The Bisons men’s football team edged out the Saskatchewan Huskies 21-20 in their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Princess Auto Stadium.

The Huskies took an early lead at the 11:26 mark of the first quarter with a 37-yard field goal by Lukas Scott, going up 3-0. They extended their advantage to 10-0 when Ryker Frank made a 14-yard run at 8:36, closing out the quarter.

In the second quarter, the Huskies pushed the score to 17-0 with 34 seconds remaining, as Jace Zidar connected to a 21-yard pass from Anton Amundrud.

At 9:12 of the third quarter, the Bisons got on the scoreboard with a three-yard pass from Jackson Tachinski to Mula Yitna, cutting the Huskies’ lead to 17-7. The Bisons closed the gap even further at 5:21, when Nathan Udoh connected to a 31-yard pass from Tachinski, making the score 17-14.

The Bisons took their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter, as Vaughan Lloyd caught a 12-yard pass from Tachinski at the 10:47 mark to put them ahead at 21-17. The Huskies responded with a 40-yard field goal from Scott at 5:33, narrowing the deficit to 21-20, but it was not enough, as the Bisons held on for the win.

Bisons men’s football head coach Stan Pierre reflected on the team’s performance. “We weren’t tackling very well in the first half, that’s for sure,” said Pierre. He continued, “I just don’t think we were physical enough in the first half. So, both lines started to take over the game a little bit, and Jackson made some plays. And these are the things that we have to hang our head on. We need to eliminate our mistakes. We’re still making too many mistakes that are shutting down drives that are promising. We need to keep going forward. But obviously we really needed that win, and it really gives us a chance now to control our destiny in our season.”

Although it’s his first U-Sports win as head coach, Pierre expressed appreciation for the players’ determination to win above all. “Honestly […] if I was the coordinator and we won a game like that, I’d feel the exact same way. I’m happy the kids wanted to give that to me, that made me feel good […] Every time we win, it’s such a relief, and every time we lose, it’s like the end of the world. So it’s nice to feel relief.”

He said the team is ready for the homecoming game and will continue preparing for a good game. “Every game in the Canada West is a battle, so we’re excited for the opportunity […] We’re just going to keep doing the things that we’re doing, continue with our process, and hopefully we come out of this game pretty healthy and we have a good effort.”

Bisons quarterback Tachinski indicated that the team believed they could win, despite trailing in the first half. “No one was giving up. We all believed. I was looking around, telling people that ‘we’re still in this, [there’s] lots of football left,’ and guys were buying it. I looked around, saw a lot of people that were motivated and wanted to keep going, and we kept going and we got a dub.”

He emphasized how the win will boost the players’ mentality. “It’s huge. Always knocking off that first win of the season gets a big monkey off your back, and now I think the sky’s the limit for our team. I think we caught our groove and we caught our stride and I think the league’s got to be ready for us now.”

In the league standings, the Bisons men’s football team have two points, with one win and two losses.

The Bisons men’s football team will host the Alberta Golden Bears in their homecoming game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Princess Auto Stadium.