Posted on September 5, 2010 by Dallas
In a game many thought would be a Titanic showdown between two CIS powerhouses, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies showed that pre-season rankings mean little with a convincing 34 to 13 victory over the number one ranked University of Calgary Dinos.
Jeff Hassler scores on a long TD run (Liam Richards).
The Huskies started out strong, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the game when Jeff Hassler exploded through the line and the arms of some Calgary defenders for a 69 yard touchdown. The Dinos answered the drive with a touchdown on their eight-play, 70 yard opening drive, scored by quarterback Erik Glavic on a sneak.
That would be the last time these teams would be even, as the Huskies opened the gates, driving down the field for a Denton Kolodzinski field goal, followed one-drive later by an 87 yard bomb from quarterback Laurence Nixon to wide receiver Jade Etienne who turned on the jets to score a touchdown, which made the score 17-7 at the end of the first quarter. That touchdown was set up by a Nico Higgs forced fumble, taking the ball away from Glavic as he was going down.
The strong play from both sides of the ball continued in the second quarter, as Peter Thiel recovered a Nathan Coehoorn fumble on the Dinos first drive of the second half. A later drive was snuffed out as the Huskies’ defence held the Dinos on third-and-short, turning the ball over on downs and setting up a five-play, 70 yard drive that ended in an 11 yard touchdown pass from Nixon to Braeden George, making the score 24-7 mid-way through the second quarter. Read more »
Filed under: Game Day, Huskies | Tagged: Huskies, cis, canada west, dinos | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 4, 2010 by Ryan
The Huskies face the number one team in the country tonight as they take on the Dinos in Calgary at 7:00 pm. The game is on TV on Shaw, on the radio on CK750 or online at ck750.com.
Huskies Head Coach Brian Towriss knows that the game will be a test for both teams and is excited to start the the Canada West season. The Huskies had a non-conference victory last week over Western Ontario, and spent this week focusing on Calgary.
Huskies Head Coach Brian Towriss (Steve Hiscock)
“We had a a really good week of practice this week,” said Towriss. “But you are going on what the Dinos did last year because this is the first week of the season. There is a chance that when you get into the game that you are going to see something new. They are going to see some new things from us and we expect the same from them.”
“The first game is always interesting although we played them at the end of last year so we have a pretty good idea of personnel,” Towriss said. “We think we have a good idea of what they will do offensively. Defensively, Coach (Blake) Nill has taken things over himself so there are going to be some wrinkles and we will have to adjust.” Read more »
Filed under: Game Day | Tagged: Huskies, nixon, dinos, towrris, michachuk | 1 Comment »
Posted on September 4, 2010 by The Outsider
First down: Will the Huskies be able to slow down the high-powered Calgary offense?
Ryan: The Dinos offense returns a lot of starters and has some firepower. If the Huskies offense can control the ball on offense and give the defense some rest, the Dogs should be able to slow them down. I still expect Calgary to put up some points though.
Dallas: If they can minimize mistakes, yes. They won’t be able to shut the Dinos down, but they can limit the damage if each player knows his role and executes well. If there is any defence in the CIS who can stop the Dinos, it’s coach Carleton’s crew.
Tom: The Huskies should be able to slow down the Dinos offense, but we won’t stop them. They’re very good and they’ll score points.
Jon: If the Huskies have any hopes of slowing down the Dinos high powered offense, it will all come down to whether they can keep QB Erik Glavic from burning them with his legs and athleticism. In last year’s Canada West Final, Glavic made something out of nothing several times, routinely beating the rush and getting the first down when there was no other option for him. The Huskies need to contain him, but that is easier said than done. Read more »
Filed under: Three Downs | Tagged: hassler, coakwell, threedowns | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 4, 2010 by The Outsider
In case you missed it, Dallas had an excellent preview yesterday on the Huskie Outsider.
What’s on the line: Although it’s the first game of the season, this one could decide first place and home-field advantage in the playoffs, just as the first game last season did. This game isn’t quite as important as the 2009 season opener, as these teams will square off once again on October 15 at Griffiths, but a win against your closest rival is always important.
Kevin Mitchell of the Star Phoenix took a look around the Canada West yesterday.
Outlook: The Huskies haven’t gone four straight years without a Vanier Cup appearance since the 1980s; they need to topple favoured Calgary to keep that impressive streak alive.
