Huskies receiver Garrett Burgess picked up 12 catches for 135 yards against Manitoba Oct. 12.

An offensive explosion led by two first-year Huskies earned the Dogs 28 points in the fourth quarter against the Manitoba Bisons Oct. 12 at Griffiths Stadium.

The Dogs were down 29-16 entering the final frame, but the surge of points completed their 44-39 come-from-behind win.

“We said we weren’t going to quit and fortunately we didn’t. It was a character win,” Brian Towriss, the Huskies head coach, said in a press release following the game.

“The kids battled… they hung in there and found a way. They believed they could win.”

Chase Bradshaw, in only his second CIS start, matched a Canada West record with 38 completions on the night. He racked up 426 passing yards, averaging more than 15 yards for every completion. The pivot threw three touchdowns on the night, two of which came in the fourth quarter comeback.

Bradshaw connected with receiver Kit Hillis for a 40-yard touchdown five minutes into the fourth quarter. He followed that up with a touchdown of his own on a goal-line quarterback sneak and added a 16-yard touchdown toss to Mitch Stevens. A big 70-yard gallop from Bisons tailback Anthony Coombs between the Dogs touchdowns, however, meant the Huskies still trailed by two points with time running out.

Shane Buchanan, a rookie tailback suiting up for the first time since sustaining an injury in the preseason, scored with one minute left to play to complete the comeback.

Buchanan put the Huskies on the Bisons’ nine yard line after a 31-yard sprint through Manitoba’s defence, then trotted into the end zone on the next play.

Buchanan showed a veteran’s determination in his first CIS start. Altogether, he picked up 144 yards on 13 carries and notched the touchdown that put the 4,575 people in attendance on their feet in celebration of the Huskies win.

The Huskies victory brings both teams to 3-3 records on the season. Saskatchewan holds the tie-breaker, however, placing the Dogs at third place in the playoff race and pushing Manitoba to fourth with two weeks left in the season.

Manitoba will play the UBC Thunderbirds next week while the Huskies travel to Edmonton to play the winless Alberta Golden Bears.

Alberta has been at the bottom of the league since the Dogs beat them 32-0 in the first week of the season. The Bears are also coming off a 51-1 home loss at the hands of the Calgary Dinos. Sporting a 0-6 record, the Golden Bears are out of playoff contention and would shock the league if they found a way to beat the Huskies Oct. 20.

Huskies rookie cornerback Travoy Martinez played a big role in the first game between the teams, intercepting Alberta’s quarterback Curtis Dell twice in the match.

Alberta has the league’s worst points for-and-against team statistics as well. The Bears average only 12 points per game while giving up 43 points on average to their opponent’s offence through the first six games of the season.

In comparison, Saskatchewan is averaging 28.8 points of their own and has allowed teams to score 30.7 points against them.

Quarterback Drew Burko could be cleared to play as early as Oct. 18. He has been healing a broken bone in his wrist since Sept. 21. Burko has started non-contact practice with the team this week but has to use a splint and is still feeling pain when he throws the ball.

Even if Burko gets cleared to play on the 18th, Towriss doesn’t want to risk putting him in with such limited practice time. Meaning Chase Bradshaw will get  the start against Alberta.

“Chase has played the last three weeks for us and has done a nice job,” Towriss said.