CALGARY - The University of Calgary Dinos open their 45th season of Canada West play at home Saturday with the second of two tough contests against elite teams in CIS football.

Calgary's opener last weekend didn't exactly unfold as scripted, as the offence struggled mightily in a 25-0 loss at Saskatchewan. The Dinos were unable to establish their fearsome running game against the Huskies, and four turnovers by the offence led to 10 of Saskatchewan's 25 points on the night.

It gets no easier for Calgary this weekend, with the defending Vanier Cup champion Manitoba Bisons in town for the home opener at McMahon Stadium. The Bisons are riding a 13-game overall win streak following an 8-0 campaign last season and a season-opening 25-12 win over Regina last weekend. Manitoba has posted back-to-back 8-0 conference seasons, with their last regular season loss coming in October 2005 against Saskatchewan – a span of 18 games.

The Bisons were ranked No. 2 in the initial CIS Top Ten poll of the 2008 season after looking impressive against Regina last weekend. Kicker Scott Dixon was named the CIS special teams player of the week after booting six field goals for the third time in his career.

Manitoba is largely a revamped team from the national champion squad of a year ago, with four offensive and nine defensive starters having moved on. Key returnees include quarterback John Makie, who is a perfect 17-0 in conference play as a starter in CIS football, and running back Matt Henry, who suffered a horrific leg injury during the Vanier Cup game in Toronto but made a complete recovery and has returned to the field.

The Dinos are certainly familiar with Manitoba and played the Bisons as tough as anybody last season. In their regular season contest in Winnipeg, Calgary actually led after three quarters before falling 35-28 following a 17-point fourth by Manitoba.

The two teams met again in Winnipeg for the Canada West semifinal, where again turnovers – nine of them – were the story for Calgary as they fell 27-5 to the Bisons, who went on to win the Vanier. The Dinos actually led in virtually every statistical category in that contest, but the nine turnovers led to 17 Manitoba points.

Keeping control of the football, then, is clearly on the top of coach Blake Nill's priority list after the team's 13 turnovers in its last two meaningful games. And, while the defence performed well against Saskatchewan, the revamped Dinos offence has yet to find its rhythm in the young 2008 season.

Quarterback Jordan Flagel, who left the Saskatchewan game in the second half after jamming a finger, is fully recovered and scheduled to receive the start at home Saturday afternoon. He'll be joined at the pivot position by Deke Junior, a five-year veteran of the CJFL who completed 17 of 24 passes for 189 yards in relief of Flagel in the second half last week.

The running back tandem of Anthony Woodson and Matt Walter was held at bay against the Huskies, generating just 71 yards on the ground between them. The young Calgary offensive line struggled all night, especially after losing Reed Alexander to a back injury at the end of the first half. Alexander, one of just two returning starters from last year's dominant offensive line, remains sidelined indefinitely.

Some good news for Calgary this week is the return of sophomore receiver Anthony Parker, who missed the Saskatchewan game with a nagging leg injury. Back to 100 per cent, Parker will rejoin a talented receiving corps consisting of Matt Little, K.C. Prince, and Nathan Coehoorn.

However, it will be on the return game that the Dinos will benefit most from Parker's return – in his rookie season, Parker finished with 1041 all-purpose yards, second only to Anthony Woodson for the team lead, and with the vast majority of them coming on special teams.

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on The FAN 960 and fan960.com with Dave Rowe and Tony Spoletini. NUTV, the U of C's campus television station, will provide a live video webcast featuring play-by-play from The FAN 960, at www.nutv.ca/streaming, and the Dinos will unveil their new football live stats package for the game as well. Live stats will be available through www.goDINOS.com.

-UC-