QUEBEC CITY- The University of Saskatchewan Huskies fell one win short of winning it all, after a 27-21 defeat to the Western Mustangs in the 56th Vanier Cup on Saturday afternoon.
"It's disappointing. We were so close. The Huskies haven't won since 1998 and we really wanted to bring it back to Saskatchewan. I'm still really proud of how far we came," said Huskies defensive linemen Nathan Cherry.
Saskatchewan was searching for their fourth Vanier Cup in program history and led 12-10 at half time, but it was the Mustangs third-quarter that was the difference. Western scored twice in the quarter, before adding a field goal in the fourth to take a 13-point lead. In the end, that was an insurmountable deficit for the Huskies, as all they could muster up in the fourth quarter was a major with under a minute remaining in the contest.
Much was made about the Mustangs ground game in the days leading up to the Vanier and they showed why. Western ran for 209 yards on the ground, with three different backs amassing over 47 yards. Trey Humes led the way with 79 yards and a score.
It was a dream start for the Mustangs, who scored on the first possession of the ball game, as a Humes 25-yard touchdown capped a five-play 70-yard drive.
But Saskatchewan wasn't fazed. David Solie added a 26-yard field goal late in the quarter, before Mason Nyhus connected with Daniel Perry in the early going of the second quarter to give the Huskies a two-point lead. The fourth-year pivot stood in the pocket and delivered a dime for the 22-yard score.
As mentioned, Western took control in the third. Evan Hillock and Griffin Campbell connected on 50 and 17-yard touchdown passes to put the Mustangs in front 27-13.
Josh Ewanchyna punched in a one-yard touchdown with under thirty seconds left in the ball game, but Saskatchewan was unable to recover an onside kick, sealing the fate of the ball game and the national championship for Western.
Uteck Bowl hero Adam Machart totaled 78 yards on 16 carries, adding eight receptions for 82 yards through the air. Nyhus had 303 yards passing on the day, with 95 of those yards going to fifth-year receiver Colton Klassen who was playing in his final game in the green-and-white.
The game spelled an end to what was the best season since 2006 for the Huskies program. They reached the Vanier Cup for the first-time in 15 years, thanks to Hardy Cup and Uteck Bowl wins, which came following a dominant 5-1 regular season that seen five players named U SPORTS All-Canadians and 10 named as Canada West All-Stars.
"We'll just get back to work and get ready to reload in 2022," said Cherry. "This just creates an expectation of what we expect — the type of games we expect to play in and it creates a culture."
