CALGARY – With the 2018 season already past the quarter pole, a battle for sole possession of top spot in Canada West will take the field Friday night at Griffiths Stadium as the No. 3 University of Calgary Dinos clash with the ninth-ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Kickoff time is 7 p.m. MT from Saskatoon, with live coverage on TELUS Optik TV and CanadaWest.tv.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

The Huskies have reeled off back-to-back wins, matching their total from the entire 2017 season already with an impressive 42-0 debut over Alberta followed by a wild 48-46 shootout victory in Winnipeg over Manitoba last Friday. After finishing last in the preseason Canada West coaches poll, the Huskies can take over first place Friday night with an upset of the Dinos.

Calgary, of course, may have something to say about that after reeling off a pair of wins over Top-10 teams. Their 50-point margin over UBC vaulted the Dinos to No. 3 in this week's U SPORTS rankings.

"Saskatchewan is always tough at home," said Dinos Head Coach Wayne Harris. "They always have a great crowd, and it'll be a real battle. Even over the last number of years, it has always been a tight, tight game to the finish."

It's the second week of a strange four-game sequence for Calgary. After dominating UBC 57-7 last Friday in their home opener, the Dinos now play two of their next three against the Huskies – with a trip to Vancouver for another UBC tilt sandwiched between.

HEADLINES

• First of two meetings over three weeks between the Dinos and Huskies, with the return match set for Saturday, Sept. 29 at McMahon Stadium. The Dinos are 9-1 in their last 10 against Saskatchewan, including a 51-28 win in their lone meeting of 2017.
• Saskatchewan has allowed a league-low 409 yards against per game through the first two weeks, while Calgary leads the nation with 593.5 yards offence per game.
• The Dinos won't see them for another month, but they've sure seen plenty of film on the Manitoba Bisons: Friday's game will be the third straight week the Dinos will play a team coming off a win over Manitoba after Regina and UBC had both played the Bisons the previous week, as did Saskatchewan in Week 2 action.

No. 3 CALGARY DINOS (2-0)
Last week: defeated UBC 57-7
Next week: at UBC

 

• Last Friday night at McMahon Stadium was a coming out party of sorts for receiver Tyson Philpot, the speedy junior national team veteran from Delta, B.C. Philpot picked up 186 yards on just four catches, including a school-record 107-yard touchdown. His quarterback, Adam Sinagra, sits atop the national leaderboard with a 408 yards-per-game average through the first two weeks of the season.
• The win over UBC was about as clean as it gets for the Dinos: they surrendered just seven points, gave up just 38 yards on six penalties, and – crucially – held on to the football, not committing a single turnover.
• Hunter Karl leads the conference with just under 120 receiving yards per game, just three ahead of teammate Philpot. Defensively, linebacker Charlie Moore is the outright tackles leader in Canada West, averaging 8.0 per game

No. 9 SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (2-0)
Last week: defeated Manitoba 48-46
Next week: host Regina

 

• Led by fifth-year quarterback Kyle Siemens, the Huskies have posted a solid start to the season. Tyler Chow leads Canada West with over 100 rushing yards per game, while five receivers have caught at least six passes, led by Colton Klassen's 11.
• Defensive back Payton Hall is the U SPORTS defensive player of the week after his late-game pick-six against Manitoba wound up scoring the game-winning points for the Huskies, who held on for the win after a failed two-point convert attempt by Manitoba in the final minute.
• Saskatchewan will honour longtime head coach Brian Towriss prior to Friday night's game
• After hosting Regina next week, Saskatchewan will wrap up the season with three of its final four games away from home – a series that starts Sept. 29 with the rematch in Calgary against the Dinos.

-UC-