Huskies dominate Rams in the battle of Saskatchewan

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies improved to 2-1 on the season with a commanding 44-9 Canada West football victory over their provincial rival University of Regina Rams at Mosaic Stadium.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” Huskies head coach Scott Flory said after Friday’s game. “We were locked in and engaged from start to finish.”

The game was the Rams’ homecoming celebration, marking their 65th year as a football club and 20th as a university team, but in truth there was little to celebrate on the field for the hosts.

“I didn’t see much good from our side to be honest,” Rams head coach Steve Bryce said. “We didn’t look polished (and) some of our guys that we rely on to make plays didn’t.”

The visitors were in control from the start and capitalized on a costly roughing the kicker penalty on third and seven that kept the opening drive alive. Quarterback Mason Nyhus, who hails from Regina, completed a pass to second-year running back Adam Machart for the first of five touchdowns.

Machart led the team’s offence with 184 total yards, 134 of which came on the ground. Flory was pleased with his side’s dominance in that department.

“I don’t know many football teams that have been successful since the dawn of football that can’t control the line of scrimmage and don’t have quarterback play,” Flory said.

“Those two things are absolute staples and since I’ve had the ability to be in control of this football team, those have been our focus.”

Rams quarterback Josh Donnelly threw for 315 yards which takes his season tally over 1,000, but it largely was a tough night for the rookie. He was sacked four times and picked off twice.

“He looked a little rattled tonight,” Bryce said. “He’s an intelligent kid, he’s going to get better but we knew there were going to be bumps in the road.

“When things got a bit rough, they got a little disconcerted tonight,” he added.

Nelson Lokombo had a dominant night on defence for the Huskies. Not only did he inflict one of the sacks on Donnelly, he also tallied two interceptions in the fourth quarter, the second of which he returned to the house for a 98-yard pick six.

“I was just going through my reads on both plays,” Lokombo said. “On the second one, luckily I had some blockers to help me out.

“It feels good. A lot of guys on the team are from Regina, so they love winning here.”

The Huskies kept their rivals from the end zone all game, limiting Regina to just three field goals from the boot of Aldo Galvan.

Nyhus looked solid again in his third start, throwing for two touchdowns and 177 yards, coupled with 38 yards on the ground. But did have a scare.

He was withdrawn from the game late in the third quarter after taking a heavy hit from Rams defensive back Zach Moore. But Flory was not too concerned after the game.

“That’s absolutely precautionary, and he’s fine,” Flory said. “He’s been cleared (through concussion protocol) and everything.

“I didn’t want to put him back in there. Anything that is anything near talking about the C-word, we aren’t putting that young man’s health at risk,” Flory added.

The Rams (1-2) may have a long wait for revenge, as Friday’s game was the only meeting between the two Saskatchewan teams on this year’s schedule.

Instead, they will turn their attention to next week when they face another tough assignment on the road against the Calgary Dinos.

The Huskies will also cross the border into Alberta to square off against the Golden Bears next Friday, in a bid to extend their win streak to three.