Around U Sports: Manitoba Bisons upset top-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies

Photo courtesy: Manitoba Bisons

All four U Sports conferences are officially in full swing, which means there’s no point in wasting any time with a dramatic introduction. Let’s get right into the games.

Around U Sports is a weekly feature on 3DownNation that takes readers across the country to summarize collegiate football action, highlighting standout performances and tracking possible playoff matchups. It will run until the second round of the playoffs, at which point 3DownNation will produce standalone articles for each game.

No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies, 22 — Manitoba Bisons, 40

The Huskies were the No. 1 team in the Canada West coaches preseason poll, but they got smacked at Princess Auto Stadium. Manitoba blew the game open in the second quarter, as Cole Anseeuw threw touchdown passes to Brendt Adams and Nathan Udoh, and Gavin Perkins scored on a three-yard run. Saskatchewan outgained the Bisons but struggled to finish drives, missing two field goals and committing two turnovers. Anton Amundrud threw for 268 yards and one interception in his first game since recovering from cancer, though he was replaced by Jake Farrell for a stint in the second half.

Acadia Axemen, 13 — Mount Allison Mounties, 30

This game was close until the Mounties blew it open thanks to two late rushing touchdowns from Nicolas Chabot. Spencer Joudry threw two touchdown passes to Ethan Krick, and fifth-year defender Haydn Bures notched two tackles, one tackle for loss, and two sacks for the Mounties. Maximus Ramirez was the top weapon for Acadia, as the native of Fort McMurray, Alta., rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown.

No. 1 Montreal Carabins, 53 — Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 21

The Carabins exploded for 32 points in the second quarter, essentially clinching the win by halftime. Hec Crighton Trophy hopeful Pepe Gonzalez threw for 245 yards and one touchdown in the win, though Esteban Bedoya played most of the second half in relief duty. The Vert et Or managed only nine first downs, but got a combined three rushing scores from Jonathan Martel-Joseph and Freud Jean-Ernst Cesar.

UBC Thunderbirds, 7 — Calgary Dinos, 32

The Dinos were below UBC in the season-opening Canada West coaches poll, but recorded a dominant win on Friday night. David Jordan threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while Mathieu Clarke added a score along the ground. The Thunderbirds lost two fumbles and struggled to finish drives, converting 381 net yards into only seven points. UBC’s lone score came on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Drew Viotto to Marvyn Larozar moments before halftime.

No. 7 Regina Rams, 39 — Alberta Golden Bears, 8

Christian Katende was the standout for Regina, as he rushed 23 times for 130 yards and a touchdown in the win. Owen Sieben threw for 111 yards and two scores, while Ty Gorniak went six-for-six on his field goal attempts. NCAA transfer Christian Veilleux struggled in his U Sports debut, completing 21-of-49 pass attempts for 220 yards for the Golden Bears. Matteo Trasolini was Alberta’s defensive standout, tallying 9.5 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.

No. 8 Saint Mary’s Huskies, 23 — No. 10 St. FX X-Men, 11

Malcolm Bussey rushed 13 times for 62 yards, caught one pass for 32 yards, and scored a touchdown to help the Huskies beat his former team. It was a relatively run-heavy attack for Saint Mary’s, as Liam Legge rushed 13 times for 51 yards and Justin Shibley added four carries for 25 yards. Marek Filipek threw for 254 yards in a losing effort, though he was picked off by Huskies defenders Aidan Simpson and Kallon Edwards.

Toronto Varsity Blues, 3 — Ottawa Gee-Gees, 44

Josh Janssen was dominant for the Gee-Gees, as the Chilliwack, B.C. native threw for 335 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the blowout win. Robin Collioud caught two of Janssen’s touchdown passes, while Emyl Gregoire and St. FX transfer Devaughn Blackwood snagged the others. Ottawa’s schedule has been relatively light thus far, but they’ve taken full advantage amid a 2-0 start to the season.

