COLLEEN MARTYN
Sports Writer

With another season over, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team finds themselves short of a playoff victory yet again.

The Nov. 6 match-up against the University of Alberta Golden Bears was expected to be an easy win which would send the Huskies off to the Canada West final. With a 30-3 lead going in the third quarter, it certainly looked as though the Huskies had clinched the win.

Huskies’ quarterback Laurence Nixon was clearly in command of his team during this crucial game, throwing for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Huskies defence managed to force five turnovers, which were vital in giving the Huskies a 9-3 edge at the half.

With Rory Kolhert’s touchdown putting the Huskies at a 30-3 advantage, it seemed to everyone that the game had ended, but not so for the Golden Bears. As the game reached the fourth quarter, an amazing comeback occurred which no Huskies alum would care to remember.

It began when Golden Bears quarterback Julian Marchand connected with Laine Rodgers for an 11-yard touchdown toss, closing the third quarter at 30-10. Marchand again connected with Ryan Meraw to put another seven points on the board.

As Matt Jarvis burst his way into the end-zone bringing the Bears closer to the Huskies in points, the fans began to stiffen up and perhaps even veteran Huskies started to feel the pressure, but with 2:47 remaining, a win for the Bears seemed highly unlikely. Marchand led the Bears to Saskatchewan’s 33-yard line for a comeback so improbable it seemed to have been written by Hollywood.

The Alberta quarterback threw to teammate Ryley Richardson, who managed to elude Huskies defensive back Cody Halseth, tying up the game at 30 points each. In front of a silent audience, Hugh O’Neil’s extra point flew through the uprights, giving the Bears the one point advantage they would need to defeat the Huskies.

With only 18 seconds left to the end of the game and beginning from their own 23-yard line, the Huskies were unable to get within the field goal range they needed to win the game.

Alberta moves on to face the second-seeded Calgary Dinos Nov. 13 in the Hardy Cup. The winner of that game will advance to host the national semi-final, the Mitchell Bowl, on Nov. 20. The culmination of the CIS football season will unfold on Nov. 27 in the Vanier Cup, taking place at Laval University.

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images: Pete Yee