CALGARY – The Calgary Dinos were the beneficiaries of an upset win by their archrivals over the team they're battling with in the standings last weekend while holding their own at home and find themselves alone in first place halfway through their 2009 season.

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Thanks to Alberta's 27-7 upset over previously undefeated Saskatchewan, the Dinos (3-1) assumed first place – and the No. 3 national ranking – after building a big halftime lead and cruising to a 49-22 decision over Simon Fraser last Saturday at McMahon Stadium.

The Huskies still have a game in hand over the Dinos, however, and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to their Week 1 overtime win, so Calgary will still need help from another team to finish first at the end of the year. But grabbing the top spot is still a major accomplishment for a program that hasn't finished first in league play since 1995 – which, coincidentally, is the last time the Dinos were ranked No. 3 or higher in a mid-season Top 10 poll.

So it's been a while since the Dinos have been in this position – and it's also been a while since they made the trip to Vancouver for a game at Thunderbird Stadium against UBC. Not since Blake Nill's first game as head coach of the Dinos on Sept. 2, 2006 have the Dinos made a stop on Point Grey, and it will be the first game at Thunderbird Stadium in the careers of a majority of Calgary's players.

That game in Week 1 of the 2006 season was also the last time the Dinos lost to the T-Birds, racking up three straight victories since then, and all three have been memorable. Later that season, Calgary used a 105-yard pass-and-run play to set up the game-winning touchdown in the dying seconds for Nill's first win with the Dinos; in the teams' only meeting of 2007, Calgary defeated UBC 41-23 in a Friday night showdown on the final week of the regular season in a game where the winner qualified for the playoffs and the loser's season ended. And last year's 24-11 Dinos win was the first of a three-game win streak that sparked Calgary to second place in the final standings.

With an 8-2 record in their last 10 contests against the T-Birds and an offence that is averaging better than 500 yards per game, the advantage would seem to be with the first-place Dinos heading into the weekend. However, the unfamiliar surroundings, the grass field, and playing a team with nothing to lose will require the Dinos to be on top of their game if they to move to 4-1 on the season.

No. 3 Calgary Dinos (3-1)
Last week: won 49-22 vs. Simon Fraser
Next week: vs. Manitoba, Saturday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m., McMahon Stadium

Calgary's high-octane offence is posting what are far and away the best numbers in Canada West and among the best in the nation. The Dinos are number one in the conference in every team offensive category with the exception of passing average per game, where they are number two by just over 10 yards per game.

The key to their offensive success has been balance and the play of the reigning Canada West offensive player of the week, quarterback Erik Glavic. The dual-threat quarterback, who is the sixth-best rusher in the conference and easily leads all quarterbacks, can also exploit opposition defences with the pass and exemplifies the Dinos' offence, which is the only one in the nation with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 passing yards after four games.

The running game leads the nation with nearly 270 yards per outing, with Matt Walter leading the way – and the conference – with 627 yards. A key head-to-head battle to watch Saturday will pit the top two running backs in the conference against each other, as UBC's Dave Boyd sits behind Walter in second spot in the Canada West rushing race, albeit more than 150 yards in arrears.

On the defensive side of the football, the Calgary front seven will look to bounce back from allowing more than 100 yards along the ground against Simon Fraser after opening the season with three games under the 100-yard mark. The Dinos are still the best run defence in the conference, averaging just 96.5 yards against per game, and that run defence could be key if the game is played under any kind of weather conditions – not exactly a stretch in Vancouver. Saturday's game is the Dinos' only contest on grass in 2009.

The Dinos face Manitoba at home on Thanksgiving weekend before a bye week, a rematch against Regina at home, and a Halloween date in Edmonton wrap up the regular season.

UBC Thunderbirds (1-3)
Last week: lost 28-17 vs. Regina
Next week: @ Saskatchewan, Friday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m. CT, Griffiths Stadium

Still looking for their first win at home this season, UBC enters the weekend at 1-3 and tied with Manitoba at the bottom of the Canada West standings. Against Regina last week, the Thunderbirds spotted the Rams an early lead and, despite a valiant effort in the second half, ended up on the wrong end of the 11-point decision.

The T-Birds have struggled out of the gate this year, with their only victory coming in come-from-behind fashion in Edmonton when Alberta gave up a big halftime lead to fall 25-24. Only Saskatchewan is averaging fewer points per game than UBC's 14.8, while the 'Birds have given up a conference-worst 28.5.

There have been bright spots, however, most notably quarterback Billy Greene, who sits fourth in the conference in passing and battled admirably in a losing cause against the Rams last Saturday. Boyd, meanwhile, has explosive potential and was almost single-handedly responsible for the win over Alberta with his 236-yard performance – 183 of which came in the second half.

Defensively, UBC's linebacking corps has been solid in spite of injuries. Alex Babalos and Andy Algar are tied for sixth in total tackles, averaging 6.0 per game; however, the Thunderbirds' front seven has allowed nearly 200 yards per game on the ground and will face their toughest test of the season against the Dinos.

It gets no easier for UBC in the coming weeks, with road games at Saskatchewan and Simon Fraser on the horizon before closing the season at home against the Manitoba Bisons.

-UC-