McGill Redbirds, 25 — Bishop’s Gaiters, 13

Jerry Momo had a great game along the ground for the Redbirds, as he rushed 22 times for 157 yards and a touchdown that sealed the win in the fourth quarter. Elliott Drapeau threw for 246 yards and one touchdown in his first start since taking over from Eloa Latendresse-Régimbald, while Brian Milien was McGill’s defensive standout with two tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one interception.

Concordia Stingers, 0 — No. 2 Laval Rouge et Or, 14

If you like defensive football, this game was for you, as the RSEQ rivals combined for more punts (17) than points (14). Laval’s defence swarmed for three sacks and an interception in the shutout win, while Michael Aoun and NCAA transfer Kenzy Paul led Concordia with seven tackles each. Victor Charland started at quarterback for the Rouge et Or and completed 16-of-28 passes for 140 yards in front of 17,130 fans. Hec Crighton Trophy hopeful Olivier Cool did not dress due to injury.

McMaster Marauders, 20 — Guelph Gryphons, 11

The Gryphons erased a two-score deficit to lead well into the second half, but were unable to come away with the win. Micah DuChene scored a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, then Michael Horvat notched a rouge and a field goal to ice the game. McMaster’s defence repeatedly swarmed dual-threat quarterback Tristan Aboud, as Ryan Broome and Christian Chukwuali II both registered multiple sacks. The Marauders are now 2-0 for the first time since 2019.

Waterloo Warriors, 31 — Carleton Ravens, 26

Nick Orr was brilliant for Waterloo, as he threw for 352 yards and one touchdown, and rushed 11 times for 62 yards and a score to lift his team to victory. The fifth-year passer’s favourite target on the day was Evan Basalyga, who caught eight passes for 112 yards. Elijah Barnes threw for 386 yards, one touchdown, and one interception for Carleton in the loss. After season-opening defeats to York and Waterloo, the Ravens are in trouble.

No. 4 Laurier Golden Hawks, 37 — No. 9 Windsor Lancers, 48

The Lancers are typically a defence-oriented team, but they scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to get the upset victory over Laurier. Weagbe Mombo and Tyson Noel Charles both scored rushing touchdowns of at least 75 yards to help Windsor rush for a whopping 457 yards on the day. Will Russell shone at quarterback for the Golden Hawks, as he threw for 288 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. However, after allowing 48 points and 724 yards of offence, Laurier’s defence will have to improve dramatically moving forward.

York Lions, 7 — No. 6 Western Mustangs, 78

The first game of the Michael Faulds era in London was an epic beatdown. The Mustangs outgained York by 652 yards of offence, as Jérôme Rancourt threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed five times for 49 yards and three scores in his first outing as Western’s starting quarterback. Braydon Thompson made two sacks for the home side on defence, while Nathan Summers, Thomson Silcox, and Owen Jackson each intercepted Lions quarterback Maurice Sodja.

Canada West

Manitoba Bisons — 1-0
Regina Rams — 1-0
Calgary Dinos — 1-0
Saskatchewan Huskies — 0-1
Alberta Golden Bears — 0-1
UBC Thunderbirds — 0-1

Ontario University Athletics (OUA)

Ottawa Gee-Gees — 2-0
McMaster Marauders — 2-0
Western Mustangs — 1-0
Queen’s Gaels — 1-0
Windsor Lancers — 1-1
Waterloo Warriors — 1-1
Laurier Golden Hawks — 1-1
York Lions — 1-1
Carleton Ravens — 0-2
Guelph Gryphons — 0-2
Toronto Varsity Blues — 0-2

Réseau du Sport Étudiant (RSEQ)

Laval Rouge et Or — 1-0
McGill Redbirds — 1-0
Montreal Carabins — 1-0
Concordia Stingers — 0-1
Bishop’s Gaiters — 0-1
Sherbrooke Vert et Or — 0-1

Atlantic University Sport (AUS)

Mount Allison Mounties — 1-0
Saint Mary’s Huskies — 1-0
St. FX X-Men — 0-1
Acadia Axemen — 0-1