2015 Canada Cup: Five opening half TDs propel Sask to semi-finals

Quick stats (summary)

Full stats

Photo credit: James Hajjar

Saskatchewan got on the board early and often, defeating New Brunswick 53-2 in game two of the 2015 Football Canada Cup at Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu’s Alphonse-Desjardins Stadium.

Saskatchewan got off to a hot start, scoring five opening half touchdowns. They opened the scoring on the game’s first play, rolling the opening kickoff into the end zone for a single point. Saskatchewan quarterback Mason Nyhus scored his first of three opening half scores on a 9-yard rushing touchdown.

After a Saskatchewan safety, Nyhus connected with David Solie on a 52-yard pass to put Sask up by 18. A pair of rushing touchdown by Brayden Wagg (from 3-yards) and a 51-yarder by Kyle Borsa put Sask up by 32. Nyhus recorded his third score of the half, connecting with Finley Easton on a 33-yard pass.

New Brunswick got on the board with a safety, tackling Saskatchewan’s punter in the end zone after an errant snap sailed over his head and into the end zone on third down.

To end the third quarter, Nyhus recorded his fourth touchdown of the day, finding Michael Scraper in the end zone with a 24-yard pass to widen the Sask lead 46-2.

Quarterback Ethan Newman added a 28-yard passing touchdown to Ben Getzlaf, making the final score 53-2.

Players of the game

Quotes:

“We were really happy with this win, we’ve been going against each other for the last ten days and we were really excited that we got this first game done with. We’re getting ready to move forward with our next opponent.”

On the advantage of having so many returning Canada Cup players:

“I really think that the experience of the kids being in the tournament last year really helps out with all the little things. Getting adjusted to the schedules and understanding you’re going to be on time for meal times and we really stress looking after all the little things. These guys are doing a great job of that so far and hopefully we continue to do that.”

-Kyle Stroeder, Saskatchewan Head Coach

“Our kids got better as the game went on and that’s what we’re looking for. It’s a three game tournament so it’s tough to have this first game on the books but we have a pretty resilient group of 40 kids.  We’re looking forward to game two and the next challenge that comes. Whether we lost by one or twenty; it doesn’t really matter. We’re still focused on the next challenge.”

On players that stood out:

“There’s a couple of guys on defence that I thought had great days. Dylan Cormier from Tantramar was exceptional. Bailey Feltmate was flying around. We’ve got a ton of talent on this team and it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t show that on the scoreboard. It’s a long week and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to showcase ourselves and continuing to improve.”

-Chris Hopkins, New Brunswick Head Coach

This post is also available in: French