On Sat., Oct. 2, the battle of Alberta was fought. After much pain and blood the Dinos were the only ones left standing. The die-hard fans that braved the three-hour drive and the cold Edmonton wind were certainly given their money’s worth, as our University of Calgary football boys clawed the University of Alberta Golden Bears from their pedestal.
The Bears were ranked first–not only in Canada West, but the entire country–until our boys in red took them to school. With their impressive list of wins, their above average quarterback Darryl Salmon and their talented running back Jerred Winkle, the Bears seemed more than intimidating.
But, who’s ever heard of a Dino that’s scared of a teddy bear? The Dinos were not only undaunted by the task at hand, they seemed to thrive on the challenge. Our boys marched into alien territory (that Northern hellhole named Edmonton) and showed the Bears who rules Alberta.
The game began with Dinos kicker Stephen Hughes nailing a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter. Hughes is back from an injury he sustained during the Sept. 3 Saskatchewan game. For his efforts last weekend, Hughes was named Canada West Special Teams Player of the Week.
It seemed that once the men got on the board their confidence began to rise. In the second quarter, Jessie Butterfield made a 29-yard run into the end zone, bringing Dinos supporters to their feet.
When asked about his touchdown, Butterfield replied: “I was really fortunate to be given a good play call, that’s about it. Our entire offensive worked hard to put points up on the board even though we had to work around some trying penalty calls. But that’s what playing football is all about, especially when you play in someone else’s back yard.”
The real turning point for the Dinos was the “field goal fake” that the offence executed beautifully against the U of A, resulting in a 15-yard touchdown run for Aneel Brar. This put the Dinos ahead 18-13 at halftime.
“We’ve actually been practicing the fake field goal for about two years now and this is the first time we’ve actually used it. I was pretty lucky to be able to be the one who got to run it into the end zone,” said Brar. “It wouldn’t have worked out as well as it did without Chuck [Guedo], the O-line and the rest of the offensive doing what needed to be done. No point makes it on our scoreboard without the whole team working for it.”
“That play was a key play in the game,” said Offensive Coach Peter Connellan. “It was called by Head Coach [Tony] Fasano and I think the player executed it perfectly. It certainly set the tone and momentum of the game.”
Now, in the past, the Dinos have been known to lose their steam in the second half–this was definitely not the case in this game. Our boys had tasted blood and wanted more.
In the third quarter, the fans saw the Bears slowly catching up with the U of C. The points came in the form of a field goal by U of A kicker Beau Filkowski and a one-yard run into the end zone that took the Bears six attempts. Our mighty defensive line stopped them in their tracks on five of these attempts, but a Dinos penalty allowed the Bears to keep trying, resulting in the eventual touchdown and a 23-18 U of A lead heading into the final quarter.
The Dinos responded swiftly with a huge 67-yard touchdown pass to Joel Ford taking back the lead. The Bears tried valiantly to catch up, however, our defense gave them no mercy. Final score: 25-23 Dinos! This win puts the Dinos into the tenth spot on Canada’s top ten list.
“Before the game, our offensive coach Pete challenged us and said that great teams overcome adversity,” said Ford. “This week we had two of our starting offensive line players injured. I think we did a pretty good job of pushing the ball around with such a big defensive line in our way.”
“The players played with a lot of emotion. They were prepared mentally and physically to play. That makes a huge difference. The attitude of the players is always essential,” said Connellan.
The Dinos play the University of Regina Rams Fri., Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Come out to McMahon Stadium and cheer on your men in red.