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As the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Rams stepped onto the practice field this week, they were greeted by warm temperatures and minimal interruptions from Mother Nature.
The weather was welcome, with the next chapter of the Battle of Saskatchewan to be written today for Canada West football semifinals.
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Due to forecasted high winds, the kickoff time for Saturday's CW football semifinal between Regina and Saskatchewan at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon has been adjusted. Originally scheduled for 2 p.m., the game will now kick off at 7 p.m. CST. Info: https://t.co/oImmNrcP3W https://t.co/tFyzGz2qfs
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) November 6, 2026
“This weather in November is unbelievable,” said Huskies head coach Scott Flory on Tuesday.
“Somebody is smiling down on this province to be able to have the forecast we’re looking at, so it’s going to be great.”
While those mild temperatures are expected to continue Saturday at Griffiths Stadium, the weather has, in fact, posed a challenge for the conference leading into the all-Saskatchewan matchup.
Kickoff between the pair of provincial rivals has been pushed back five hours, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., as a result of high winds forecasted during the afternoon.
That means the Huskies and Rams will meet under the lights at Griffiths Stadium to decide who will get the opportunity to play in the 89th Hardy Cup next weekend.
Today’s game will be the third year in a row the provincial rivals have met in Canada West playoffs, with Rams head coach Mark McConkey expecting another tight affair.
“I would play these guys every year twice,” McConkey said.
“It’s always a great atmosphere, I’m showing the guys the history. If you look back at the previous games, they’re all one-score games the last six games. We’ve been on the winning end and they’ve been on the winning end.”
Both previous meetings over the past two seasons came in the Hardy Cup championship game, with the Rams winning the conference in 2024 with a 19-14 victory, before the Huskies exacted their revenge in comeback fashion in 2025 with a 25-24 win.
Even though a conference title won’t be decided on Saturday, Flory said the energy will likely be the same as previous Hardy Cup games.
“It’s three years in a row that we’ve got a playoff game against them,” Flory said.
“Man, it’s the same. They’re very well coached, they got good players. The intersectionality between the two rosters, they know us and we know them.”
Rams defensive back Carson Sombach remembers the heartache from last year’s loss to the Huskies and has spent the last 12 months waiting for another playoff meeting.
“We’ve always wanted our revenge on Saskatchewan from last year,” Sombach said.
“It’s always good playing them and I’m happy that we’re up in Griffiths (Stadium). That’s the best place I want to be in playoff football.”
Saskatchewan and Regina have met just once this season, a Week 4 tilt at Mosaic Stadium on Sept. 26, which was won 38-31 by the Huskies thanks to a 21-point third quarter.
University of Saskatchewan Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud leads all U Sports pivots with 2,686 passing yards through eight games this season. (Piper Sports Photography/Regina Rams)
The Huskies are set to play their first playoff game since last November’s loss in the Vanier Cup to the Montreal Carabins, which quarterback Anton Amundrud said gives them a leg up with so much playoff experience in recent years.
“We’ve had a lot of guys on this team who’ve made deep playoff runs, even last year going to the Vanier (Cup),” Amundrud said.
“We know what it takes, we know how difficult it is.”
A bounce-back performance will be needed for the Huskies today, however, after they stumbled across the finish line to end the regular season last weekend in Vancouver.
With a chance at clinching first place in the conference, the 6-2 Huskies were burned 59-24 by the host UBC Thunderbirds to be knocked down to the second seed in Canada West.
“Your goal on defence every week is to limit explosives,” said Huskies defensive back Ethan Laing.
“We saw it last week, UBC hit a bunch of explosives and ultimately that was what got us in the end. Limit the explosives, tackle well and be the more physical team.”
As for the Rams, they secured their place in the Canada West post-season with a 26-15 victory over the Manitoba Bisons last weekend to lock down third place in the conference.
Regina recovered from a 2-3 start to the regular season with wins in two of their final three games against Alberta and Manitoba, which McConkey said was the team playing with their back against the wall.
“We played some important games down the stretch here going 2-of-3,” McConkey said.
“Even that (Alberta) game, that was a playoff game in itself. The UBC one not so much, because it was more of could we get second or not? Obviously, last week was a win or go home.”
The Rams will need to slow down the conference’s top offence and most productive quarterback in Amundrud on Saturday to have a shot at advancing.
Sombach isn’t concerned however, as the Rams have allowed just 146 points against this season, the fewest among all Canada West teams.
“I consider our group one of the best in Canada West,” Sombach said.
“We have a very talented group of defensive backs, linebackers and (defensive) linemen who can get after the quarterbacks. We just need to play complementary football and play football how we play.”
Saturday’s playoff tilt could be the final home game of Amundrud’s storied university career, as Saskatchewan would only host the Hardy Cup if Manitoba upsets UBC in the other semifinal, combined with a Huskies win.
He said that’s not something he’s worried about heading into kickoff, but feels sentimental towards his home for five years with his Huskies career set to wind down.
“If it is the last game at Griffiths, it’s been a blast,” Amundrud said.
“It’s been an awesome time and hopefully we can get more in the future here. If not, that’s fine. We’ll go on the road and do what we had to do, but the biggest focus is taking care of this week.”
The Rams are determined to put the final nail in that career today with an upset win at Griffiths Stadium, a place Sombach has dreamed of exacting their long-awaited revenge inside.
“The last two years we’ve been there,” Sombach said. “We won it in ‘24, they won it in ‘25. It’s a great atmosphere and I like to beat the Huskies in their own barn.”
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