CALGARY – For the second year in a row, the University of Calgary Dinos and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies meet in a Canada West semifinal at McMahon Stadium, with the winner advancing to the 80th Hardy Cup next weekend.

In many ways, it's fitting these two old rivals will meet again in the postseason after putting up two of the most entertaining contests in the regular season – not to mention the thrilling come-from-behind victory by the Dinos in last year's playoff match-up. 

Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. MT Saturday, Nov. 5, live on Shaw TV. The other Hardy Cup semifinal between UBC and Regina at Mosaic Stadium will follow at 3:30 p.m. MT.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

A year ago, the Huskies nearly knocked off the then-undefeated, No. 1-ranked Dinos in this game, with Calgary needing 18 points in the fourth quarter to escape with a 37-29 win. And then, two weeks ago, Saskatchewan took advantage of Calgary miscues and penalty woes and played a tough, hard-nosed football tame to hand Calgary its first regular season home loss since Week 1 of the 2010 season.

HEADLINES

• One of three playoff games across the country to feature battles between Top 10 teams. The others: No.7 McMaster at No. 5 Laurier and No. 8 Carleton at No. 3 Western
• The Dinos and Huskies split their two regular season games in 2016, each winning in the other's home stadium. Calgary scored a last-minute 20-19 win on Sept. 16 in Saskatoon, while the Huskies returned the favour with a 38-35 win at McMahon on Oct. 22.
• The Dinos own an eight-game winning streak over the Huskies, stretching back to the 2010 season
• Calgary is 4-1 all-time in the playoffs against Saskatchewan, with wins in 2015, 2009, 1995, and 1988 and the lone loss in 1994. All previous playoff games have been in the Hardy Cup, with the exception of last year's semifinal
• The five previous playoff meetings against the Huskies marks the fewest against any Canada West opponent. In fact, that total matches the number of times the Dinos have faced both Western (OUA) and Saint Mary's (AUS) – five times each – in Bowl games and Vanier Cups.

No. 6 CALGARY DINOS (6-2)
Last week: defeated UBC 41-35 (OT)

• Calgary earned home field this week thanks to another come-from-behind win, a 41-35 OT triumph at UBC on Saturday that clinched second place. The Dinos finished tied for first place with Regina at 6-2, but the Rams earned the top seed by virtue of their 32-27 win in the lone head-to-head tilt of the year
• Despite their injury woes, the Dinos still managed to finish the season as the highest-scoring team in Canada West with 294 points. They were also the only team to hold opponents under 200 poitns on the year, allowing just 167.
• Adam Sinagra will get the start at quarterback against the Huskies, his second outing against them in his three starts in relief of the injured Jimmy Underdahl. Sinagra directed the Calgary comeback last week, tossing TD passes of 26 and 31 yards in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. He finished 18-29 for 261 yards and 2 TDs as he continues to grow more comfortable directing the offence
• Bryce Harper had a monster game against UBC, scoring three TDs – including the game-winner in overtime – to go with 145 yards on 23 carries. He finished the year second in the conference in rushing TDs with five, two back of Saskatchewan's Tyler Chow.
• Calgary's Austen Hartley was the leading receiver in the conference, measured by yards per game, with 110.2 on the year. Hartley missed two games due to injury.
• Boston Rowe and Micah Teitz finished three-four on the tackling leaderboard with 53.5 and 52, respectively, for the Dinos, while Jack McEwen led the conference with 4.5 sacks on the campaign
• The Dinos have hosted a playoff game for nine consecutive seasons, including 2016 – a Canada West record. In order to extend another record and host the Hardy Cup for the seventh straight year, the Dinos will need to beat Saskatchewan and hope that UBC defeats Regina.
• Calgary fell from No. 5 to No. 6 in the final U Sports Top 10 rankings of the season this week.

No. 10 SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (5-3)
Last week: defeated Alberta 48-9

• The Huskies enter the playoffs with serious momentum, riding a three-game win streak after opening the year 2-3.
• A 48-9 win over Alberta last week put the pressure on Calgary to defeat UBC, otherwise this game would be played at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon
• Saskatchewan's offence averaged only 434 yards per game – second-worst in the conference – but their defence was strong, trailing only Calgary with 455 yards allowed per game
• The Huskies owned special teams in Canada West this year, averaging 37.7 yards per punt (first in the conference), the top punt return unit, and the most accurate field goal kicker in Sean Stenger, who went 22-for-26 on the year. They were also the least-penalized team in Canada West, being flagged just 74 times for 687 yards through eight games
• Tyler Chow was the conference's leading rusher, racking up 828 yards on 127 carries for seven touchdowns – the top yards and TD totals in Canada West
• Mitch Hillis is Kyle Siemens' top target in the receiving corps, with 35 catches for 561 yards and three touchdowns on the year

-UC-