The University of Saskatchewan Huskies are Vanier Cup-bound after an emotional 22-11 victory over the Queen's University Gaels in the Mitchell Bowl national semifinal on Saturday. The win comes just days after the team learned starting quarterback Anton Amundrud is fighting cancer.
Emotional Victory Fuels Championship Run
Playing with heavy hearts following Tuesday's devastating news about Amundrud, the Huskies secured their 11th program appearance in the Vanier Cup. The quarterback had stepped back from playing after the team's fifth game of the season.
Returner Daniel Kubongo provided the game's emotional highlight with an 85-yard touchdown return early in the second quarter. After crossing the goal line, Kubongo flashed two fingers to honor Amundrud's jersey number 11.
"I was able to speak to Anton yesterday, and he told me to get him a big one," said Kubongo, who earned player of the game honors. "Before I even crossed the goal line, I knew what I was going to throw up and that was two ones."
Defense and Special Teams Shine
The Huskies' victory was built on stout defensive play and game-changing special teams contributions. Despite being outgained 440 yards to 287 by the high-powered Gaels offense, Saskatchewan's defense made critical stops throughout the game.
Fifth-year linebacker Seth Hundeby led the defensive charge with five tackles, including two sacks on Gaels quarterback Alex Vreeken. The performance contained a Queen's team that entered the game ranked third nationally in scoring with 40.8 points per game.
Kubongo described his pivotal touchdown return: "They were blocking hard, so I just went through the seam and saw John Stoll had a great block on his guy. I just took it up the sideline and scored... it was a lot of fun."
Road to the National Championship
The Mitchell Bowl victory continues an impressive playoff run for the Huskies, who won the Hardy Cup last weekend against the Regina Rams 25-24 on a last-second field goal.
Queen's head coach Steve Snyder acknowledged the challenge of playing on the road against Saskatchewan. "Coming up here on the road is always a challenge, and I thought our team was up for it," Snyder said. "I don't think we played our best game, and certainly not in the first half. I'm really proud of the way our guys came out in the second half and answered and got right back into it."
Snyder congratulated the Huskies on their victory, noting "they've got an excellent team."
The Huskies will face the Montreal Carabins in the 60th Vanier Cup next Saturday in Regina. Montreal earned their spot by defeating Saint Mary's 49-19 in the Uteck Bowl. This marks the first time the national championship game will be held in Regina.
