KADE GATES

Another season of Huskies football is upon us as the Huskies host their Canada West conference opener against the University of Manitoba Bisons — the same Bisons that ended the Huskies’ 2014 season at Griffiths Stadium in a heartbreaking playoff loss last November.

For those who don’t quite remember last season’s semi-final loss, here’s a quick refresher. Manitoba quickly jumped out to a 14–0 lead before the Huskies put up 16 unanswered to lead 16–14 after one quarter. By the early third, it was 37–18 for the Dogs and it looked like the Huskies would cruise to a Hardy Cup appearance.

A comeback began as the Bisons’ Jayden McKoy took an interception back to the house to close the gap. A few special teams’ errors and a fumble returned for a touchdown gave the Bisons a 40–37 lead. They closed the gap to one, but the Bisons scored late on a trick play and held off the Huskies to steal a 47–39 victory.

Saskatchewan will bring back a ton of offensive starters from last season, including the signal caller quarterback Drew Burko. Burko was a standout last year for the Huskies as he lead the CanWest with 182 completed passes for 2256 yards and 21 touchdowns. Burko was impressive in the Huskies non-conference game against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, completing 13 of 20 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

The committee backfield that led the Huskies to over a thousand yards rushing will return, as Shane Buchanan, Jarvis James and Tyler Chow will all see carries. Chow carried the ball nine times for 62 yards against the Golden Hawks. Also showing his abilities in the non-conference game was second year Kayden Johnson who rushed 17 times for 86 yards. Expect to see a committee approach early on in the season, as the Huskies have plenty of talent in the backfield.

The Huskie receiving corps will miss Kit Hillis who graduated last season, but will still return younger brother Mitch Hillis as well as John Trumpy and Brydon Ozmun. Trumpy lead the Huskies with nearly 500 receiving yards on 35 receptions and five touchdowns. Ozmun and Hillis will be valuable supporting options in the passing game, drawing on the experience of 30 receptions apiece last year as they look to expand their roles in the Huskie offence. Hillis was lights-out in the Huskies’ non-conference game, catching nine passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Huskies head coach Brian Towriss knows their offence could be very dangerous this season.

“Offensively, we have got tons of weapons, so we have to spread the ball around and make sure we take what teams are giving us. We’ve got lots of ways we can hurt people. We’ve got three outstanding running backs and a veteran offensive line that is skilled and has been around for a while and understands the run game. Our top five receivers all catch the ball well and can do things with it after they get it,” Towriss said.

In their season debut, the Huskies’ defence looked solid and played well versus Laurier. Fifth-year Chris Friesen finished the game with two interceptions and Brooks Falloon was equally as impressive, including forcing an incompletion when he leveled a Golden Hawks receiver coming across the middle.

Special teams were the only downfall, as there was a fumble and a block charged to the unit, something Towriss hopes to clean up as the Huskies move forward.

“Certainly, going into the game against Wilfrid Laurier, we hadn’t worked on it enough. We have spent a bit more time on it; we will have some more veteran people back there when we tee it up on Friday night, but having said that, there’s no replacement for experience,” Towriss said.

New kicker for the Huskies Sean Stenger was great connecting on all three of his field goal attempts. The punt protection against the Golden Hawks was suspect and will need to be improved as the season moves along.

Manitoba comes into this duel with the Huskies after having tied their non-conference game with the University of Guelph Gryphons 33–33. The Bisons are the reigning Hardy Cup champs and nearly knocked off the Vanier Cup champion Université de Montréal Carabins in the Uteck Bowl. This season looks to be a retooling year for the Bisons, though, as the offence lost quarterback Jordan Yantz, receivers Nic Demski and Matt Sawyer and running back Kienan LaFrance.

Under centre this year for the Bisons is Theo Deezar, who stands out on the field as a 6’5” quarterback. Deezar played sparingly in 2014, going 44 for 84 for 782 yards and eight touchdowns. The offence will stumble without Yantz, but Deezar is more than capable of being a solid quarterback. Deezar will benefit from fifth-year receivers Alex Vitt and Dustin Pedersen.

The Bisons pass defence may be where the Huskies strike on Friday, as the unit that finished second in the CanWest last year lost defensive backs Tremaine Apperley, Jordan Linnen and David Ferrier. McKoy, who registered five picks as a rookie last year, will lead a group of fresh faces that includes star recruit Luc Catellier.

Although the faces may have changed, Towriss knows that Manitoba will be a tough opponent.

“They’ve lost some offensive weapons but they’re athletic. That’s a good football team, they were within one throw of going to the Vanier Cup last year. They look to be just as athletic this year,” Towriss said. “They have a new quarterback but he played some last year, he’s effective. They have good receivers, good backs again. They may not be as explosive on offence but just at first look, they may be even better on defence from a year ago.”

The Huskies will look for retribution following their playoff loss last year. By playing a Bisons team that lost a few big weapons from last year, they should have a fairly good chance to do exactly that. The Huskies’ passing attack could give the young Bison secondary fits, as long as the pass blocking holds up. On the defensive side of the ball, the Huskies could have a field day if they can put pressure on an inexperienced quarterback; if the special teams can also hold up, it should be a fruitful season opener.

The annual homecoming game is on Sept. 4 at Griffiths Stadium. Students get in for free, so come cheer on your Huskies under the lights as they start their journey toward the Vanier Cup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and there is also pre-game rallies and tailgating just outside the stadium starting at 5 p.m.