CALGARY – Making their first appearance at McMahon Stadium in more than four years, the Regina Rams were dominated by the sixth-ranked Calgary Dinos, who move to 4-2 on the season after a 31-5 victory.
The win for the Dinos means they complete their home schedule with a perfect 4-0 record, the first time they have accomplished this feat since the Vanier Cup championship season of 1995. And for Calgary coach Blake Nill, the win over Regina was the first of his career – and a long time coming.
“I've definitely had my difficulties with Regina, and it goes way, way back,” smiled Nill after the game. “I have so much respect for their program, but I'm very happy that we were able to be successful this weekend.”
The Dinos rode an impressive performance from tailback Matt Walter, the 2007 Canada West rookie of the year. After a slow start – 17 carries for 54 yards at the half – Walter exploded from the backfield in the second half to finish with 200 yards on 27 carries, including a sparkling 73-yard touchdown run that put the Dinos up 28-3 midway through the fourth quarter.
“Everyone knows how good Matt is,” said Nill. “He just needs a crease. With a young offensive line it's been a little tougher for him this season, but I took him aside this week and told him it was time for him to lead, and I think he responded well to it.”
Quarterback Deke Junior also had a solid outing for the Dinos, with 150 yards through the air along with 72 yards on the ground, including a 28-yard TD scamper.
It was a record-setting day for Regina quarterback Teale Orban, who set the new Canada West all-time passing yards mark with a nine-yard completion to fullback Sheldon Tillotson midway through the second quarter, passing former Dino and Ram Darryl Leason. By that point, however, Orban had already thrown three interceptions and the Dinos had a 17-0 lead, with all 17 points coming in a span of just over four and a half minutes.
Following a 17-yard Aaron Ifield field goal, Junior scampered 28 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 10-0 for the home side. Just two plays later, one of 10 Regina turnovers on the afternoon, this one a fumble by receiver Chad Goldie, gave the ball right back to the Dinos. Junior found Nathan Coehoorn for a 23-yard touchdown pass to put Calgary in front 17-0.
Field goals of 35 and 19 yards for Ifield along with a punt single rounded out the scoring in the second half for Calgary, while the Rams were able to muster just a 46-yard Perri Scarcelli field goal and a safety on a blocked punt that Ifield alertly kicked out of his own end zone.
Orban put up decent numbers with 22 completions on 40 attempts for 224 yards, but it was 10 turnovers by the Rams that kept them out of the end zone.
“We played tough football, and that's something we can hang our hats on,” said Nill. “We're a physical football team, we're well-conditioned, and we can go out and bang heads with teams.
“Our defence showed again today that they're national-contender quality.”
Calgary's defence held conference-leading rusher Luke Derkson to just 60 yards on 12 carries. Halfback Matt Grohn led the way defensively for Calgary with 9.5 total tackles, while Brett Ferguson and Andrea Bonaventura added seven apiece. Brandon Ganne paced the Rams with 7.5 tackles, with Darren Geddert adding six.
Regina's Brenden Owens was the top receiver on the afternoon, hauling in seven passes for 80 yards, while Chad Goldie added six catches for 62 yards. The Dinos were led by Anthony Parker's five catches for 66 yards, followed closely by Coehoorn's 55 yards on seven receptions.
Calgary (4-2) finishes its season on the road with trips to Manitoba (3-3) next week and Alberta (1-5) in Week 9. Regina (3-3) has the same schedule in reverse, visiting the Golden Bears next week before hosting the Bisons in a game that could decide the fourth and final playoff spot in Canada West.
The Dinos-Bisons game next Saturday kicks off at 12 p.m. MT, live on The FAN 960 and www.fan960.com. Shaw TV Calgary will pick up the Shaw Manitoba feed of the game on a tape-delay basis, with the broadcast slated to start at 4:30 p.m. MT.
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