WINNIPEG – With the offence unable to find its rhythm until late, the defence stepped up in a big way to lead the University of Calgary Dinos to a season-opening 23-14 win over the University of Manitoba Bisons Thursday night at Investors Group Field.

The defence was able to hold the high-flying Bisons, who put up 50 against UBC in non-conference play last week, to just a single touchdown and 348 total yards on the night, giving the offence a chance to pull ahead and away in the final 16 minutes of the contest.

With seven seconds to play in the third quarter, Jimmy Underdahl completed a seven-play, 50-yard drive with a one-yard plunge into the end zone to give Calgary the lead for good at 15-11. Less than five minutes later they pulled ahead further when Underdahl found Austen Hartley – a theme on this night – for a 7-yard TD pass to seal it away. Once again, though, the defence had a hand in it: Nick Statz picked off Bisons pivot Theo Deezar at the Manitoba 38 to set up the final touchdown.

"I didn't play the best tonight, but that's a team win," fifth-year senior Underdahl told Shaw TV after collecting his first victory as a starting QB in CIS. "The defence played awesome today, but the offence needs to pick it up next week."

"I thought the defence really came on strong, especially in the second half," said Dinos head coach Wayne Harris. "We weren't as aggressive in the first, but we came back and got a couple of picks in the second. Those are key momentum-changers – they held us in the game.

"It's a team game, and you need everyone playing hard. When the O is not producing, you need to have a good defence to keep things close so you have a chance."

Boston Rowe made his presence felt, picking up a team-high 11 tackles on the night. Micah Teitz added 5.5 tackles, while Robert Woodson and Nathan Mitchell joined Statz in picking off Deezar.

Offensively, it was Austen Hartley who again proved he is a clutch receiver. He finished the night with 14 catches – just one off the school record – for 145 yards and the major, accounting for two-thirds of Underdahl's 21 completions. For his part, Underdahl tossed for 242 yards on 21-of-34 passing.

It was a quiet first half, with a hockey-like 5-4 score favouring Calgary at the half – a far cry from the 84 points the teams combined for in their lone meeting last season. The teams traded chip shot field goals, while the Bisons added a single and the Dinos a safety.

After the Dinos fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half, the Bisons took advantage and found the end zone when Deezar connected with Jesse Walker from six yards out. Alec Curtis hit a big 45-yard field goal to pull the Dinos within three at 11-8, setting up the two Calgary majors.

The veteran Calgary offensive line established the run game, with Quentin Chown working hard for 57 yards on 15 carries. That opened the door for a fresh Jeshrun Antwi in the second half, and his 11 carries for 81 yards helped spark the offence for the visitors.

For his part, Deezar completed 23 of 39 passes for 278 yards and a major, though that was mitigated by the three interceptions. Walker was his top target with eight catches, while Riley Harrison caught seven for a team-high 103 yards. DJ Lalama was a force for the Manitoba defence, recording 14 tackles on the night.

For Harris, the reigning CIS coach of the year, the night was indicative of the kind of football he expects his team will need to play all season in order to be successful.

"Every game this year is going to be a battle, and we'll have to fight and claw for everything we get," he explained. "We need to prepare ourselves as best we can, and hopefully from there we get the results we want."

The Dinos host the UBC Thunderbirds at McMahon Stadium next Friday, Sept. 9 in a rematch of last season's Hardy Cup. KICKOFF 2016, which wraps up UCalgary's Orientation Week, goes at 5:30 p.m. MT, live on Shaw TV and CanadaWest.tv.

SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
MAN – Ryan Jones missed FG single, 2:37, 1-0 MAN

2nd Quarter
MAN – Ryan Jones 17-yard FG, 1:35, 4-0 MAN
CGY – Alec Curtis 16-yard FG, 5:02, 4-3 MAN
CGY – Team Safety, 6:34, 5-4 CGY

3rd Quarter
MAN – Jesse Walker 6-yard TD pass from Theo Deezar (Ryan Jones convert), 1:45, 11-5 MAN
CGY – Alec Curtis 45-yard FG, 10:57, 11-8 MAN
CGY – Jimmy Underdahl 1-yard TD run (Alec Curtis convert), 14:53, 15-11 CGY

4th Quarter
CGY – Austen Hartley 7-yard TD pass from Jimmy Underdahl (Alec Curtis convert), 4:07, 22-11 CGY
MAN – Ryan Jones 10-yard FG, 7:41, 22-14 CGY
CGY – Alec Curtis missed FG single, 14:16, 23-14 CGY

-UC-