Mitchell also takes a look at the Huskies and breaks down the team position by position.
According to Huskies head coach Brian Towriss, the team has “nine or 10 receivers who are ready to play.” That depth is a nice luxury for the team, which graduated slotbacks Scott McHenry and Cory Jones.
The hard-working Mitchell also had a story on the long rivalry between the Huskies and the Dinos.
“In the late ’80s and early ’90s, with Calgary and us . . . you’d beat the hell out of each other,” Towriss said this week while preparing to play the Dinos in today’s conference opener for both teams. “Sometimes even if you did get out of the conference, you were so beaten up you wondered if you could go on. But you were also battle-hardened.”
Read more »
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Posted on September 3, 2010 by Tom
#62 - Brandon Myre (photo by Steve Hiscock for Liam Richards photography)
One of the position battles that has taken place this fall is at left guard, the position vacated by Hubert Buydens. Brandon Myre has earned the starting spot and is looking forward to the opportunity. “I’m excited. It’s a big game.” He laughed and added that “It’s been a little while. I don’t think I’ve started a game since 2007 (Brandon’s last year of PFC with the Edmonton Huskies).”
Myre likes what he’s seen from the OLine during camp and the non-conference game. “It’s solid. Except for Hubert Buydens it’s all the same guys as last year. I’m just going to try to fit in and play solid as well. I’ve been watching Hubert, for the last couple of years, do his thing. I know the system.”
Like the entire Huskie program, Myre knows that there’s a tough schedule ahead. “It’s going to be tight. Everybody is good this year. We’ve just got to work hard every weekend.”
Filed under: CanadaWest, Huskies | Tagged: myre | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 3, 2010 by Ryan
Huskies running back Jeff Hassler is healthy to start the 2010 campaign. If you rewind the clock to a year ago, Hassler was out with a hamstring injury which he suffered on the eve of training camp. He missed the Huskies’ home opener against the Dinos in 2009 and saw limited action in the playoff game later in the season.
Jeff Hassler turns the corner against Western (Liam Richards)
Hassler jokingly said, “Since I missed camp last year, this one was a lot tougher.” On a serious note, he added, “training camp went smoothly and I am ready to go.”
Hassler is a more aggressive back than the Huskies have had in the past. “I like to hit the holes hard,” he said. “I think that is the difference between (Tyler) O’Gorman and myself (last year) as we have different running styles. I like to get to the line as quickly as possible so hopefully that helps us move the ball. I also think our offensive line will be eager to push some bodies so we are looking forward to seeing how we stack up.” Read more »
Filed under: Huskies | Tagged: hassler, coakwell | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 3, 2010 by The Outsider
We just heard that there are a number of Huskies fans planning on tailgating before the Huskies game in Calgary on Saturday night. The game starts at 7:00 and fans are expected to arrive around 5:00 in the East parking lot. Just look for the green tents.
If you are in Calgary and going to the game, why not come down early, wear your green and get into the spirit?
We are not sure about the food and beverage arrangements, so please bring your own. We hope to see you there!
Filed under: Game Day, Huskies | 1 Comment »
Posted on September 3, 2010 by Ryan
CanadaWest teams are allowed to travel with 40 players on the roster. At home, they can dress 50. The Huskies hit the road this weekend to take on the Calgary Dinos. With a reduced roster size, they decided that they could only afford one roster spot for kickers.
The Huskies did not need to use an extra roster spot for a kicker last year as Grant Shaw was a starting corner and handled all kicking duties. He is now a CFL star. Perhaps, at home, the Huskies could dress two kickers with the expanded roster. But for this weekend Special Teams Coordinator Doug Humbert had to make a decision. Do you go with someone who is a slightly better punter? Or do you go with someone who is a slightly better placekicker?
Huskies kicker Denton Kolodzinski (Steve Hiscock for Liam Richards Photography)
Throughout training camp and during the non-conference game against Western Stephen MacDonald and Denton Kolodzinksi battled to be the number one kicker. MacDonald, who is an accomplished field goal kicker, was working on punting. Kolodzinski, fresh out of high-school, is a good punter with a strong leg, needed to improve on place kicking.
