By Todd Penney
Last Saturday the Dinos prepared for their playoff run with a little pre-playoff warm-up game to end the regular season against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. The game proved to be a good test for the Dinos as they sat in second place in the Canada West Conference with the Huskies one point back nipping at their heels.
“I am pleased with our regular season performance, but that’s behind us now,” said Head Coach Tony Fasano after his Dinos solidified their second place standing with a 15-10 win in this low scoring affair. “We have now given ourselves a chance for something special to happen–if we can take full advantage of our opportunities.”
Calgary opened the scoring in the first half with a pass from Lincoln Blumell way downtown into the reliable, almost sickeningly infallible hands of receiver Jamie Elliott. Elliott took the ball in from 60 yards to score and by the end of the half, the Huskies only managed a field goal. The Dinos were not able to put anything else on the board.
The game did not get interesting again in the scoring department until the fourth quarter when Dino running back Jeff Williams stormed down field 78 yards for a ridiculous touchdown. The Huskies’ defense was wondering if anybody caught the plate number of the sports car that just sped past them. The Huskies tried to pour it on afterwards and they managed to earn a touchdown near game’s end but the cliche “too little too late” comes to mind.
Looking at the game stats you would not think this was a low scoring game. Both the Dinos and the Huskies put up some impressive numbers in the air and Calgary posted a good game on the ground, thanks in large part to Jeff Williams. However, the punters for both teams were kept very busy because of the large number of unsuccessful drives. Penalties played a part in most of the struggles of the Calgary offense as the Dinos were slapped with 17 infractions for 211 yards.
The Dinos defense made things difficult for the Huskies limiting any Husky ball carrier to only a few steps before being stopped. Husky quarterback Sheldon Ball is probably still soaking his battered body in the tub after taking a six-sack beating from Calgary’s “in yo’ face” defense.
The Dinos begin their hunt for the Vanier Cup Fri., Nov. 1 in their first playoff game at home at McMahon Stadium.
“It will be a matter of four to five plays,” stated Fasano. “You never know when they will happen, but they will have to happen if we want to win. Whether it’s a sack, a solid pass, a punt return, or a key field goal, it will be plays like these that make will make the difference.
“What we will need to do, is to take the game one play at a time so that we don’t miss out on any opportunities.”