Kevin Mitchell
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The list is short; just two lines of type.
Doug Rozon is on the first line, and Ryker Frank the second. They’re the only two University of Saskatchewan Huskies football players to have rushed for more than 3,000 yards, and the latter will chase the former all season long.
“All the personal accolades are great, and I’m aware I’m getting close to some records,” Frank — a fifth-year Huskie — said before a Tuesday practice as the team prepared for Friday’s season opener in Edmonton.
“But at the end of the day, I’d give it all up for the team.”
That may or may not be necessary.
Rozon’s 4,086 career rushing yards have been the Huskies’ gold standard since he played his last game in 1999. Frank hadn’t yet been born.
Frank is No. 2 all-time with 3,056 yards, so he needs 1,031 to break the mark.
It’s doable, and we know this because Frank collected 1,169 ground yards in 10 regular season and playoff contests last season.
“A lot of great running backs have come through this program, whether that be recently or a long time ago,” Frank says. “To be up there with those guys is pretty awesome.”
The chase was mentioned to Huskies’ head coach Scott Flory this week, and he noted two things: First, football is a team game, and second, it’s played by individuals who have personal goals and aspirations.
“But you make it work within the team, and selflessly give yourself to the team. When athletes do that, they reap the benefits tenfold, and (Frank) would be a perfect example of that.
“I hope he does get it — it means the team is doing it, and that we’re gaining ground and moving yards. We’re not going to sit here and call every play so Ryker can break a record. That’s not what it’s about. It’s a team game, and we’re here to win football games. But within that are individuals and classy young men, such as Ryker.”
Frank broke the team’s career rushing-touchdown record last year and now sits at 24. Flory says he’s watched the Regina-bred tailback work and toil since he got to the program in 2020, and that labour is a thing Frank is proud of.
“My biggest thing is consistency,” Frank says. “It’s something I pride myself on. And that’s consistency in the off-season — not missing workouts, consistency in eating right. And at the same time, it’s consistency on the field. I’m always playing like it’s my last play, and being consistent with my mind and my reads.”
This is Frank’s final year of eligibility, and seven other Huskies are in that same do-or-die group. They played at Vanier Cups in 2021 and 2022, and lost both by a touchdown.
“Playing in those games, you never forget them,” Frank says. “They leave a bad taste in your mouth. You think about it from time to time, and it really is a motivating factor — especially coming into my last year. It’s the same feeling I had in high school. Going into Grade 12, I’d lost a couple of city and provincial championships. It’s that little extra push to leave it all on the line. The last chance.”
And in that Grade 12 campaign, Frank ran for 218 yards to help Regina LeBoldus win their city title, and he added 138 rushing yards and 102 through the air during their provincial-title 28-15 win over Saskatoon Holy Cross.
He’d love to see that very personal history repeat itself.
“We have a lot of older guys on the team, guys who were in those Vanier games, guys who experienced those losses,” Frank says. “There’s a sense of that on the team. It’s our last ride, so we’re going to leave it out there.”
The Huskies went 5-3 last season and reached the conference final, where they were beat 19-14 by the underdog Regina Rams.
They’re ranked ninth nationally heading into Friday’s opener against the Alberta Golden Bears, and were projected to place first in a recent poll of Canada West coaches.
They played one pre-season game — an 18-2 home win over British Columbia last Wednesday that was stopped at halftime because of heavy lightning and weather warnings.
And now, after a disappointing end to their 2024 season, they’re back for 2025.
“I don’t talk about (the playoff loss to the Rams). That was last year. That was a different team. That was a different group,” Frank says.
“I’m not saying the guys here don’t remember — I’m not asking them to go Men In Black here and try to erase memories. That’s not what this is about, but it is not a focal point of ours. We’re trying to be the best version of this group, of this team, that we can.”
