"A bit of a walk in the park, in’it?"
– Tony Marsden, Kiwi tourist, first-time spectator, 4:45 left in the fourth quarter.
To the untrained eye of a first-time spectator from New Zealand, Dinosaurs football victories would seem a dime a dozen judging by the spectacle witnessed this past Saturday in a 45-13 final score at McMahon Stadium. To the trained eye, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds had about as much chance against the supercharged Dinos as a raccoon facing the tire of an oncoming Freightliner.
So, did I don the old ‘coon skin coat out of a subconscious premonition of the T-Bird’s fate or was I simply trying to recapture some of the history of the sport? It certainly wasn’t for the smirks and strange leers I received from other fans-nothing a few beers couldn’t fend off. The embarrassment came later when my grandma told me it’s a ladies coat! In retrospect, that combination of the past with a healthy smattering of humiliation, seemed to fit the day perfectly. It was that combination that seemed to fuel the fury that was the Dinos.
UBC kicked them out of Vanier Cup contention last year. UBC soured their aspiration at the start of this season. UBC boasted a five-game unbeaten streak against them.
The word ‘payback’ comes to mind, but that doesn’t quite capture the extent of the justice meted out by the once-frustrated Dinos team. The schooling witnessed by the fans was nothing short of a–wait for it–Reckoning.
The relentless offensive onslaught, coupled with a seamless defence was best described by defensive lineman Yosef "The Yard Nazi" Traya’s promise of "No yards for you!"
From the outset, UBC found their advances thwarted at every turn. Any yards had to be scrounged from plays gone awry, as the Dinos defence seemed almost to outnumber the Thunderbird offence. If their quarterbacks weren’t getting rushed and sacked by the likes of Dinos lineman Brian Shewchuk, defensive player of the game, the T-Birds had to worry about constant interceptions and other turnovers, seven in total, quickly scooped up by red shirts.
With receivers dropping balls left and right, UBC’s attempt at a running game proved just as futile with their star tailback Akbal Singh being held to just 176 yards for the game. Even if he did get through the line, safety Ian Schafer was already honing in for the tackle. T-Bird points were limited to a couple of touchdowns, one after an unlucky third quarter, third down measurement for the Dinos and one at the end when no one cared anyway.
So without being able to score, UBC was left to deal with a Calgary offence that could do no wrong. Starting with a beauty of a touchdown pass to wide receiver Hughes Audet, Quaterback Darryl Leason caught fire as he combined well executed passing with timely rushes to play a crucial role in a 596 total Dinos yard gain. Veteran running back Ken Eslinger showed fine rushing form and his counterpart, rookie Dan Giacalone, continued to shine running for a couple of TDs.
"Kenny [Eslinger] provided me with some good blocking and I have to give credit to the O-line," he said of his performance in the game. Kicker Jimmy Hartley reaped his fair share of points as well, with five converts, three field goals and a single.
‘Twas a beautiful thing, to be sure.
"Everything worked. Darryl [Leason] was making good decisions. It was a total team effort," said Head Coach Tony Fasano of his squad’s control of the game.
"We played a full 60 minutes and nobody let up. We just had to keep going after them and wear them down," said Audet.
Perhaps expecting a big Dinos lead to stagnate into a fourth quarter T-Bird comeback, the crowd was treated to constant home dominance until the very end.
And that’s how it went. Walking down the corridor past a quiet T-Bird dressing room, muffled cheering could be heard further down where jubilant Dinos were celebrating a most deserved and crucial victory. The post-game meeting was just dispersing when somebody screamed, "University of Alberta beat Saskatchewan 2416!" With a new chorus of cheers and a sea of shit-eating grins, you knew that was the icing on the cake. The U of A loss leaves the Dinos tied for first place in the West with Saskatchewan and ubc, with eight points.
"To look too far ahead would be a mistake," cautions Fasano noting the upcoming games against both Saskatchewan and Edmonton. Yah, yah, we know the reality coach, don’t ruin the fantasy!
If the Dinos can put it together like they did against ubc, it’s not too presumptuous to say they have a very good chance. And if that means I have to wear the ‘coon skin coat to some more games, hook me up, because there’s nothing like a little style and tradition to get the juices going. So instead of inviting your sorry asses out to see some great football and telling you where and when, I won’t, ’cause it doesn’t work. Instead, if you come to a game I’ll let you touch me, er… I mean, my coat. I’ll let you touch my coat.