BOX SCORE SASKATOON – The No. 2-ranked University of Calgary Dinos didn't score an offensive touchdown but relied on a sterling defensive effort to defeat the seventh-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies 20-8 Friday night at Griffiths Stadium.

BOX SCORE

The Dinos held the Huskies to just 74 yards of total offence to improve their 2011 undefeated streak to six games, clinching a home playoff date with a 6-0 record. Saskatchewan, meanwhile, falls to 3-3 and heads on the road for its final two games of the season.

Calgary's magic number is now one – meaning that any one Dinos win in their last two games or any one UBC loss in the Thunderbirds' last three games will clinch first place in the conference standings for Calgary for the first time since 1995. First place would include home field advantage all the way to the Vanier Cup, which will be played in Vancouver in late November.

After a 38-24 win at McMahon Stadium on Sept. 23, the Dinos sweep a two-game season series with the Huskies for the first time since the 2000 season.

“The defence prepared well all week for the Saskatchewan offence, and we seemed to have an answer for everything they tried tonight,” said Dinos head coach Blake Nill, who earned the 99th win of his CIS coaching career with the victory. “They gave us nothing that we were not expecting, which is surprising as we both came off a bye week.

“As a team, I'm very proud of the way we played. We felt that we needed to win the battles on both lines of scrimmage and we were able to do that. Despite going against a top-rated Saskatchewan defence, we still were able to generate 400-plus yards offence and 200 rushing yards.”

Mike Edem's pick six early in the fourth quarter was the lone major scored by Calgary on the night as the offence moved the ball well but sputtered in the red zone. Johnny Mark kicked four field goals on the night and added a 45-yard single on his first miss of the season to round out the scoring for Calgary.

After Steven Lumbala fumbled on the Saskatchewan seven-yard line to end the third quarter, the Dinos defence retook the field and continued its dominance. On the second play of the fourth, Edem intercepted Saskatchewan quarterback Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren on the 15 and returned it to the end zone to give the Dinos a 17-1 lead and some valuable breathing room. It was redemption of sorts for Edem, who had an interception return touchdown called back in the previous meeting between the two teams Sept. 23 because of a penalty.

Calgary's defence held the Huskies to just 45 yards along the ground and the quarterbacks to just 104 passing yards, many of which came in the final five minutes of the game as the Huskies pulled out all the stops to make a game of it. Saskatchewan ended up with 75 yards of team losses as well, bringing their total offence to just 74 yards.

The Huskies' lone TD of the night didn't come from the offence either – Nico Higgs blocked a Johnny Mark punt attempt with just under five minutes to play, and Shane Dueck pounced on the loose ball in the end zone to bring Saskatchewan within a dozen points.

Steven Lumbala had yet another 100-yard game for the Dinos, racking up 113 yards on 18 carries as the Calgary posted 221 total rushing yards. Matt Walter added 57 yards, while Anthony Woodson contributed 39.

Eric Dzwilewski returned to the scene of his only loss as a starting quarterback in CIS and completed 16 of 30 passes for 234 yards. Taylor Nill was his top target for the second straight game, hauling in five passes for 90 yards, including a couple of beauties – most notably a one-handed, 30-yard grab on the sidelines in the first quarter.

The Dinos got to Gilbert-Knorren and starter Trent Peterson three times on the night, with Michael Klassen, Jordan Verdone, and Thomas Spoletini each recording a sack. Linebacker Sam Hurl led the way with 5.5 tackles for Calgary, while Jamahl Knowles added five tackles and an interception. Kevan Hafichuk also added a pick to aid Calgary's cause.

Ben Coakwell led the Huskies with 29 rushing yards, while Gilbert-Knorren added 21 more. The Saskatchewan quarterbacks went a combined 11-for-31 with three interceptions, and Garrett Burgess' 25 yards on three catches was the best any Huskie receiver could muster.

Saskatchewan heads to Regina next weekend to face the Rams, followed by a season-ending trip to Edmonton to face the Golden Bears. Calgary, meanwhile, returns home to host the Manitoba Bisons Saturday, Oct. 22 at McMahon Stadium before closing the season at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver one week later.

Prior to Saturday's game vs. Manitoba, the Dinos will honour their graduating fifth-year seniors and also make a special presentation to Matt Walter, the school's all-time leading rusher and rushing TDs leader. Both Elio Geremia and J.P. Izquierdo, the players who Walter passed to take the records, will be on hand for the ceremony.

Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Quarter
CGY – Johnny Mark 45-yard missed FG single, 8:12, 1-0 CGY

2nd Quarter
CGY – Johnny Mark 37-yard FG, 3:34, 4-0 CGY
CGY – Johnny Mark 28-yard FG, 11:20, 7-0 CGY
SASK – Stephen McDonald punt single, 14:10, 7-1 CGY

3rd Quarter
CGY – Johnny Mark 24-yard FG, 7:58, 10-1 CGY

4th Quarter
CGY – Mike Edem 15-yard interception return TD (Johnny Mark convert), 0:28, 17-1 CGY
CGY – Johnny Mark 19-yard FG, 3:38, 20-1 CGY
SASK – Shane Dueck 0-yard fumble recovery TD – blocked punt (Stephen McDonald convert), 10:07, 20-8 CGY

-UC-