CALGARY – For the sixth year in a row and the seventh time in eight years, the Canada West football title game comes to McMahon Stadium as the No. 1-ranked University of Calgary Dinos (9-0) host the No. 6 UBC Thunderbirds (7-2) in the 79th Hardy Cup.
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. Saturday, live across the country on Global Television.
It's set to be a game replete with storylines as the Dinos look to erase the memory of an upset loss to Manitoba in last year's title game, while the Thunderbirds hope to hoist the trophy for the first time since 1997.
The winner will advance to next week's CIS Uteck Bowl at the home of the Atlantic champion – Mount Allison hosts StFX in the AUS title game Saturday – and be one step close to the Vanier Cup Nov. 28 in Quebec City. Other conference finals this weekend have Montreal at Laval in the Quebec championship, while Guelph visits Western in the Yates Cup to battle for supremacy in Ontario.
GAME NOTES (.pdf)HEADLINES- Saturday's showdown on Global TV marks the first appearance for the Dinos on network television since the 1988 Vanier Cup on CTV
- Calgary has 15 Hardy Cup titles all-time, while UBC has 14. Both are chasing Saskatchewan's 18 wins
- Since the Hardy Cup became a permanent playoff game in 1976, the game has been hosted at McMahon Stadium on 13 of a possible 40 occasions (including 2015), with Calgary winning 12 – the only loss coming last year to Manitoba
- Each of UBC's last three Hardy Cup titles (1997, 1987, and 1986) have come thanks to victories over Calgary – but all of those games were in Vancouver. The last Calgary-UBC Hardy Cup came in 2011 at McMahon, a 62-13 Dinos victory
- The Dinos have played the Thunderbirds more than any other team in the playoffs, with Saturday's tilt set to be their 10th all-time. Calgary is 5-4 in all-time playoff meetings, with a 4-0 record at home – including the last game, a 2013 conference semi-final that ended 42-28 Dinos
- Calgary won the only meeting between the teams this year, 49-16 back on Sept. 4 in Week 1, at home. UBC's last win at McMahon Stadium was all the way back in 2000.
No. 1 CALGARY DINOS (8-0, 1-0)Last week: defeated Saskatchewan 37-29 - Calgary overcame its biggest challenge of the season in last weekend's semi-final, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat a pesky Saskatchewan Huskies squad 37-29
- Canada West MVP Andrew Buckley set a school record with 33 completions against the Huskies last week, tossing for 367 yards in the win. He's joined as a major conference award winner by defensive back Robert Woodson (defensive MVP) and head coach Wayne Harris (coach of the year)
- Rashaun Simonise and Brett Blaszko had 116 and 115 receiving yards, respectively, against the Huskies. RB Mercer Timmis was Canada West offensive player of the week after a 154-yard, 2-TD performance
- The Dinos put 16 all-stars on the all-conference team this year, including four of five offensive linemen, all three linebackers, and four of five defensive backs
- Calgary looks to keep alive an impressive historical fact: every time they have faced Saskatchewan in the playoffs, the winner has gone on to play in the Vanier Cup.
- The Dinos are 23-4 at home in post-season play all-time. Since 2008, the team has a record of 46-4 overall at home – a .920 win percentage – and one of those losses was a 2014 forfeit of a 71-3 win.
No. 6 UBC THUNDERBIRDS (6-2, 1-0)Last week: defeated Manitoba 52-10 - Blake Nill's turnaround of the UBC program is perhaps ahead of schedule – but solid play from veterans and newcomers alike has the T-Birds on the up-and-up after a 6-2 season and last weekend's 52-10 whitewash of Manitoba in the conference semi-final
- UBC's offence was impressive against the Bisons, with Brandon Deschamps rushing for 128 yards while Michael O'Connor completed 19 of 34 passes for 231 yards and three TDs. But it was the defence that set the tone: they picked off Theo Deezar four times (one for a touchdown) and laminated the high-octane Bisons to just 317 yards of total offence.
- The T-Birds' defence was second only to Calgary's this season, holding opponents under 30 points per game and allowing less than 500 yards offence, on average.
- Kicker Quinn Van Gylswyk had an outstanding season for UBC, hitting on 20 of 24 FG attempts and averaging 43.6 yards per punt
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