Huskies bash Bisons 49-21, Machart amasses milestones

Adam Machart (#20) piled up 219 yards rushing for the Huskies on Friday.

    Whether it was over land, sea or air, it felt like Adam Machart wouldn’t be stopped.
    Running behind the road grater of an offensive line, Machart piled up the third best rushing game in the history of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team on Friday night.
    The 22-year-old running back carried the ball 23 times for 219 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Huskies thumped the University of Manitoba Bisons 49-21 before 2,412 spectators at Griffiths Stadium.

    Thanks to that monster game, Machart has posted the third best rushing regular season in the history of the Huskies program. In the Huskies six games to date, Machart has carried the ball 109 times for 931 yards and seven touchdowns.

Adam Machart has run for 931 yards in six games.

    “I try not to worry about that kind of stuff,” said Machart, who had two catches for 16 yards to go with his rushing total. “At the end of the season, it would be cool to reflect on that and see where I am at.

    “For now, I think we have like bigger goals set for ourselves as a team.”

    The victory in the U Sports regular season clash allowed the Huskies to win the season series with the Bisons and earn the head-to-head standings tiebreaker between the two clubs.

    The Bisons thumped the Huskies 43-19 at IG Field in Winnipeg, Man., on Aug. 30, which was the regular season opener for both squads.

    The Huskies, who are rated seventh in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, claim the head-to-head series with the Bisons holding a 68-64 edge in points scored in the two encounters between the two sides.

    U of S sits third in the Canada West Conference with a 4-2 record.

The Huskies offensive line cleared the way for a successful night on Friday.

    The Huskies, who are the defending Canada West champions, secured a playoff berth with Friday’s win.

    The Bisons fell to 3-3 to sit third in Canada West.

    Going into Friday’s game, Machart said the Huskies weren’t thinking about getting the head-to-head standing tiebreaker with the Bisons.

    “You have to go into the game just hoping to get the win,” said Machart, who stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 185 pounds. “That is the first thing you have to do.

    “Towards the end of the game, then we can start thinking, ‘OK, pile on some points.’ It worked out.”

Adam Machart, centre, powers in for his first touchdown on Friday.

    While the Huskies never trailed on the scoreboard in Friday’s encounter, much of the contest was tightly contested. The host side led 14-8 after the first quarter, 28-18 at halftime and 35-21 after three quarters.

    Early in the fourth quarter, the Bisons were driving with the ball, and it appeared they were going to score to make the contest a one-possession game. U of M elected to gamble on a third-and-five situation from the Huskies 18 yard line.

    Huskies defensive back Bowan Lewis broke up a throw from Bisons star quarterback Des Catellier to force a turnover on downs.

    The Huskies earnestly started thinking about scoring enough points to get the standings tiebreaker late in the fourth.

Trysten Dyce celebrates a TD in classic Bisons style.

    With 2:50 remaining in the fourth, Machart ran home a touchdown 14 yards up the gut to extend the Huskies lead to 42-21.
    On the second play of the ensuing Bisons offensive series, Catellier was intercepted by Huskies defensive back Josh Hagerty at the U of M 41 yard line. Hagerty gained a couple of yards on the return to set the Huskies up at the Bisons 39 yard line.

    It took the Huskies three plays to get the ball down to the Bisons one yard line. From the one, Huskies reserve rookie running back Keagan White creased his way into the end zone to put the Huskies up 49-21 with 1:59 remaining in the fourth quarter.

    The Bisons drove the ball 49 yards in eight plays on their final series, but the clock expired causing the series to stall on the Huskie 28 yard line. U of M converted one third down play on that final march.

    “It was a great play by Hags (Hagerty),” said Huskies head coach Scott Flory, who doubles as the team’s offensive coordinator. “We need a play at that point.

    “The game plan it is what you saw. I think our defence executed it. We didn’t give up a lot big strikes.

Josh Hagerty secures an interception for the Huskies.

    “We’ll give up some of those chunk plays and that kind of stuff. A whole part of the game plan going in offensively was just to keep grinding and keep grinding. I got away from that in the second quarter, and then I got back to it and I think you see the results.”
    Huskies quarterback Mason Nyhus completed 16-of-28 passes for 182 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

    Nyhus threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Sam Baker, a five yard scoring toss to Joseph Trumpy and hit star utility player Colton Klassen with a 31-yard pass for a major score.

    Klassen topped the Huskies in receiving hauling in five passes for 84 yards to go with his major score.

The Huskies celebrate a touchdown from Keagan White (#34).

    Running back Josh Ewanchyna had the Huskies first major score on a one-yard run in the first quarter.

    Catellier completed 23-of-42 passes for 271 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was the Bisons leading rusher as well piling up 67 yards on eight carries.

