CALGARY – One week removed from a shocking result in a game that didn't end up meaning a whole lot, the University of Calgary Dinos and the University of Alberta Golden Bears meet in one of two Hardy Cup semifinals Saturday at McMahon Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT, live on TELUS Optik TV 997 and CanadaWest.tv. The winner will advance to the 81st Hardy Cup Nov. 11 against the winner of the other semifinal, which sees Regina visit UBC – also for the second straight week.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

Nobody could have predicted last week's result – a 53-3 win for the Golden Bears over the then-No. 1-ranked Dinos, snapping a 16-game losing streak for Alberta against their southern foes. Yes, the Dinos had already clinched first place and home field advantage and were without a number of starters in the contest, but the Bears forced eight Calgary turnovers and picked up a stunning 50-point victory to assure themselves of their first playoff berth since 2010.

"The guys are a veteran group, they know what's involved, they know the magnitude of this game," said Dinos head coach Wayne Harris. "It's not a matter of one game, but what they've been working on all season, and a little bit of a wake-up call can be a good thing.

"Not to take anything away from Alberta – they've steadily improved throughout the season and are playing very good football right now. They've changed their philosophy offensively and have played to their strengths. They have some talented receivers, and their quarterback is equal to anyone else in the league. They're a difficult opponent from an offensive perspective, and defensively they had a very good game against us last week."

The Dinos will look to have several players back in the lineup Saturday after sitting out the Week 8 contest.

HEADLINES

• Saturday will be just the seventh playoff meeting in history between the provincial foes, with Calgary holding a 4-2 edge in the six previous contests
• The Dinos are 3-0 at home against Alberta in the playoffs (2010 Hardy Cup, 2009 semifinal, 1993 Hardy Cup). In games played in Edmonton, Calgary has one win (1984 Hardy Cup) along with two losses (2004 semifinal, 1980 Hardy Cup).
• It's the 32nd home playoff game in school history for Calgary and the 23rd since 2008. The Dinos are 26-5 at home in the postseason all-time
• A Calgary win would bring the Hardy Cup game to McMahon Stadium for the ninth time in the last 10 years
• Alberta's last playoff game was in one of those previous Hardy Cups, a 56-3 Calgary win back in 2010. The Bears qualified for that game thanks to an epic fourth-quarter comeback at Saskatchewan.

No. 4 CALGARY DINOS (7-1)
Last week: lost to Alberta 53-3

• Calgary will look to clean up its ball security after losing five fumbles, an interception and two turnovers on downs last week against the Bears
• QB Adam Sinagra completed the 2017 campaign with the third-best passing performance in school history, throwing for 2,447 yards – putting him behind only Greg Vavra (2,823, 1983) and Andrew Buckley (3,162, 2015) on the school single-season list. Sinagra also tied the school completions record with 178, equaling Vavra's total from 1983.
• The Dinos placed seven players on the Canada West all-star team, announced Thursday: OL Ryan Sceviour, WR Michael Klukas, DL Brett Wade, DL Cory Robinson, LB Boston Rowe, LB Micah Teitz, and DB Adam Laurensse

ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (3-5)
Last week: defeated Calgary 53-3

• Behind the running of fifth-year tailback Ed Ilnicki, the quarterback play of Brad Baker, the receiving prowess of Tylor Henry, and the defensive tenacity of Tak Landry, the Bears pulled off the biggest win of Chris Morris' tenure last week and will look for nothing less than a repeat performance Saturday
• Ilnicki set a new CW single-season rushing record last week, rumbling for 1,468 yards in just eight games on the season
• Alberta made the playoffs by winning three of the final four games of the season. The fourth was a tight 58-55 double-overtime loss to Regina – so the Bears are peaking at the right time, led by a veteran group of fifth-year players
• Ilnicki and Landry were named the U SPORTS offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively, for their efforts last week
• Thanks to their rushing attack, the Bears led Canada West in total offence on the season as the only team to break the 4,000-yard mark.
• Four Golden Bears were named conference all-stars Thursday, all on offence: RB Ilnicki, WR Nathan Rowe, OL Mark Korte, and OL Justin Lawrence.

-UC-