FB: Hardy Cup Playoff Preview
Semifinal Saturday to feature REG at MAN and SSK at UBC
Article by Brian Swane, special to CW
Oct. 31, 2024 - The quest for the Hardy Trophy begins Saturday (Nov. 2), with the UBC Thunderbirds hosting the Saskatchewan Huskies and the Regina Rams visiting the Manitoba Bisons in Hardy Cup semifinal action, presented by BioSteel.
At stake are berths in the 87th Hardy Cup, to be played at the home stadium of the highest-seeded semifinal winner next weekend.
UBC and Saskatchewan is a battle for the ages. The two storied programs have dominated the decade so far, combining to win every conference championship since 2019. The last time that the Hardy Cup game didn’t feature either Saskatchewan or UBC was 2014.
This will be the fourth time in the last six postseasons that the Huskies and T-Birds have squared off, with Saskatchewan having won the previous three. The Huskies are 11-2 against UBC in the playoffs all-time.
Saskatchewan and UBC finished the season with matching 5-3 records, and nearly identical point differentials (Saskatchewan scored as many points as it allowed, while the T-Birds gave up just six points more than they scored).
The matchup between the Bisons and Rams harkens a much different classic story, that being David versus Goliath.
Manitoba ended every week of the regular season no worse than tied for top spot in the Canada West standings and clinched first place by defeating UBC last Saturday. Regina clinched a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season, after snapping a five-game losing streak with a stunning come-from-behind victory over the Alberta Golden Bears last Friday.
The Bisons are making their sixth consecutive trip to the postseason, while Regina is seeking its first playoff victory in a dozen years. This is only the fifth postseason meeting between the two teams, and first since 2007.
All games will be broadcast live on Canada West TV and on SaskTel & Telus as part of the CW Football Showcase. Here’s a look at who to watch in Saturday’s semifinals:
Manitoba (7-1, first place) vs. Regina (3-5, fourth place) – Saturday 2 p.m. CDT at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 28: Regina 13 at Manitoba 22
- Who to Watch:
- Breydon Stubbs (Manitoba, fourth year, running back) set a program record in 2024 with an incredible 14 rushing touchdowns, second most in a single season Canada West history. With 937 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards, the Bisons veteran topped 1,000 all-purpose yards for the first time in his U SPORTS career.
- Kenton Appel (Regina, second year, receiver) led Canada West this season with 286 punt return yards, including his personal season-high of 79 against UBC. The Regina native also recorded 137 yards on kick returns, and caught 19 passes for 140 yards, giving him 563 all-purpose yards.
UBC (5-3, second place) vs. Saskatchewan (5-3, third place) – Saturday 1 p.m. PDT at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 20: Saskatchewan 24 at UBC 38
- Who to Watch
- Garrett Rooker (UBC, fourth year, quarterback) led Canada West with a QB efficiency of 151.9 this season, after completing 160 of 234 passes for 2,265 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. Against Manitoba in the teams’ regular season finale last week, Rooker threw for a career-high 426 yards.
- Daniel Wiebe (Saskatchewan, fourth year, receiver) led Canada West in every major receiving category this season, with 57 receptions, 807 yards and seven touchdowns. The Saskatoon product had a monster performance against UBC in Week 4, hauling in nine passes for 150 yards and scoring a pair of TDs.
