The University of Guelph Gryphons football team will get an early look at their 2012 roster before the OUA season officially begins with the addition of an exhibition game against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
 
The Gryphons will travel to Saskatoon, SK to face the Huskies on Friday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.  This will be the first pre-season match-up between these two teams.  The Gryphons have played in a pre-season match the last two consecutive years against the Concordia Stingers.
 
For the Gryphons, the game is a great opportunity for the coaches to get a look at their 2012 roster. 
 
"A pre-season game allows us to see how our rookies perform at University level football and helps our veterans shake off 'the cobwebs' before our first OUA game," said Guelph Gryphons head coach Stu Lang. "It is also a great opportunity to build team chemistry and a good recruiting tool because the out of conference game demonstrates our commitment to building a professional and exciting football program."
 
The Gryphons anticipate taking approximately 70 players and 10 coaches to Saskatoon.
 
"It will be difficult to choose which seventy players will play in the game.  We want to see how our rookies play in a real game but we also want to reward our veterans who have excelled as a Gryphon and trained hard throughout the summer."
 
The Huskies, which plays in the Canada West conference, went 5-3 in league play last year to finish second in the conference standings before falling to the UBC Thunderbirds in the conference semifinals.
 
Ticket information for the exhibition game will be announced in late August by the Huskies.
 
After returning from Saskatoon the Gryphons will have eight days of training camp remaining before their first league game.
 
Guelph will open their 2012 regular season campaign on the road, Labour Day weekend (September 3) versus the 2011 Vanier Cup winning McMaster Marauders in Hamilton.