CALGARY – With the Vanier Cup in attendance, the No. 3-ranked University of Calgary Dinos hope to check the first thing off their list on the road to the national championship this weekend: clinch a playoff spot.

The sole remaining undefeated team in Canada West after four weeks, the Dinos would improve to 5-0 with a victory over the Alberta Golden Bears, maintain sole possession of first place in the conference, and clinch a playoff spot for the fifth consecutive year – a first in school history. A 5-0 record would put them in the driver's seat for a home playoff game and send them into the bye with an unblemished record as they get set for the stretch drive.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

They meet the Alberta Golden Bears who, after a Cinderella season was dashed by the Dinos in the Hardy Cup last year, have struggled to a 0-4 start under interim head coach Jeff Stead. A pre-season exhibition game in Lacombe, Alta. notwithstanding, this is the first consequential game between the provincial rivals since that conference championship game in 2010, a 56-3 Dinos win en route to their second straight Vanier Cup appearance.

With the Vanier Cup in Vancouver during Grey Cup week next month, the host committee is sending the trophy around – and fans will be able to take photos with the Vanier Cup, along with the Mitchell Bowl and the Hardy Cup, on the McMahon Stadium concourse Sunday afternoon.

It's an extremely rare Sunday afternoon home game for the Dinos, with Sunday tilts taking place just a handful of times over the past 30 years. It's also the only contest between the Dinos and Bears this year.

In that non-conference game in Lacombe, Calgary emerged victorious with a 49-14 victory. Matt Walter, Steven Lumbala, and Chris Dobko had two touchdowns apiece in that game as Calgary put up 38 points in the opening half.

Here's a look at the two teams:

No. 3 Calgary Dinos (4-0)
Last week: defeated Saskatchewan (38-24)
Next week: Bye

The Dinos lifted a giant monkey off their collective backs last week, finally beating Saskatchewan at home for the first time since the 2000 season with a dominant 38-24 win and a score that flattered the Huskies. But for a pair of big special teams plays, the Huskies were held at bay for most of the night, recording just 177 yards total offence and 90 passing yards.

Calgary, meanwhile, posted another 500-yard offensive night with Chris Dobko (11 catches, 121 yards, 2 TDs) and Steven Lumbala (9 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD) leading the way. Eric Dzwilewski had his best outing of the year, completing 20 of 29 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

The Dinos' run offence remains the class of Canada West and just keeps churning up the yards. On the whole Calgary averaged 7.6 yards per play offensively and put up 285 yards along the ground in a solid effort. The defence held fast for most of the night, limiting Saskatchewan to just 18 first downs on the night. Defensive lineman Linden Gaydosh tied a school record with four sacks in the game and was named defensive player of the week.

Special teams play has been the Dinos' biggest weakness this season and an area the coaching staff will aim to clean up in time for Sunday's game against the Bears. Two punt blocks have been recorded, along with a perfectly-executed onside kick by the Huskies last week that led directly to a touchdown and made the score closer than it probably should have been. The kicking game with rookie Johnny Mark has been consistent, however, as he has converted all seven of his field goal tries through four games in 2011.

Senior running back Matt Walter returned from injury last week and looked impressive, running for 69 yards and adding a 61-yard touchdown reception, the longest receiving play of his career. It improved his own program record to 31 career majors and was his first score of the season.

He continues to inch toward Elio Geremia's school record of 3,784 career rushing yards, entering Sunday's contest with 3,610 – just 174 yards in arrears of Geremia. With four games remaining, Walter still has a legitimate shot at becoming just the ninth player in CIS history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in career rushing.

Like all Canada West teams, the Dinos enjoy a bye over Thanksgiving next weekend. They return to action Friday, Oct. 14 when they visit the Saskatchewan Huskies, followed by their last regular season home game on Oct. 22 vs. Manitoba.

Alberta Golden Bears (0-4)
Last week: lost to Regina (38-14)
Next week: Bye

The Golden Bears have yet to regain the form that saw them advance to the conference final last season and have been outscored 138-71 through four games so far in 2011.

Running back KK Sonuga has put up 340 yards in his first four games as a starter in Canada West, recording three 100-plus yard games to sit fourth on the Canada West rushing list at the midway point of the season. Quarterback Julian Marchand, the former Dino, is also fourth in the conference, having recorded 618 passing yards on the season. Marchand has thrown seven interceptions against just one touchdown for the Bears, but Alberta sits in second spot in the conference in the giveaway-takeaway category with seven interceptions and six fumble recoveries (+2).

Outside the turnovers, however, the Bears have given up yardage by the truckload – averaging nearly 493 per game against – as they get set to face a Dinos team that is averaging 478 offensive yards.

Rookie Dillon Prince, the younger brother of former Dino K.C., was a bright spot for the Bears last week in the 38-14 loss to the Rams at Foote Field in Edmonton. He was named the Canada West special teams player of the week for his efforts after picking up 182 yards on six kickoff returns. The return unit has been a strength for the Bears so far this season – Jess Valleau had a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown Week 2 against Manitoba in a tight 22-20 loss, the Bears' closest game of the season.

Their playoff hopes are dim but not dashed, and that makes the Bears a dangerous opponent for the Dinos this weekend. The teams have split their last 10 conference games, though Calgary has won the last four straight, and the Bears traditionally play tough at McMahon Stadium.

After the bye, Alberta closes the season with a trip to Manitoba followed by home games against UBC and Saskatchewan.

-UC-