It does give you a grin to look back and see what once was.

Flory pumps up his offensive line

The Huskies starting offensive line has been great this season.

    The last word of this post goes to U of Saskatchewan Huskies head coach Scott Flory, because Flory is that cool.

    Going into this season, Flory was asked how many yards would his current talented and tough running backs Adam Machart and Josh Ewanchyna pile up if he, Kevin Lefsrud and Kelly Bates were leading the way on the offensive line.

    Flory, Lefsrud and Bates all had lengthy CFL careers and Flory made it to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a player. The trio helped lead the way in the Huskies Vanier Cup championship in 1998 and Flory and Lefsrud keys on the Huskies Vanier Cup winner in 1996 as U Sports national champions.

    That trio allowed running back Doug Rozon to become the Huskies all-time leading rusher piling up 4,086 yards in five seasons from 1995 to 1999.

    With all of that said, Flory said he likes his current offensive line that includes standout starters in left tackle Noah Zerr, left guard Mattland Riley, centre Connor Berglof, right guard Tanner Secord and right tackle Nick Summach.

    “Our O-line is better now than us old guys back then, I’ll tell you,” said Flory. “You look at our offensive line and the size and the speed and how these guys move, it makes our quarterbacks and running backs happy.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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