CALGARY – Making the first start of his CIS career, Deke Junior completed 20 of 28 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns as the unranked University of Calgary Dinos snapped the Manitoba Bisons' 18-game regular season win streak with a 37-17 victory in front of 1,083 fans at McMahon Stadium Saturday.
Junior, who played much of the second half in Calgary's season-opening loss at Saskatchewan last week, directed a potent Calgary passing attack that exploded for 30 second half points, handing the defending Vanier Cup champion Bisons their first conference loss since October 2005.
“What we saw out of Deke was a guy who enjoyed being on the field,” said Dinos head coach Blake Nill. “He understands the game so well. His clock management was outstanding, and this week he did a great job for us.”
The Dinos found themselves down early after Manitoba quarterback John Makie found Terry Firr on a 41-yard touchdown pass over the middle. Calgary responded five minutes into the second quarter when Junior found sophomore Anthony Parker for a 58-yard major. A late Scott Dixon field goal gave Manitoba the 10-7 lead after an evenly-played opening half.
The turning point came on the second play of Manitoba's opening drive in the third quarter. Dinos linebacker Andrea Bonaventura picked off a Makie pass, returning it to the Bison 16 yard line. Junior connected with Parker in the end zone on the very next play, putting Calgary ahead to stay at 14-10.
Field goals of 23 and 48 yards from Aaron Ifield along with a one-yard touchdown dash by second team All-Canadian Anthony Woodson completed a 20-point third quarter for Calgary.
Firr caught his second touchdown pass from Makie early in the fourth quarter, but the solid Calgary defence held the Bison offence at bay for the remainder of the game. Ifield's third field goal from 14 yards and a six-yard touchdown run by Canada West rookie of the year Matt Walter rounded out the scoring on the afternoon.
It was Makie's first loss as a starting quarterback in CIS football after winning each of his 17 previous games under centre. He was 19-for-34 for 238 yards and two touchdowns on the day, but it was the three interceptions by the Calgary defence that swung momentum into the Dinos' favour.
“Our defence is national-contender quality,” Nill said. “We have speed, we have great athletes. It just shows the progress we're making here. I know we're inconsistent, but when we're hitting on all cylinders we can be a pretty formidable group.”
Bonaventura was the defensive star for Calgary, adding seven tackles and two tackles for loss to his interception. Casey Fraser added two picks for the Dinos.
Randy Simmons had five catches for 92 yards in a losing cause for Manitoba, while Firr added four receptions for 65 yards.
It was a quiet day for the Calgary running game, with Walter leading the way with 59 yards while Woodson added 37 and Junior scampered for 34 yards.
The Dinos improve to 1-1 on the season, while Manitoba falls to the same 1-1 record. Both teams return to action next weekend at home, with Manitoba hosting UBC on Saturday, Sept. 13. Also on Saturday, Calgary will host their archrival Alberta, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. at McMahon Stadium.
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