The Huskies gave all they had in the Nov. 5 Canada West semifinal match-up against the UBC Thunderbirds, but saw their playoff dreams dashed by the number six ranked team in Canadian university football.

The game played at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver was a back-and-forth brawl that started slow but picked up momentum in the second half, ending with a 27-22 final score.

With just under two minutes remaining in the game the Huskies fielded a punt on their own 11-yard line. Down 20-15, it seemed the perfect time to storm down the field for a dramatic comeback. The T-Birds defence, though, had other plans and stripped the ball from Huskies quarterback Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren on the second play of the drive.

With terrific field position, UBC quarterback Billy Greene capitalized on the opportunity and hooked up with receiver David Scott for a 17-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 12 with only 1:21 left on the clock.

The Huskies did manage to hustle downfield 60 yards for the major, but with only 33 seconds remaining, the Thunderbirds covered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

“Turnovers were the big story. We had four interceptions and a fumble, and three of them were in the red zone,” explained Huskies head coach Brian Towriss. “The stats were all pretty even with the exception of turnovers. We turned the ball over at inopportune times, and it was the same kind of things that plagued us all year that hurt us again in this game.”

There was a lot of worry amongst the Huskies faithful that the Dogs wouldn’t be able to handle Greene and the high-powered offence of UBC. But the Dogs had nearly identical passing yards and almost 30 more rushing yards than UBC.

The difference? Saskatchewan managed only two touchdowns on five attempts in the red zone. While the Thunderbirds only got inside the Huskies’ 20-yard line three times, they put up seven points each time. Add the Huskies’ five turnovers compared to the Thunderbirds’ one, and that’s the game-breaker.

“The game Saturday was a microcosm of our entire year,” said Saskatchewan running back Ben Coakwell. “Our defence played well and our offence failed to capitalize when we needed to. We put successful drives together but did not convert them to points in the red zone.”

The first half was full of missed opportunities from both sides. The Huskies kept turning the ball over and UBC struggled to move the ball against the Dogs’ defense. The Thunderbirds also weren’t able to convert any of their four interceptions into points. As well, UBC missed a field goal attempt on their first drive of the game.

By halftime the score was only 3-3.

Five minutes into the third quarter, the Thunderbirds offence was finally able to string together a seven-play, 82-yard drive that concluded with a three-yard pass from Greene to receiver Jordan Grieve for the major. Then on the T-Birds’ last drive of the quarter, following a 12-yard punt return combined with a 15-yard Huskies penalty, the UBC offence took over on Saskatchewan’s 38-yard line. After a ten-yard completion, Saskatchewan took another penalty, giving the Thunderbirds the ball on the 8-yard line.

Billy Greene ran his way into the end zone two plays later and UBC was suddenly up 17-6 going into the final quarter.

The Huskies gave up 135 penalty yards in the game, evidence that the team is still young and inexperienced.

Saskatchewan finally caught a break when the Thunderbirds fumbled a punt deep in their own territory and gave the ball back to the Huskies. On the following play the Dogs put up their first touchdown of the game on a 14-yard toss from Gilbert-Knorren to Shane Dueck.

The Huskies kicked off, and the defence pinned UBC deep in their zone forcing the T-Birds to give up a two point team safety. The score was 20-15 with six minutes to play, and it seemed as though the Huskies had momentum.

The untimely fumble from Gilbert-Knorren, though, extinguished that momentum quickly, and they eventually had to walk into their dressing room defeated.

“We just were younger, and we made mistakes,” Towriss said of his team. “I think our overall maturity level wasn’t that high, and it resulted in penalties that put us in a hole. All the same, things that cost us during the year also hurt us in the playoffs.”

The UBC game also marked the last time Coakwell would play as a Huskie and, although disappointed, the running back spoke fondly of his time with the team.

“It was my final season and I obviously wished things could have ended differently,” Coakwell said. “That, however, doesn’t change that the Huskies football program has taught me a lot over my career and I look forward to being a Huskie alum.”

UBC now moves on to play against the Calgary Dinos in the Hardy Cup game for the Canada West title. That game takes Friday, Nov. 11 in Calgary.

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Photos: Josh Curran/The Ubyssey