CALGARY – This one has been circled on both teams' calendars since the schedule was announced last winter.

The fourth-ranked, 4-0 University of Calgary Dinos make the trip east Friday for a date with the No. 9, 2-2 Saskatchewan Huskies in a rematch of last year's Hardy Cup – a Saskatchewan upset at McMahon Stadium. It's the only meeting of the season between the old rivals, and it all gets underway at 7 p.m. Friday night at Griffiths Stadium, live on TELUS Optik channel 998 and CanadaWest.tv, presented by Co-op.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

What was expected to be a showdown for first place isn't, at least not this week, after the Huskies fell 19-17 to the upstart Alberta Golden Bears last week in Edmonton. That adds some motivation to the Huskies, to be sure, as a loss to the Dinos would put them below .500 at 2-3 as the season approaches the homestretch. The Dinos, meanwhile, have stayed above the standings fray to this point, posting an outstanding defensive effort through the first four games to own one of the nation's four undefeated records.

The injury bug has hit both teams over the last few weeks. Calgary's sick bay includes several starting receivers, leading to Jalen Philpot being the Dinos' top ball-catcher with 25 receptions for 296 yards and two touchdowns, while on Saskatchewan's side QB Mason Nyhuis went down Week 3 against Regina and did not play against the Golden Bears last weekend.

HEADLINES

• Only meeting of the season between the combatants for the 82nd Hardy Cup last November in Calgary
• The Dinos are 6-0 in their last half-dozen appearances in Saskatoon, and 9-1 in their last 10 conference meetings with the Huskies
• It's a battle between Saskatchewan's top-ranked rush offence, averaging better than 200 yards per game, against Calgary's run defence that allows only 85 yards – the stingiest in the conference.

No. 4 CALGARY DINOS (4-0)
Last week: defeated Regina 20-7
Next week: host Alberta
 

• Another sparkling defensive effort last Friday against Regina led the Dinos to a 20-7 win.
• The Regina win marked the third straight game that the Dinos have held the opposition's offence out of the end zone. That streak is now above 193 minutes, dating back to the third quarter of their Week 1 contest at Alberta – and the only TD of any kind surrendered in that span was on a blocked punt against UBC in Vancouver.
• The Dinos' regular-season win streak is now at 12 games, and Calgary has won 19 of its last 20 conference contests
• Calgary QB Adam Sinagra posted his best statistical performance of the season last week against Regina, tossing for 361 yards – putting him second in the conference. He returns to the scene of his career-best performance, when he threw for 569 yards in Saskatoon a year ago.
• The Dinos return home for Week 6 to face the Alberta Golden Bears next Saturday, Oct. 5 before heading into a badly-needed bye week.

No. 9 SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (2-2)
Last week: lost to Alberta 19-17
Next week: host Manitoba
 

• After dropping their season-opener to Manitoba 43-19, the Huskies bounced back with two solid performances, scoring at least 40 in both outings in defeating UBC at home and Regina on the road. At Alberta last weekend, the run game was its usual strong self while the passing game managed just 134 yards as the Golden Bears out-gained the Huskies by 118 yards
• Adam Machart leads the conference and is second in the nation in rushing, averaging 135 yards per game. The Huskies are the leading offence in Canada West, averaging better than 450 yards per contest, and trail the Dinos by three in the points-per-game standings (33 vs 30).
• Defensively, the Huskies sit second in Canada West allowing 372 yards and 19.5 points per game, both second only to the Dinos. Nicholas Dheilly is a key cog, leading the league with five sacks on the season, while Nelson Lokombo has picked up four interceptions in four games so far this year.
• The Huskies remain home next weekend, hosting the Manitoba Bisons in Week 6 action before closing the year with a trip to UBC and a home date against Alberta.

-UC-