CALGARY – The fifth-ranked University of Calgary Dinos exploded for 37 second-half points to take a 50-15 win over the Alberta Golden Bears Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium.

After a first half that saw them take 95 yards in penalties – many of the line violation variety – Calgary found its stride in the third quarter and cruised to their 15th consecutive on-field victory in the Battle of Alberta, improving to 4-1 on the season.

"It was a strange week," explained Dinos Head Coach Wayne Harris. "We were practising without half our offensive line, we had illnesses running through the team this week, guys down with injuries…the new guys came in, were probably just a little too anxious, and hit the line too early. We addressed the penalty situation at half time and tried to get them to play with some enthusiasm and excitement."

There wasn't much enthusiasm for Calgary in the first half, with two promising drives resulting in short field goals, until Dallas Boath grabbed a toss from Jimmy Underdahl and took it 62 yards to the end zone to take a 13-0 lead. The Bears responded quickly, however, when Tylor Henry caught his first of two touchdown passes on the day, and it was 13-8 for Calgary at half time.

Early in the third the Dinos and Bears traded quick touchdowns once again, with Hunter Karl's 33-yard TD preceding Henry's second of the night to bring the Bears back within a touchdown.

On the final play of the third quarter, Jeshrun Antwi's two-yard touchdown run re-established the Dinos' two-score lead, and this time the Bears were unable to respond. Instead, the Dinos took advantage of a strange play to put the game out of reach.

With Alberta backed up to its own two-yard line, Ben Kopczynski stepped back into his end zone to pass. His attempt was tipped up inside the goal line by Dinos safety Brennan Van Nistelrooy, who then made a diving catch for the rare zero-yard interception return TD.

Underdahl and Antwi added two more majors before the quarter was out on one- and 54-yard runs, respectively.

Underdahl had a solid outing, completing 21 of 31 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns. Karl was his favourite target, collecting eight catches for 111 yards, while Boath picked up 129 yards on just four catches. Antwi led the way with 100 yards even, along with two TDs, along the ground.

Linebacker Micah Teitz had an extraordinary day for the Dinos, picking up 10 solo tackles, while Boston Rowe had seven solos along with four assists.

For the Golden Bears, Ed Ilnicki was a bright spot on offence once again, rumbling downfield 28 times for 151 yards. Kopczynski completed 14 of 23 passes for 267 yards on the day, connecting with Adam Zajdel for three big plays totalling 124 yards.

The Dinos wore special-edition gold retro uniforms, in honour of the University of Calgary's 50th Anniversary. Juno Award-winning band Dear Rouge entertained the fans pre-game and at half time.

Both teams will enjoy the conference-wide bye next week before returning to action. The Dinos will remain at home for the second of three straight at McMahon when they host the Manitoba Bisons (2-3) on Friday, Oct. 14, while Alberta will play host to the first-place Regina Rams the following day at Foote Field.

"We've had a tough schedule through the first half of the season, and it's nice to have two of our last three at home," said Harris. "We look forward to getting some rest and working on cleaning up for the stretch drive."

SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
CGY – Niko DiFonte 17-yard FG, 12:23, 3-0 CGY

2nd Quarter
CGY – Niko DiFonte 22-yard FG, 0:38, 6-0 CGY
CGY – Dallas Boath 62-yard TD pass from Jimmy Underdahl (Niko DiFonte convert), 5:30, 13-0 CGY
ALB – Tylor Henry 37-yard pass from Ben Kopczynski (Ross Cammarata convert), 9:51, 13-7 CGY
ALB – Ross Cammarata 30-yard missed FG single, 15:00, 13-8 CGY

3rd Quarter
CGY – TEAM safety, 3:15, 15-8 CGY
CGY – Hunter Karl 33-yard TD pass from Jimmy Underdahl (Niko DiFonte convert), 4:57, 22-8 CGY
ALB – Tylor Henry 8-yard TD pass from Ben Kopczynski (Ross Cammarata convert), 8:24, 22-15 CGY
CGY – Jeshrun Antwi 2-yard TD run (Niko DiFonte convert), 14:58, 29-15 CGY

4th Quarter
CGY – Brennan Van Nistelrooy 0-yard interception return TD (Niko DiFonte convert), 4:58, 36-15 CGY
CGY – Jimmy Undedahl 1-yard TD run (Niko DiFonte convert), 7:30, 43-15 CGY
CGY – Jeshrun Antwi 54-yard TD run (Niko DiFonte convert), 11:03, 50-15 CGY

-UC-