It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, right?

By Britany Bingham

The Dinos football team took on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in front of 1,600 rambunctious fans Sat., Oct. 29. After losing to the University of Manitoba Bisons the previous weekend–and being pushed out of a playoff spot–the Dinos were playing for pride.

The Huskies were an undefeated team ranked second in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football, so everyone knew it would be a difficult game–probably the most difficult of the season. But despite their best efforts to send the Huskies back to Saskatoon a little humbler, the Dinos were unable to upset their Saskatchewan rivals.

“We gave Saskatchewan a good run,” said Head Coach Tony Fasano. “We gave up 21 to 24 points because of stupid mistakes we made. I’m not trying to say they’re not a good football team, but a win wasn’t totally out of the question today.”

The game started a little shaky, with two fumbles, an interception and a dropped punt return in the first quarter. The Huskies capitalized on these mistakes, scoring a field goal and a touchdown before the second quarter began.

The second quarter didn’t begin much better when Calgary quarterback Charles Guedo threw an early interception. Luckily, the Huskies were unsuccessful on three attempts at moving the ball and conceded a safety, giving the Dinos two points.

Unfortunately, soon after the Dinos were returned possession, a fumble ended the drive, eventually resulting in another Saskatchewan field goal. On a positive note, the Dinos defense pressured the Huskies into losing yards on all three plays leading up to the field goal.

The first half ended with a last-minute touchdown by the Huskies, bringing the score to 20-2.

Running back Steven Hughes earned a third quarter touchdown, running 58 yards and breaking six huge tackle attempts before reaching the end-zone. The Dinos then decided to be brave and throw the ball to slot back Andrew Lunse who, thankfully, was able to get Calgary the two-point conversion.

Unfortunately, the game went downhill from there, times three. The Dinos offense threw three more interceptions, fumbled three more balls and managed to let the Huskies score three more touchdowns. The worst of the mistakes was when Guedo threw an interception resulting in a 56-yard run and touchdown by halfback Namdi Metu of Saskatchewan.

“It really comes down to the amount of different people you have going through positions,” Fasano explained. “Due to the amount of injuries we’ve faced this year, we’ve gone through over four sets of offensive linemen. Injuries really disrupt the flow of the game. The guys have no time to get used to who they’re playing beside. They need time to develop and play as a unit not just as individuals.”

The game did end positively, with Lunse catching a 10-yard pass in the end-zone, bringing the final score to 43-16 for the Huskies.

“We started the game full of fire,” said Lunse, who finished the game with eight catches for 105 yards. “The team was really inspired by the fifth-year vets. We wanted to help them out as much we could so they could have a great last game. It would have been nice to win, but we were more focused on playing with pride. I’m really looking forward to next year.”

Josh Campbell was Calgary’s leading tackler with eight solo tackles, Scott Thompson had three. Defensive back Chris Wollin accumulated five solo tackles and caught an amazing–and much needed–interception.

This game marked the end of a few men’s careers with the Dinos. Running back Aneel Brar, defensive linemen Dan Federkeil, offensive lineman Evan Haney, defensive linemen Matt Hiduk, wide receiver Brent Hargreaves, Campbell, Guedo, Hughes and Thompson all say sayonara, but leave with fond memories.