PREVIEW (Canada West SEMIS): Huskies battle Bisons for second straight season

Game Date: Friday, November 7, 7 p.m.
Game Location: Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park
Live TV Broadcast: Shaw
Live Radio Broadcast: CK 750,www.ck750.com
Live Stats/ Live Webcast: canadawest.tv

THE GAME
For the third time in 2014, the No. 8 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies will battle with the University of Manitoba Bisons, this time as the beginning stop on the road to the 50^th Vanier Cup.

BROADCAST INFO
Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park on Friday. The game can be watched live on Shaw Cable. It is also available live on CK750 or www.ck750.com or via webcast at canadawest.tv.

THE HEADLINES

• This is the first time since 2010, the Huskies have hosted a playoff game at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park.
• It is the 14^th straight year Saskatchewan has been in the Canada West postseason.
• The Bisons-Huskies have met six times in the playoffs – 2013, 2006, 2002, 1999, 1991 and 1973. Saskatchewan is 4-2 in the games with the losses coming 21-8 in Winnipeg in 1973 and 37-36 last season in Winnipeg.
• Dating back to the 2006 Vanier Cup in Saskatoon, the Huskies are 1-8 in playoffs. The lone win came against the Regina Rams in the 2009 semifinal at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park.
• The winner of the game will face either the Calgary Dinos or Regina Rams, who are battling in the other Canada West semifinal Saturday in Calgary, next week in the Hardy Cup.
• Saskatchewan (No. 8) is one of two Canada West teams to hold a spot in the CIS Top 10. Calgary (No. 4) joins the Huskies in the final national rankings.

BISONS/HUSKIES SERIES
Including playoffs, the Huskies are 13-14 against Manitoba since 1999. Saskatchewan won the first meeting between the two teams, 44-24, to open the season in Saskatoon, before Manitoba won the second meeting 41-8 in Winnipeg on October 17.

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA BISONS (4-4)
After a 56-51 loss to Regina in Week 7, the Bisons finished the 2014 season with a 50-31 win over the Canada West-leading Calgary Dinos.

Bisons pivot Jordan Yantz completed 111-of-197 passes for 1,619 yards in 2014 before getting hurt in Week 6 against the Huskies. His replacement Theop Deezar has gone 44-for-84 with 782 yards and eight touchdowns in his limited play.

The Bisons offence has spread the ball around with six receivers with 200 or more yards including Nic Demski with 589 yards and five touchdowns and Kienan Lafrance with 785 rushing yards and 259 yards through the air. He has a combined 12 touchdowns.

DJ Lalama, Jayden McKoy and Tremaine Apperley led Manitoba in tackles through the regular season with 52.5, 40 and 33 respectively.

No. 8 UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (6-2)
Saskatchewan finished the regular season with a 38-18 win over the UBC Thunderbirds.

Third-year quarterback Drew Burko continued on his steady pace completing 20-of-37 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns. Five different Huskies tallied majors in the game including rookie running back Tyler Chow. Chow tallied 104 yards on 15 carries in the game.

Burko’s offence scored a conference-best 22 touchdowns in 2014, while he averaged 282 yards per game with a 60.5% completion percentage. Spreading the ball around, four receivers had 300 or more yards in the season including Kit Hillis with 470 and John Trumpy with 495.

Once again the Huskies’ defence forced their opposition to make mistakes. The Huskies snared two interceptions to make its season tally a Canada West-leading 15. Safety Mark Ingram leads the team with six on the season, and added a Canada West third-best 48.5 tackles. He has been named Canada West defensive player of the week three times in 2014.

Photo credit:  Josh Schaefer

Source: Nicole Betker, Saskatchewan Huskies Sports Information

Bisons travel to No.8 Saskatchewan in Canada West Semi-Final on Friday

The Manitoba Bisons clinched a football playoff spot on the last weekend of the 2014 Canada West regular season with a 50-31 home win over then #2 Calgary Dinos on Sat., Nov. 1. The Bisons finished third in conference standings with a 4-4 record and now meet #8 and second place Saskatchewan Huskies (6-2) on the road in the Canada West Semi-Final playoff game on Friday, November 7 with kickoff at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be shown on live webcast at canadwest.tv website plus on SHAW TV across Western Canada.

This is the second consecutive season both teams meet in the conference semi-final. In 2013, Manitoba won a thrilling 37-36 win at home (Nov. 1) when they blocked a kick on the last play during the first ever playoff game at Investors Group Field.

This will be the third meeting of this season between the teams as Manitoba won 41-8 at home on October 17 and the Herd lost 44-24 at Saskatchewan on Sept. 5 in the first week of the season.

During Bison football head coach Brian Dobie 19 years at the helm at Manitoba, the Bisons have won one playoff game over the Huskies as they are 1-3 and have never played a playoff game at Saskatoon. In the previous 18 years, all four playoff meetings between the two teams were at Manitoba (Canada West Semi-Final: 1999, 2002, 2013; Canada West Final: 2006). Overall, the Bisons met Sask. in two other post-season meetings in 1991 and 1973 and the only other win by the Bisons in the playoffs against Saskatchewan was a 21-8 win at Manitoba in 1973.

At stake in the playoff game is advancing to the Canada West Final (78th Hardy Cup) next weekend. The winner of the game will face either the #4 Calgary Dinos (6-2) or the Regina Rams (3-5), the participants in the other Canada West Semi-Final on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Calgary.

Manitoba seeks their first road win of the 2014 campaign as they won all four games at home this season and lost four straight on the road.

Bison Notes: Manitoba has now made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, the first time since 2005-07.

Photo credit: Dan Lipnowski

Source: Chris Zuk, Manitoba Bisons Sports Information