Defensive back Mitch Friesen intercepted UBC quarterback Billy Greene’s pass in the first quarter and ran it back 50 yards.

The Huskies football squad finished their regular season with an explosive offensive charge fueled by the return of quarterback Drew Burko.

The Dogs made light work of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, winning 52-24 in Griffiths Stadium Oct. 26.

Huskies rookie quarterback Burko was back in action for the first time in over a month, fully recovered after breaking a bone in his wrist Sept. 21 against the Regina Rams. The six-foot-four pivot started and played the majority of the game, going 20-for-29 and racking up 321 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on the night.

Burko’s longest toss was a 52-yard connection to Mitch Stevens in the second quarter. The ball bounced off the hands of the T-Birds defensive back in coverage and landed in Stevens’ arms. He then outran the defender to the end zone.

Stevens caught another touchdown pass in the third quarter and finished the game with 117 receiving yards on six catches.

On the ground, first-year Huskies tailback Jarvis James made the most exciting play of the night, breaking tackles at the line of scrimmage and sprinting 68 yards for a touchdown. James’ score gave the homeside Dogs a 45-17 lead with seven minutes left in the game.

Luke Thiel led the Huskies’ defence, recording 9.5 tackles, while Mitch Friesen gave the fans lots to cheer about in his final home game. The fifth-year defensive back snatched two interceptions, one fumble recovery and made 5.5 tackles. He was named the Canada West defensive player of the week for his efforts.

“We reached our objective,” Huskies head coach Brian Towriss said. “We wanted to go 3-0 in the second half of the season and we did that.”

Friesen was one of five Huskies honoured in a pre-game ceremony thanking the players for their years of commitment to the team. Fellow defensive players Bryce McCall and David Rybinski as well as slotback Braeden George were also honoured.

With the victory the Huskies finished the season 5-3 and earned third spot in the Canada West. The Dogs will play in Regina against the second place Rams Nov. 2 in one of two semifinal matches. In the other game, the first place Calgary Dinos will be at home to take on the Manitoba Bisons.

The Huskies and Rams have only met one other time this season in a week four matchup that saw Regina down the Dogs 35-26. During that game a Rams defender tackled Burko, who fell awkwardly and broke a bone in his wrist.

“I don’t really think of it as the Rams who hurt me. I’m not trying to think of that too much. I’m just trying to go out there and play how we play,” Burko said.

Regina won their last two games of the regular season and finished with a strong defensive effort, not allowing a single point against in the team’s 19-0 defeat of the Alberta Golden Bears Oct. 26.

Regina’s defence will need a similar effort to contain the Huskies, who are coming off their highest offensive output of the season.

“We have lots of momentum going into the playoffs,” said Burko. “The Rams will be a tough challenge for us but we want another shot at them after what happened here,” Burko added, referencing the team’s 35-26 loss to Regina earlier this year.

One concern for the Rams is the condition of starting quarterback Marc Mueller. The fifth-year pivot was sacked in the second quarter of Regina’s win against the Golden Bears and gave way to back up quarterback Frankie Gray for the remainder of the game. Gray has had limited playing time this season and completed five of eight attempts for 87 yards and one touchdown after replacing Mueller.

The Huskies have won their last three games and appear to be peaking just in time to make a playoff push. Regina may have to rely heavily on their defence to step up if Mueller doesn’t play. However, the Rams beat the Huskies earlier in the season. It should make for an intense semifinal battle between the inter-provincial rivals.

—
Photo: Calvin So