Storming the field after the clock hit zeros on their biggest win of the season so far at Griffiths Stadium on Saturday, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies couldn’t help but reflect on a teammate watching from hospital.
Just days after learning their starting quarterback Anton Amundrud’s had cancer, the Huskies rallied on Saturday to capture the 2025 Mitchell Bowl 22-11 over the Queen’s University Gaels to keep their dreams of a national championship alive.
“I’m sure [Anton] is watching,” said Huskies head coach Scott Flory. “Yeah, love that kid. It’s been a heavy week, no doubt about it. That was the hardest team meeting news I’ve ever had to give, but man, what a week to be together. To be able to do what we love, do it for a guy we love and just be together… that’s really what this team is about.”
The 23-year-old Canada West all-star has been diagnosed with lymphoma, with the Huskies only finding out the news a mere four days before the U Sports national semi-final game kicked off.
Leaning on each other throughout the week, veteran linebacker Seth Hundeby said the team was determined to get the win for their quarterback and contend for a national title.
“We got a lot of love on this team,” said Hundeby. “Everyone throughout that locker room, we all love [Anton]. Just keep playing football, that’s what he’d want us to do.”
Since Amundrud’s diagnosis, the Huskies have won six in a row and are now headed to their third Vanier Cup in five years.
After conceding a single point off the opening kickoff of the afternoon, the home side found the end zone first with a pass interference penalty setting up the Huskies in opposing territory.
On the very next play, quarterback Jake Farrell threw a dart to Daniel Wiebe who scampered 41 yards to the end zone with some fancy footwork to stay in bounds and score a touchdown with 8:33 left in the opening quarter.
Wiebe would flash an ’11’ with his hands at the camera in the end zone, the number of his pivot, to celebrate the go-ahead score and honour one of his longest tenured teammates.
It would be a celebration which fans would see several times over the national semi-final, with punt returner Daniel Kubongo doing the same following an 85-yard punt return to the house with 3:22 remaining in the first half to make it a 14-1 lead for Saskatchewan.
“I was able to speak to Anton yesterday and he told me to get him a big one,” said Kubongo. “Before I even crossed the goal line, I knew what I was going to throw up. I knew I was going to go to the camera and just tell [Anton] we love him, because we really do and we’re doing this for him.”
Kubongo would put together a breakout game on special teams, setting a new season-high with 177 return yards while posting his first touchdown as a member of the Huskies since transferring from Western University in Ontario.
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“We were joking pre-game saying he was due for one,” said Farrell. “I’m just super fired up, especially at that time of the game just getting points on the board… it’s massive. He’s an unbelievable player, we just knew that at one point he was going to pop one.”
Coming out of halftime, the Gaels would drive the field with Cedric Smith capping off the series with a 17-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Alex Vreeken to cut the deficit to six points.
The Huskies and Gaels would exchange a handful of turnovers in the third quarter, however Saskatchewan’s defence would smother Queen’s from that point onward and would not allow a touchdown the rest of the way.
While Vreeken posted 388 yards passing, the Huskies allowed just 70 yards rushing against on the ground with Hundeby leading the charge in the final home game of his career at Griffiths Stadium with five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
“Our [defensive line] is relentless,” said Hundeby. “Everyone wants to get there, everyone wants to work together. If that means, ‘Hey man, I’ll sacrifice and get you free,’ that’s what I feel like a big part of what our defence does. We celebrate each other’s successes and just love playing together.”
That execution defensively was critical in the Huskies being able to keep their season alive according to Farrell, who finished his day with 149 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“I feel like they’ve balled out every single week of this year,” said Farrell. “We have so [many] great guys on that side of the ball. Just being on the offensive side of it having confidence that you’re going to get the ball back soon, it’s huge.”
The Huskies now advance to the 2025 Vanier Cup in Regina on Nov. 23, where they’ll match up against the Montreal Carabins who dominated the St. Mary’s University Huskies 49-19 in the Uteck Bowl in Halifax.
Saskatchewan will have the opportunity to vanquish some demons in that game, as they’ve lost their last six Vanier Cup appearances including defeats in 2021 and 2022.
Flory however, has seen a level of buy-in from his players which gives him hope that streak can come to an end in Regina.
“There’s a different focus with this group,” said Flory. “The core of these guys have been around in ’21 and ’22, they’ve felt that disappointment. There’s a different edge to this group right here, right now. You can see that on the field, you can see it in the play, you can see it in the preparation from our end and you can feel it.”
Last winning the Vanier Cup in 1998 when Flory was a player, the Huskies have been pushing all season towards achieving football immortality and placing the program back atop the Canadian university picture.
Hundby, who was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2025 CFL Draft, will play his final collegiate game in the Vanier Cup and said he’s blessed to get the chance to share the field with his brothers in green and white one final time.
“We got one more week and I feel like that really shows how much that this group really enjoys each other,” said Hundeby. “I’m so excited to keep wearing this jersey for as long as I can. I got one more use out of it and then I’ll go on to the next one, so I’m really excited to use it all up.”
The Huskies and Carabins will square off in the 60th Vanier Cup in Regina at 1 p.m. on Nov. 23 at Mosaic Stadium.