In the end, the Huskies coaches decided to take Kolodzinski to Calgary. Read more »
Filed under: Huskies | Tagged: humbert, macdonald, kolodzinski | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 3, 2010 by The Outsider
Filed under: Poll | Tagged: fans | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 3, 2010 by Ryan
The Huskies completed their preparations for the Calgary Dinos last night at practice. They left this morning for Calgary and have a walk-through practice at 2:30 at MacMahon Stadium.
The number three ranked Huskies take on the number one ranked Dinos in CanadaWest action Saturday night at 7:00. The game is broadcast on Shaw TV across Canada and on CK750 and CK750.com.
Thursday’s practice started early when the power went out at the University. The coaches decided to hit the field instead of teaching in the dark. The Huskies spent most of the practice doing final tweaks for the Dinos game. Read more »
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Posted on September 3, 2010 by Dallas
Saturday, September 4, 7:00 p.m.
McMahon Stadium, Calgary
Broadcast available at www.ck750.com (pregame show at 6:30 p.m.)
Television broadcast available on Shaw (channel 10 in Saskatoon) and Shaw Direct (channels 299 and 407)
Records coming in: Calgary 0-0, 1-0 in non-conference action (ranked first overall in the FRC-CIS Top Ten Poll); Saskatchewan 0-0, 1-0 in non-conference action (ranked third overall in the FRC-CIS Top Ten Poll).
Head to head history: Saskatchewan has 9 regular season wins to Calgary’s 4 since 2000.
What’s on the line: Although it’s the first game of the season, this one could decide first place and home-field advantage in the playoffs, just as the first game last season did. This game isn’t quite as important as the 2009 season opener, as these teams will square off once again on October 15 at Griffiths, but a win against your closest rival is always important.
More importantly, for the Huskies, this game is a chance to show they deserve to be ranked at the same level as the Dinos. The Dinos had the third highest scoring offence in the CIS last season, advanced to the Vanier Cup and had the Hec Crighton winner on their roster and are picked by many observers as the favourites to win the Vanier this year. The Huskies would like to show that they should not be overlooked, that they are just as dangerous as the Dinos, and remind people that there was a one-point difference between the two teams the last time they played.
Read more »
Filed under: CanadaWest, Game Day, Huskies | Tagged: skhuskies, Huskies, dinos, game preview | 2 Comments »
Posted on September 3, 2010 by Tom
#1 - Nnamdi Metu (photo by Steve Hiscock for Liam Richards photography)
The Canada West season is nearly upon us, and our countdown concludes with #1, Nnamdi Metu. Nnamdi is a 5th year halfback who played for the Okanagan Sun prior to joining the Huskies. He is a physical player, and fans have commented that they think he could be equally suited to playing linebacker.
Upcoming dates:
-Saturday: Canada West season opener, in Calgary, vs. UofC Dinosaurs
-Friday, Sept. 10: Huskies vs. UBC Thunderbirds, at Griffiths Stadium. Phone 966-1111 for tickets.
Filed under: CanadaWest, Huskies | Tagged: metu | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 2, 2010 by Tom
Huskies' Kicker, Denton Kolodzinski (photo by Steve Hiscock for Liam Richards photography)
18 year old Denton Kolodzinski will travel to Calgary, with the Huskies, as their kicker for the much anticipated season opener with the Calgary Dinos. Denton, a strong-legged punter, has been focusing on improving his entire kicking game. “I’ve been working extra hard on my kickoffs and field goals because I believe that my punting is a little stronger, and it’s been going quite well,” commented Kolodzinski. “I’ve had a good last couple of days of practice.” Denton went on to mention the things he’s working on. “With the kickoffs, it’s getting my steps down. With the field goals I have to make sure there is no jab and to follow through. You want to get those things committed to muscle memory so that you do it every time.”
And what is Denton’s reaction to the opportunity that lies ahead? “It’s a bigger stage than I’m used to . I’ll just go out there and do my best.”
Filed under: CanadaWest, Huskies | Tagged: kolodzinski | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 2, 2010 by The Outsider
The University of Saskatchewan Huskies have released the 2010 media guide for football. It is available on the Huskie Athletics website by clicking here (7.1mb PDF).
Huskie Athletics has also updated the team’s legacy page which you can find here.
Filed under: Huskies, Media Coverage | Tagged: Huskies | Leave a Comment »
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