EDMONTON - For the first time in nearly two decades, there will be postseason football at Foote Field. In the second of two Hardy Cup Semifinals, the #2 Alberta Golden Bears host the #3 Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday night.

A week 9 Alberta home loss to UBC and a Saskatchewan rout of Regina set up the prairie province showdown on Saturday under the lights. It will be the sixth all-time playoff meeting between the Bears and Huskies, and only the second ever in Edmonton. The #4 Manitoba Bisons will visit the #1 UBC Thunderbirds in the other Hardy Cup Semifinal on Saturday afternoon, with the winning teams meeting in the 86th Hardy Cup on November 11th.

The first and only playoff meeting between Alberta and Saskatchewan at Foote Field came in 2004, with the Huskies earning a thrilling 21-20 upset win in the Hardy Cup.

The two programs enter the 2023 postseason on opposite ends of the spectrum; Saturday will be the Bears first home playoff game since 2005, as they aim to capture their first Hardy Cup since 1981. Saskatchewan is the two-time defending Hardy Cup Champion, having won three of the last four, and 14 CW titles since 1981.

Despite their lack of recent post-season success, the Bears did beat Saskatchewan twice this season, highlighted by a walk-off 23-20 home win on October 14th.

Golden Bears Football (6-2 Conference, 6-2 Overall)
Playoffs - Hardy Cup Semifinal
Saturday, November 4
Alberta vs Saskatchewan Huskies (5-3), Foote Field, 5:00 p.m. MT

KEY STATS

• Saskatchewan holds a 3-2 all-time playoff record against Alberta, which includes a 28-23 home win over the Bears in 2019 — their last postseason meeting.
• The Bears are 2-0 against Saskatchewan this season, earning wins of 26-22 and 23-20. They will now be attempting to do something they haven't done since 1969; beat the Huskies three times in one season.
• Alberta ranks second in CW in scoring, averaging 30.9 points per game. The Huskies 18.6 points against per game is tops in the conference.
• Fourth-year Bear Matthew Peterson led Canada West with 1,128 rush yards in 2023, second most in all of U SPORTS. His rush total was the fourth highest mark of any Bear in program history.
• Saturday will mark the first home playoff game for the Bears since November 5th, 2005, a 33-24 win over Manitoba.

ALL-TIME BEARS VS HUSKIES PLAYOFF MEETINGS