CALGARY – The No. 1-ranked University of Calgary Dinos are one step closer to an undefeated season after dispatching the Regina Rams 57-7 Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium.

Calgary (7-0) heads to Edmonton next weekend to wrap up regular season play against the Alberta Golden Bears (2-5) in one final tune-up before hosting a Canada West semi-final Nov. 7. The Rams (0-7), meanwhile, will look to play spoiler as they host the Saskatchewan Huskies (2-5) next Friday night at Mosaic Stadium.

It was a slow start for the Dinos in this one, but their third drive of the game – an 11-play, 79-yard march that ended in a Jimmy Underdahl touchdown plunge – set the tone for the rest of the afternoon as Calgary cruised to the 50-point win. Calgary's next two drives also resulted in points: a 1-yard TD by Imoreshi Dania, his first CIS touchdown, and a field goal by Johnny Mark. The 16-yards splitting of the uprights by Mark was his 85th career field goal, setting a new CIS record in the category. He added two more on the night, setting the new standard at 87 with one game remaining.

The Rams cut the deficit to 18-7 after Riley Wilson's touchdown reception in the second and it looked like it might just be a two-possession game at halftime, but Calgary scored two majors in the final two minutes to give the hometown Dinos plenty of momentum heading into the second half.
 
The second half was all Dinos, with Calgary scoring 12 points in both quarters to get up to its eventual 50-point margin of victory.

With the Dinos having already clinched first place and home field advantage throughout the Hardy Cup playoffs, the game was a chance for the Dinos to take a look at some of their younger players while managing the playing time of the starters.

"Playing at a high intensity and a high level is what we're all about," said Calgary head coach Wayne Harris, "and we had six guys with their first start ever today. They came in and performed well when they had the opportunity. Overall, our execution was good – we had a little lapse in the first half, but Regina is improving and playing tough. They came out with their game plan and were able to stall us on some drives, but our guys stayed working hard and got the job done. Next week, it's about what we do and how we execute to just keep rolling."

The Dinos continued to ease Mercer Timmis back into play, and he picked up 58 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries, adding a pair of receptions as well. As for Andrew Buckley, he went all the way into the fourth quarter, completing 21 of 28 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. His top target was Brendon Thera-Plamondon, who picked up 103 yards on seven carries, including a touchdown in the second quarter as the Dinos responded to Regina's lone score of the game.

Brett Blaszko picked up his first TD of the season on a three-yard shovel just 1:09 after Thera-Plamondon's major. Timmis and Buckley added rushing TDs in the second half for Calgary.

The Dinos' defence played splendidly, allowing less than 200 offensive yards by the Rams. Deondre Townsend led the way with five tackles and an interception, while Boston Rowe also picked off Regina pivot Noah Picton with a beauty one-handed grab of a tipped pass attempt.

Picton finished 9-for-21 for 103 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Atlee Simon picked up the lion's share of the Rams' offence on the day with his 78 rushing yards. Defensively, Travoy Martinez led the Rams with seven tackles, while Regina did manage to sack Calgary quarterbacks Buckley and Underdahl a total of four times on the day.

FINAL
Regina                  00  07  00  00 – 7
#1 Calgary           08  25  12  12 – 57

SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
CGY – Johnny Mark 71-yard kickoff single, 0:04, 1-0 CGY
CGY – Jimmy Underdahl 1-yard TD run (Johnny Mark convert), 11:19, 8-0 CGY

2nd Quarter
CGY – Imoreshi Dania 1-yard TD run (Johnny Mark convert), 1:06, 15-0 CGY
CGY – Johnny Mark 16-yard FG, 4:33, 18-0 CGY
REG – Riley Wilson 15-yard TD catch from Noah Picton (Daniel Scraper convert), 9:34, 18-7 CGY
CGY – Brendon Thera-Plamondon 11-yard TD catch from Andrew Buckley (Johnny Mark convert), 13:22, 25-7 CGY
CGY – Brett Blaszko 3-yard TD catch from Andrew Buckley (Johnny Mark convert), 14:31, 32-7 CGY
CGY – Johnny Mark 69-yard kickoff single, 14:34, 33-7 CGY

3rd Quarter
CGY – Johnny Mark 53-yard missed FG single, 2:44, 34-7 CGY
CGY – Johnny Mark 13-yard FG, 5:09, 37-7 CGY
CGY – Mercer Timmis 4-yard TD run (Johnny Mark convert), 9:15, 44-7 CGY
CGY – Johnny Mark 85-yard kickoff single, 9:15, 45-7 CGY

4th Quarter
CGY – Andrew Buckley 3-yard TD run (Johnny Mark convert), 3:28, 52-7 CGY
CGY – TEAM safety, 4:37, 54-7 CGY
CGY – Johnny Mark 17-yard FG, 11:20, 57-7 CGY

-UC-