The University of Regina Rams went into Griftiths Stadium and upset the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the 87th Hardy Cup 19-14.
The Rams defence intercepted quarterback Anton Amundrud four times, one returned 45 yards for a touchdown by veteran defensive back Carson Sombach. Jackson Sombach, Jacob Tkachuk and Colin McKellar recorded the other picks. Canada West all-star Brandon Wong led the defence with seven tackles.
Regina QB Noah Pelletier completed 23-of-33 passes for 228 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Christian Katende carried the football 19 times for 98 yards. Renzel Arinaza recorded three receptions for 50 yards. Emmett Steadman hauled in three balls for 27 yards and a major.
The Rams finished the Canada West regular season 3-5 and clinched the last playoff spot in the final week with a win over the University of Albert. Regina went on to upset the No. 1 seeded University of Manitoba Bisons on the road in Winnipeg. Then beat the Huskies on their home turf.
These two teams have met only once before in the Hardy Cup, back in 2002 in a game which also featured a match-up of No. 3 and No. 4 seeds following a pair of semi-final upsets. Saskatchewan, the No. 4 seed, won that game 44-28 at Taylor Field in Regina. Current Regina defensive coordinator Sheldon Gray played in that game, as did Jeff Zimmer -- father of Rams rookie LB Owen Zimmer.
While it was the second meeting between the two teams in the Hardy Cup, it was also the sixth postseason meeting between the Rams and Saskatchewan. Regina now has a 4-2 edge in the playoffs over the Huskies with Canada West semi-final wins over Saskatchewan in 2001 -- 58-31 in Regina, 2007 19-13 in Regina and 31-9 in Regina in 2012. The Huskies' two wins came in the 2002 Hardy Cup and in the 2009 Canada West semi-final 53-23 in Saskatoon.
It's the second Canada West title for the Rams and first since 2000. Regina hosts the Laval Rouge et Or on Saturday, November 16 in the Mitchell Bowl. The winner advances to the Vanier Cup in Kingston, ON on Saturday, November 23.
𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘆 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: 𝗥𝗘𝗚 𝟭𝟵 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗦𝗞 𝟭𝟰
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) November 9, 2024
The Regina Rams defeat their provincial rivals and capture their second conference championship in program history. What a moment!@BioSteelSports x @reginarams pic.twitter.com/f08YuiQjEi