    Trysten Dyce led the Bisons in receiving with six catches for 76 yards and one touchdown. He hauled his touchdown reception from 15 yards out with 22.9 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

    Near the end of the first quarter, Bisons receiver Colby Kyliuk blocked a Huskies punt and recovered the ball in the U of S end zone for a U of M touchdown.

    Bisons kicker Matt Riley made a 17-yard field goal and scored two singles off missed field goals both from 28 yards out.

Colton Klassen, left, ensures the ball gets into the end zone.

    The Huskies conceded a safety in the contest to contribute to the Bisons point total.

    Huskies defensive ends Riley Pickett and Nicholas Dheilly combine on one sack. Linebackers Ben Whiting, Tom Whiting and Ramsey Derbas each had nine total tackles for the host side.

    Defensive end Derek Dufault had the lone sack for the Bisons. Linebacker Julian Luis had an interception for the visitors.

    Defensive end Brock Gowanlock topped the Bisons with nine total tackles.

    The only two running backs to rush for more yards than Machart did in a game for the Huskies were Doug Rozon and Morrie Norsten.

The U of Saskatchewan Cheer Team entertains the crowd.

    Rozon piled up 292 yards in a game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears in 1999, while Norsten had 244 yards rushing in a game against the University of Calgary Dinos in 1994.

    Huskies left guard Mattland Riley, who was a second team U Sports all-Canadian all-star last season, said the team’s offensive line enjoys blocking for Machart.

    “It is absolutely awesome,” said Riley. “Machart, he is just such a good guy.

    “All the offensive line love him. We just love blocking for him. We do our job a little bit, and then he goes and gets another four or five or 10 yards.

    “It is great. We love it.”

    At the moment, only Rozon and David Stevens have rushed for more yards in one regular season for the Huskies than Machart has.

Sam Baker, left, secures a touchdown reception for the Huskies.

    Rozon piled up 1,267 yards on 151 carries and scored five touchdowns in 1999. Stevens ran for 1,229 yards on 174 carries and scored 12 touchdowns in 2005.

    Flory said Machart has meant a tonne to the current Huskies.

    “He (Machart) is, number one, a special young man, and obviously, an incredible football talent,” said Flory. “He has a good offensive line in front of him, don’t kid yourself.

    “He makes things right. People make mistakes. I make bad calls. Players make mistakes.

    “That happens, but he is the corrector. He just makes it right. You see what he does; it is a joy to watch.”

The Huskies enjoy their win on Friday night.

    Machart said the Huskies offensive line has allowed him to have the success he has had. The Huskies starting O-line of left tackle Noah Zerr, Riley, centre Connor Berglof, right guard Tanner Secord and right tackle Nick Summach were steamrolling Bisons defenders on Friday night.

    “All five of those guys, it is a lot of fun,” said Machart. “When they make holes like that, it makes being a running back quite a blast.
    “We are getting more comfortable with each other. It just starts flowing a little bit better as the season goes on, so it has been good.”

    The Huskies return to action on Oct. 19, when they travel to Vancouver, B.C., to face the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (1-5).

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

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Huskies opening day implosion disappointing but just one game

The Huskies will be looking to clean up mistakes in practice.

    Well that bubble burst quickly.

    The pundits and the Canada West Conference coaches had the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team tabbed as a powerhouse going into their regular season opener Friday against the U of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg, Man.

    In the initial U Sports Top 10 rankings released on Tuesday, the Huskies, who are the defending Canada West champions, were rated fourth, and they were the highest ranked team from Canada West.

    In the Canada West football pre-season coaches poll released on Wednesday, the U of Calgary Dinos were rated first, the Huskies second, the Bisons third, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds fourth, the U of Alberta Golden Bears fifth and the U of Regina Rams sixth.

    The initial high expectations for the Huskies came crashing down to earth. Before 1,001 spectators at IG Field in Winnipeg, the Bisons claimed a 43-19 landslide victory.

    The Huskies beat themselves almost as much as the Bisons contributed to their own cause. 

Adam Machart (#20) had 93 yards rushing for the Huskies on Friday.

    U of S turned the ball over seven times including three fumbles, two interceptions and twice on downs.

    U of M didn’t have a single giveaway.

    In the second quarter, one interception and two fumbles by the Huskies were turned into 17 points by the Bisons, who held a 27-9 edge at halftime.
    From that point, the Huskies faced an uphill battle on the scoreboard, and they could never get one of those serious momentum surges that Canada West football contests are known for to get back in the game.

    The turnovers took away from the fact the Huskies were able to move the ball on offence and hold ground on defence.

    Making his first career regular season start, Huskies quarterback Mason Nyhus connected on 27-of-39 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown to go with his one interception.

    The Huskies ground game piled up 174 yards rushing. Starting running back Adam Machart ran the ball 13 times for 93 yards, and running back Josh Ewanchyna posted 66 yards rushing on eight carries scoring one touchdown.

