Huskies Battle For First Place With Rams Friday (VIDEO)

A University of Saskatchewan Huskies first place finish in Canada West football all comes down to one game.

The No. 3 Huskies will battle with the No. 6 ranked University of Regina Rams Friday at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park. At stake is hosting duties in a semifinal, as well as home rights in potential Hardy Cup and CIS Mitchell Bowl games.

Saskatchewan, Regina and the University of Calgary all enter the final weekend of Canada West conference action tied with 5-2 records. A Huskie win would clinch first place for the third straight season and fifth time in eight years. A Huskie loss could send the Huskies to either second or third, depending the outcome of the Calgary Dinos,University of Alberta Golden Bear contest on Saturday.

The Huskies own the tiebreaking rights with Calgary, while Calgary holds the tiebreaker against Regina after each sweeping the two games this year. A Regina loss could put the Rams in third, and even with a win the Rams could still finish second if Calgary wins against Alberta. A win for Regina, combined with a Calgary loss would clinch the Rams first place in the Canada West for the first time since joining the league in 1999.

Entering the game on a four game winning streak, the Huskies have scored 163 points in those four games. Regina suffered a 35-27 loss last week to the Dinos but still have the top offence in the Canada West averaging 36 points per game.

Since the Rams joined the league, the Huskies are 17-6 against their provincial foes, including the 37-26 loss earlier this season. The loss snapped a Huskie four game-winning streak over the Rams.

Rams quarterback Marc Mueller and Huskie quarterback Laurence Nixon enter the contest with similar numbers, each averaging 285.7 yards per game. Fifth-year Nixon has completed 144-of-224 passes for 12 touchdowns and 2,000 yards, while Mueller has connected 153-of-234 times also for 12 touchdowns and 2,000 yards.

Five different Huskie receivers have more than 200 yards including Jade Etienne (517), Rory Kohlert (385), Garrett Bolen (284), Mitch Stevens (244) and Braeden George (211). Saskatchewan’s run game has also been strong with Ben Coakwell averaging 6.9 yards per carry. It also seen a boost with the return of Dathan Thomas from injury. In 2008, Thomas ran for four touchdowns against the Rams in a game in Regina.

Mueller’s favourite receiver has been Brenden Owen, finding him 33 times for 486 yards and five touchdowns. Chris King and Mark McConkey have also had big seasons with 326 yards and 413 yards respectively.

The majority of the Rams offence has come from Adrian Charles out of the backfield. The running back averages a conference-high 133.6 yards per game scoring nine touchdowns. However, the Huskies put up the best rushing defence in the Canada West allowing their opponents to gain just 4.6 yards per carry and three touchdowns in the year.

On defence, the Huskies lead the conference in interceptions with 12 – four coming from linebacker Nico Higgs. Higgs also has 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. Linebacker Tony Michalchuk leads the team with 37 tackles.

Chris Sciog leads the Rams defensively with 37 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Jamir Walker has been dangerous snaring four interceptions for 140 yards.

Kick off is set for 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 306-966-1111. The game can be heard live on CK750 or [url]www.ck750.com. It will also be shown on Shaw Cable.

University of Saskatchewan
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
October 27, 2010

About Huskie Athletics:
Huskie Athletics has 94 Canada West Championships and 25 CIS Championships under its belt. Huskie athletes leave the campus and the University of Saskatchewan with the skills to become successful at work, with family and in the community. Home to 831 all-stars since 1920, Huskie Athletics strives each year to provide quality programs for athletes while they prepare for the future. Huskie tickets can be purchased by calling, 306-966-1111.