The battle of Alberta was fought at McMahon Stadium Sat., Oct. 15. While the first 45 minutes of the game were played valiantly, the result was dismal: the Dinos lost 20-10 to the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
While the score looks better on paper than some of their other losses this season, this game held more significance because it was against their U of A rivals.
The first three quarters of the game were played fairly well. Both teams worked hard, had a few big plays and even seemed to be having a bit of fun. In the first quarter, Calgary wide receiver Drew Hogan caught a particularly difficult 17-yard pass and, directly afterwards, slot back Sean Bunting caught and ran a beautiful 14-yard pass, putting the Dinos in good field position.
The Dinos got within six inches of a first down, but, unfortunately, the Calgary offense failed on three attempts. Five minutes later, defensive lineman Dan Federkeil forced a fumble, giving the Dinos another chance.
Calgary wide receiver Scott McKenna caught a 26-yard pass, putting the Dinos, again, in good field position. However, Dinos quarterback Charles Guedo fumbled the ball, giving Alberta running back Jerad Winkle something to smile about.
Winkle was the game’s top rusher, with an inspiring 168 yards. The entire Calgary offense rushed for a pathetic 97 yards. The saving grace of the first quarter was the Dinos defense playing like real college players, keeping the score tied at zero.
The second quarter wasn’t much more exciting than the first, with Dinos golden-boy Steve Hughes kicking a 43-yard field goal, giving his team their first points of the day. The defense impressed the crowd, stopping three subsequent attempts by the Golden Bears to attain a touchdown. Alberta was, however, able to gain six points through successful forced field goals.
The second half began with Hughes trying his best to push through Alberta’s defense–who were definitely ready for him. Granted, any team looking at the Dinos’ last three games would make every effort to shut Hughes out, but since our boys have a less than effective passing game, Hughes was once again thrown to the wolves to save the day.
“We were given a lot of opportunities in the red-zone but for some reason we were just unable to score,” said Hughes. “As an offense, we made a lot of mental errors which also influenced our progress into the end-zone. Alberta came into this game with the attitude of stopping our running game at all costs. They knew that’s one of our strong points and we always had at least two guys on our running backs. Overall, we knew what we had to do but we just couldn’t get it done this time.”
The third quarter ended with the Golden Bears’ first touchdown of the game, bringing the score to 13-3.
The fourth quarter began with a huge hit by defensive back Richard Fowlstone, who levelled a U of A player. The rest of the quarter was pivotal for the Bears; they achieved another touchdown and were able to sack Guedo four more times.
The only highlight of the last 15 minutes of the game was a combined effort from Calgary receivers Hogan, Bunting and McKenna. They led a drive ending with Hogan catching an 11-yard pass in the U of A end-zone. The game finished with a score of 20-10.
The Dinos accumulated 93 rushing yards and 265 passing yards to the Bears’ 253 rushing yards and 178 passing yards and eight quarterback sacks. Calgary’s top receivers were McKenna, with four catches for 66 yards, and Hogan, with three catches for 55 yards. Hughes played his heart out, totalling 43 rushing yards, kicking for 452 yards and returning four punts for 32 yards.
The game was filled with penalties. Alberta was given 18 for 181 yards, while Calgary suffered 13 for 75 yards.
“As a coach, the bottom line is to win,” commented Dinos Head Coach Tony Fasano. “If you don’t believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed in the morning. We had a lot of opportunities. The half back pass from Steve to Chuck only ended in a three-point gain. It becomes a tough game when things like that happen, but we hung in there. We have a lot of injuries right now, but we need to focus on the kids that are healthy and that want a chance to play. We’re a good football team. Yes, we lost, but we’re disappointed, not discouraged.”
The Dinos try to redeem themselves Fri., Oct. 21 against the University of Manitoba Bisons at McMahon Stadium. The Bisons were the Dinos’ first opponents of the season and were royally embarrassed 51-10. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.