    Ewanchyna would have had a bigger night had two monster long runs not been negated by holding penalties.

    Defensively, the Huskies held the Bisons to 359 yards of total offence with 163 yards coming through the air and 196 yards on the ground.

Mason Nyhus threw for 315 yards for the Huskies on Friday.

    Defensive end Nicholas Dheilly, defensive tackle Evan Machibroda and defensive back Nelson Lokombo all had sacks for the Huskies.

    Despite facing field position situations that favoured the Bisons offence, the Huskies defence forced their foes to attempt five field goals, which were all made by Bisons kicker Matt Riley.

    Still, Bisons starting quarterback Des Catellier was efficient for his squad completing 14-of-19 passes for 163 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
    The 196 yards rushing the Bisons piled up on the ground was also noticeable. The bulk of those yards came from their talented running back stable in Michael Ritchott, Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette and Logan Fischer, who all had star careers in the Canadian Junior Football League.

    With all that said, one wonders what the score would have been had the Huskies not turned over the ball. They were able to execute large parts of their game plan, but seven turnovers will always foil those plans.

    In football, it is always known that crazy and unpredictable things can happen on opening day.

    On Friday in Edmonton, Alta., the visiting Dinos led the Golden Bears 30-13 at halftime in the regular season opener for both those squads. The Dinos lead shrunk to 33-31 in the fourth quarter.

    U of C was up 34-31, when Dinos defensive back Deane Leonard intercepted Golden Bears quarterback Brad Launhardt and returned the ball 62 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game to seal a 41-31 victory.

Head coach Scott Flory, right, will look for his Huskies to bounce back.

    If the Huskies were going to have an outing where they turned the ball over seven times, it is best to get it out of the way in Week 1. There is still a lot of time to recover.

    All the Huskies can do is focus on their next game, which is their homecoming game this coming Friday at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium against the Thunderbirds.

    The Huskies can still repeat and better their special season in 2018. They were reminded the can still be humbled if their focus slips like they were in the opening loss to the Bisons.

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

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.

Huskies’ defence bashes Bisons – U of S playoff bound

Tristian Koronkiewicz (#90) celebrates his defensive touchdown.

    Tristian Koronkiewicz lived out a defensive lineman’s dream.

    On Saturday at Griffiths Stadium, Koronkiewicz’s University of Saskatchewan Huskies jumped out to a 20-4 second-half edge on the University of Manitoba Bisons after the two sides were locked in a 4-4 tie at halftime of their U Sports regular season clash.

    With the Huskies defense having knocked Bisons starting quarterback Des Catellier out of the contest with an injury, Bisons backup quarterback Jamie Ybarra fumbled the ball away late in the fourth quarter, while under pressure.

    Koronkiewicz, who plays defensive end, scooped up the loose ball and raced 39 yards for a touchdown to put the Huskies up 27-4 with 2:33 to play in the fourth quarter. That score held up as the final outcome to the delight of most of the 2,440 spectators in attendance.

Huskies LB Thomas Whiting nails Bisons RB Jamel Lyles.

    “During an interview earlier in the week, I said no words describe a sack,” said Koronkiewicz, who is in his fifth and final year of eligibility with the Huskies. “No words describe that feeling.

    “I saw the ball on the ground, picked it up and I just gave all I got to get to that end zone.”

    Koronkiewicz’s major score provided some amusement for Huskies head coach Scott Flory.

    “The first think he (Koronkiewicz) said to me was how about that ball security,” said Flory with a chuckle. “We work on that every day one.

    “I’m really proud of Tristan (Koronkiewicz) and the way he has responded this season. He absolutely deserves all the accolades he gets for what he has done for this football team without a doubt.”

    While Koronkiewicz’s touchdown capped a solid afternoon performance by the Huskies, the victory they earned was a key one.

The Bisons defence corrals Huskie RB Tyler Chow (#5) in the early going.

    Their win combined with the fact the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds downed the University of Alberta Golden Bears 30-11 in Vancouver, B.C., also on Saturday allowed the Huskies lock up a playoff berth. U of S returns to the post-season after a one-year absence.

    The Huskies and Thunderbirds have identical 4-3 records, but the Thunderbirds hold the Canada West Conference standings tiebreaker winning the lone regular season encounter between the two sides. UBC sits second in Canada West, while the Huskies are in third place.

    The Bisons fell to 3-4 to sit fourth in Canada West, but they clinched a playoff berth with the Golden Bears loss to the Thunderbirds. 

The Huskies celebrate a safety from LB Thomas Whiting.

    The Golden Bears fell to 2-5, but with one regular season game to play, they can’t catch the Bisons, who won both regular season clashes between the two squads to gain the standings tiebreaker.

