Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Brandon Wong
Piper Sports Photography
24
REGINA REG 7-3 , 6-2
25
Winner SASKATCHEWAN SSK 9-1 , 7-1
REGINA REG
7-3 , 6-2
24
Final
25
SASKATCHEWAN SSK
9-1 , 7-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
REG REGINA 0 17 7 0 24
SSK SASKATCHEWAN 3 6 0 16 25

Game Recap: Rams Football |

Rams fall 25-24 to Saskatchewan in 88th BioSteel Hardy Cup

U of R comes up just short in bid to repeat as Canada West champs

QUICKLY
  • The University of Regina Rams took a lead into the fourth quarter, but suffered a 25-24 loss to Saskatchewan on Saturday afternoon in the 88th BioSteel Hardy Cup.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The Rams scored the only two majors of the opening half. Both of them came in the second quarter as Owen Sieben's offence put together three consecutive big drives, the first featuring a 32-yard pass to Rylan Sokul which was quickly followed by a 4-yard touchdown toss to Kaleb Senz which put the Rams up 7-6. 
  • The Rams settled for a short 20-yard Ty Gorniak field goal on their next possession, then hit the end zone again on the following drive. Sieben connected with Sokul and Senz for 24-yard and 26-yard passes, respectively, then hit Emmett Steadman for a 10-yard touchdown.
  • Saskatchewan's Lukas Scott hit three first-half field goals, making the score 17-9 for the Rams at the break.
  • The Rams scored the only points of the third quarter on a defensive touchdown. Saskatchewan was in Rams territory, but a high snap went over the head of Jake Farrell which forced the Huskies quarterback to jump on the ball. The ball squeaked out of Farrell's grasp and Rams linebacker Brandon Wong was there to scoop it up. Wong ran it back 41 yards for the touchdown, putting the Rams up 24-9 with just over three minutes to go in the third.
  • The fourth quarter belonged to Saskatchewan. Farrell engineered a quick 6-play, 101-yard drive which finished with a 20-yard pass to Liam Piccinin for the touchdown. The Rams missed a 43-yard field goal on the next possession, but Saskatchewan had to start on its own 3-yard line. A pass interference penalty helped the Huskies get out from under the shadow of their own goal post, and a Ryker Frank rush and a completion to Dawson Lennea got Saskatchewan to near midfield. The Huskies had to punt, but disaster struck for the Rams on the return as the ball was jarred free and Saskatchewan took over from Regina's 19. Farrell found Mason Grabowski on the next play for a touchdown, cutting the Rams' lead to 24-22 after the two-point conversion attempt failed.
  • Saskatchewan put together another long drive with time winding down, putting Scott into position for a late 25-yard field goal. Scott split the uprights to put the Huskies up one with 20 seconds to go. A pair of quick completions by Sieben to Blake Laidlaw and Senz got the Rams down to Saskatchewan's 47 and the Rams brought on Isaac Wegner to try a punt into the end zone for a rouge, but Wegner's punt fell just short in the cold and breezy conditions and clinched the win for the Huskies.

BY THE NUMBERS
  • Both quarterbacks finished 25-for-35 and threw a pair of touchdown passes. Sieben ended up with 322 passing yards, while Farrell finished with 356.
  • Nicholas Sirleaf led Regina's receivers with 7 catches for a total of 74 yards. Laidlaw had 4 catches for 68 yards, while Sokul had a pair of catches for 56 yards and Senz caught 5 passes for 53 yards.
  • Wong's 41-yard touchdown was one of two fumble recoveries the third-year linebacker had during the game, both of which came in the third. He also jumped on a fumble forced by Max Polischuk earlier in the quarter.
  • Wong and Liam LaBelle shared a sack while Jacob Dakiniewich, Chase Murray, and Anthony Montas Leipert all had a tackle for loss.
  • LaBelle, Chopper Hippe, Colin McKellar, Jacob Tkachuk, and Owen Zimmer were all credited with pass breakups.

IN VANIER CONTENTION
  • Saturday's four conference championship games leaves only Saskatchewan, Queen's, Montreal, and Saint Mary's still alive in the U SPORTS postseason.
  • Saskatchewan will host Queen's next Saturday in the Mitchell Bowl in Saskatoon, while Saint Mary's will host Montreal in the Uteck Bowl in Halifax.
  • The winners of those two national semifinal bowls will advance to the 2025 Vanier Cup, to be hosted on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Print Friendly Version