FCC2018 : Saskatchewan capitalizes on turnovers to win big over Manitoba

by footballcanada

Timely turnovers allowed Saskatchewan to pull away with a 48-6 win over Manitoba in the opening game of the 2018 Football Canada Cup at Shouldice Park in Calgary, Alberta.

On the opening kickoff, Ramsey Derbas returned the ball all the way down into the end zone to give Saskatchewan the early lead.

Derbas blocked a punt, and it was recovered by Elias Deptuch which gave Saskatchewan excellent field position being down at the 2-yard line. The end result was that Luke Hornung snuck into the end zone for a 1 yard major at 1:43 of the 1st quarter.

With 7:46 left in the quarter, Saskatchewan continued to have the bounces going their way as Manitoba throws an interception into the hands of Dillon Kiefer who converts it into a 66-yard touchdown.

Emmett Steadman was successful on a 30-yard field goal attempt.  He would also add a 36-yard field goal with 2:05 left in the second quarter .

At halftime, Saskatchewan enjoyed a 27-0 lead over Manitoba.

In the third quarter, Hornung would get his second touchdown of the game.

With 9:03 remaining in the game, Manitoba showed signs of life with Deion Nelson scored a seven-yard major.

However, Saskatchewan continued to add to their points on the scoreboard.  With 5:13 left in the game, Keegan Kaytor connected with Taggart Rowell for a 25 yard touchdown reception.

A fumble recovery by Reece Kack put Saskatchewan at the 14 yard line.  This resulted in Hornung getting this third major of the game to round out the scoring.

Offensive Players of the Game were Kaytor (Saskatchewan)  and Braydon Stubbs (Manitoba). Defensive Players of the Game were Jaxon Runge (Saskatchewan) and Austin Balan.

“We won it like we expected to win it with special teams, strong defence and offensive that was going to be strong,” commented Saskatchewan Head Coach Jeff Stusek after the game.  “In the end, I thought we did a good job on all three phases.”

“The team really stepped up and the heat didn’t bother us so we were ok.”

As for Manitoba,  the team was disappointed by the outcome.

“We as the coaches really thought we were ready to play,” assessed Manitoba Head Coach Ryan Karhut.  “We thought our guys were ready to go.”

“We just came out very flat, we weren’t sure of ourselves and we turned over the ball three times in the first four minutes which turned into 21 points really quick.  We ended up with six turnovers for 42 points.  It’s tough to win a football game when you do that to yourself.”

Saskatchewan moves on to play Ontario in one semi-final on Thursday July 19, 2018 at 4:00pm MST.  Meanwhile, Manitoba will battle Nova Scotia on the same day at 1:00pm MST.

Post-Game Interview with Ryan Karhut – Head Coach, Manitoba

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/IJSlrrHRnRg”]

Post-game Interview with Jeff Stusek – Head Coach, Saskatchewan

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/kSqmXDdnd3Y”]

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