    For Koronkiewicz, the chance to return to the post-season is special.

    “It is my last kick at the can, so I want to be able to prolong my career as much as I can,” said Koronkiewicz. “We seized that opportunity today.

    “Now, I have that for sure two more weeks of football, and we just have to keep it riding.”

QB Kyle Siemens completed 22-of-26 passes for 262 yards.

    Overall, the Huskies defence had a dominate performance on Saturday limiting the Bisons to 298 yards of total offence, while piling up four sacks. Koronkiewicz along with linebacker Thomas Whiting, defensive tackle Evan Machibroda and defensive end Riley Pickett all had one sack each.

    Catellier completed 12-of-18 passes for the Bisons for only 142 yards before being knocked out of the game on Machibroda’s sack in the fourth quarter. Bisons star running back Jamel Lyles carried the ball 10 times for just 26 yards.

    Bisons backup running back Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette managed to cause some headaches gaining 108 yards rushing on eight carries.

    Koronkiewicz collected three individual tackles to go with his sack and scoop and score.

    “We had a fantastic game plan coming in, and we need to contain Jamel Lyles,” said Koronkiewicz. “I think we did that early.

RB Tyler Chow dives into the end zone for a touchdown.

    “That made them try to pass the ball a little more, and then we got after the quarterback and contained him. Des (Catellier) is a great athlete.

    “He flies around. He extends plays with his legs. We kept him from doing that today, and I think that helped a lot for sure.”

    The Bisons did get on the board first, when kicker Brad Mikoluff nailed an 18-yard field goal to cap an 82-yard offensive drive with 4:16 to play in the first quarter.

    Before the first quarter ended, the Huskies forced Mikoluff to concede a safety due to bad field position to cut the Bisons lead to 3-2.

    Early in the second quarter, Mikoluff scored a rouge off an 84-yard punt with a strong wind to give the Bisons a 4-2 edge.

    With 1:59 to play in the second quarter, the Huskies tied things up at 4-4, when Whiting sacked Catellier in his own end zone for a safety.

The Huskies defence stops Bisons RB Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette.

    Flory wasn’t surprised neither side was able to break out in the first half.

    “That is a good football team,” said Flory referring to the Bisons. “In the first half obviously, it was tight.

    “There was a lot of good defensive effort on both sides. We have to find a way to put the ball in the end zone. I challenged the offence a little bit at halftime, and they responded as well as the defence.”

    The Huskies went ahead with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter, when fifth-year star running back Tyler Chow took a short eight-yard pass from fifth-year star quarterback Kyle Siemens into the end zone for a major score. The drive ending in Chow’s touchdown catch covered 107 yards in seven plays and gave the Huskies an 11-4 lead.

The Huskies faithful get into singing “Sweet Caroline.”

    Early in the fourth quarter, Huskies star kicker Sean Stenger missed a 30-yard field goal, but the hosts scored a rouge off that miss to go up 12-4.

    U of S proceeded to put together another long scoring drive that covered 97 yards in nine plays and was capped by a Chow touchdown run from three yards out to give the Huskies a 19-4 advantage.

    Chow ran the ball 17 times for 82 yards and caught three passes for 26 yards to go with his two major scores.

    “I couldn’t have done it without the O-line,” said Chow. “They’ve been playing stellar all year.

“I have to thank them. I wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”

    Stenger scored another rouge on the ensuing kickoff following Chow’s touchdown run to put the Huskies up 20-4.

Joseph Trumpy (#82) secures a catch for the Huskies.

    That set the stage for Koronkiewicz to cap the win with his defensive touchdown.

Siemens completed 22-of-26 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He ran the ball six times for a team high 84 yards.

    Before Saturday’s game, the Huskies had lost their previous two games and Siemens was pulled in the squad’s last outing, which was a 20-10 setback to the Thunderbirds on Oct. 12 in Vancouver. 
    Siemens said it was big for the Huskies to end their two-game skid.

    “We have a great group of guys,” said Siemens. “Adversity has hit us a lot throughout this season.

Colton Klassen (#7) looks to turn upfield for the Huskies.

    “We’ve responded well every single time. I’m pretty proud of that and pretty proud of the guys.”
    The Huskies close the regular season this coming Friday, when they travel to Regina to face the University of Regina Rams (1-6) at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium. 

    The Rams had to forfeit three wins this season due to using an ineligible player.

    U of S can finish second in Canada West and host a conference semifinal playoff game with a win over the Rams combined with a Thunderbirds loss to the Bisons, when those two teams meet this coming Saturday in Winnipeg, Man.

    Chow said his Huskies just have to worry about their next task at hand in playing the Rams.

The Huskies and Bisons shake hands after Saturday’s game.

    “We are not going to take them lightly,” said Chow. “The Rams are a great team, and we just have to stay focused.”

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

-------

    If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.