Huskies face tough test in Dinos

The University of Saskatchewan Huskies were cruising along at a perfect 2-0, but then came the skid, and the loss, with the toughest test of the season next on their schedule.

A 31-10 loss to host British Columbia on Sept. 16 leads Saskatchewan into this weekend’s contest in Calgary against the unbeaten Dinos, who have been obliterating opponents through the early stages of the Canada West football season.

And no, said Huskies’ head coach Scott Flory, he’s not exactly grinning ear-to-ear at this point of the season, plus-.500 record or not.

“I’m never happy,” Flory said this week. “We’ve got to keep moving forward and progressing, regardless of the team and the situation and our opponents.”

The Dinos are 3-0, thanks to victories of 55-26 over Alberta, 46-26 over Regina, and 76-17 over Manitoba.

“They’re athletic, they’re big, they’re strong, and they’re deep,” Flory said of a Dinos’ offence that’s averaging 59 points and 563 yards per game.

Calgary upped its already formidable game even more with last weekend’s dismantling of Manitoba. Not surprisingly, head coach Wayne Harris offers a warning to his charges in advance of their match with Saskatchewan.

“You can’t let success go to your head, or you’re going to get upset,” Harris said this week. “I’ve always stated that Canada West is the toughest conference in Canada. There are no easy games. Any team can beat any team on any given day, and if you don’t prepare yourself correctly, you’re going to end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.”

The Huskies, who opened with 44-23 and 43-17 wins over Manitoba and Alberta, respectively, will have played three of their first four games on the road after Saturday’s date in Calgary. Game time is 4 p.m.

They’ll return home Sept. 29 for a scrap with the Regina Rams at Griffiths Stadium.

While there’s no football on campus this weekend, there is plenty of soccer. The Huskie women’s soccer team plays Lethbridge Saturday at noon and Calgary Sunday at noon, while the men take on Victoria Saturday at 2:15 p.m. and Thompson Rivers Sunday at 2:15 p.m.

The women’s hockey team hosted the MacEwan Griffins in non-conference play Friday night. They’ll play the same team Saturday at 2 p.m. at Rutherford Rink.

The men’s hockey and women’s volleyball teams are playing pre-season tournaments on the road this weekend.