VANCOUVER – It's shaping up to be a battle of Canada West titans Saturday night in Saskatoon as the No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds visit the defending Hardy Cup Champion No. 5 Saskatchewan Huskies for a week five matchup with sole possession of first place heading into the Thanksgiving week bye on the line.

Winners of three straight to move up into the U SPORTS Top 10, the T-Birds (3-1) have plenty of momentum and confidence behind them, but face a daunting task in a Huskies (3-1) squad which has ended UBC's season in the Hardy Cup semifinals each of the last two years.

"This is a huge opportunity for us. We can't be intimidated, we need to look at it as a chance to test ourselves," said UBC head coach, Blake Nill. "We recognize the excellence of their program, we recognize they're the defending champs. They've been in contention the last half decade but this is a challenge we want. This is Canada West Football and you don't want to back down, you want to go in there confident, knowing you're going to have to play your best, knowing it's going to be a battle for 60 minutes and just see what kind of team you have when the final whistle goes."



The Huskies have dominated the T-Birds in recent years, posting four straight wins, including last season's Hardy Cup semifinal 26-7 victory en route to their Vanier Cup appearance.

It's been much longer since UBC has notched a victory in Saskatoon, last doing so in October 2017.

But when it comes to 2026, the two teams have experienced a remarkably similar first half of the campaign. Both squads dropped their season opening contests but have since rattled off three straight wins. The Huskies and T-Birds represent the top two Canada West offences, averaging 486 and 455 yards-per-game, respectively.

UBC has benefitted from a very balanced attack, with 58 per cent of team offence coming through the air. The Huskies, meanwhile, rely heavily on quarterback Anton Amundrud and the passing game which accounts for over 80 per cent of their conference leading 1810 yards to date.

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Keaton Belsher has thus far been Amundrud's favourite target, racking up 421 yards and four touchdowns while Rhett Vavra sits fifth in conference receiving yards with 243.

Third-year T-Bird Trey Montour continues to enjoy a terrific start to the year, his 355 yards good for third in the Canada West.

Then of course there's the ongoing success story of rookie running back sensation Marvyn Larozar, now closing in on 600 yards rushing with over 700 all-purpose yards and 8 total touchdowns – all tops in the conference.

Perhaps lost in UBC's overall success has been the solid performance of the 'Birds' offensive line, allowing Larozar the holes to punch through while giving up just one quarterback sack through four games.



"This particular group is starting to evolve into the same kind of groups I've had that have been my strongest in the past," said Nill of his O-line, led by veterans Riley Scheffer, Navjot Pooni and Caleb Cunningham. "They're big, they're athletic. I'm a big believer that your program is built on the offensive line and if your O-Linemen aren't at the skill level they need to be, you're probably not going to have the level of success you want. But at the same time, they have to be leaders, they have to set the tone in practice, they have to set the tone in the weight room, in the locker room and of course at game time. This group is starting to do that."

After keeping Manitoba's offence off the scoreboard last week, UBC's defence now boasts the Canada West's best marks in points against per game (17), yards (341.8), rushing yards (100.3) and total interceptions with four. But going up against the Huskies in Griffiths Stadium will undoubtedly be this group's biggest test to date.

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"This is an important game for both programs. (Saskatchewan Head Coach) Scott Flory's at the top in this conference and remaining at the top is always a challenge. That's how he's addressing his guys right now, they're the champs and they want to remain at the top. My strategy has to be a little bit different, we're trying to elevate ourselves to their level. It's just a matter now of trying to gameplan and find a way to take advantage of whether it's something we do well, something maybe you feel you can take advantage of on their side and it's just almost a chess match."

The first of two battles with the Huskies in the second half of this season gets underway Saturday, October 3 at 6:00 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed live on Canada West TV.