WINNIPEG – The defence set the table and the offence cashed in as the third-ranked University of Calgary Dinos ruined the Manitoba Bisons' Homecoming party with a 76-17 win Saturday afternoon at Investors Group Field.
The defence picked up eight sacks, forced four fumbles, hauled in two interceptions, and scored a pair of touchdowns itself, while two more Calgary touchdowns came on the very first play after a turnover. Quarterback
Adam Sinagra and the offence were gifted a short field through most of the contest and made the most of it to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Calgary's 456 yards of total offence was the lowest total of their three games on the year, but the offence was surgical when given the opportunity. Four times Sinagra went downfield to
Michael Klukas, who averaged better than 32 yards per reception and scored two touchdowns.
Alessandro Molnar scored his first career touchdown late in the contest, while
Robert Stewart and
Josiah Joseph added rushing TDs along the ground.
Hunter Karl picked up his fourth TD in two weeks, while defensive lineman
Joel Van Pelt caught a touchdown pass with the short yardage team on the field.
It was the defence that really salted the game away, however. Seconds after Joseph's TD had put the Dinos up 10-3 late in the first quarter,
Brett Wade knocked the ball out of Manitoba pivot Theo Deezar's hands, and
Boston Rowe scooped it up and took it 11 yards into the end zone, sparking a crazy sequence.
After the Rowe TD, the Bisons turned it over on downs, leading to a TD by
Robert Stewart. Wade forced another fumble on the next Manitoba drive, leading to Klukas' first major, from which the Dinos recovered the ensuing kickoff. That, in turn, led to Van Pelt's TD. In total, a 10-minute stretch starting late in the first quarter saw the Dinos score 44 points on just 27 offensive plays while the Bisons ran just eight offensive plays during the same span.
"The defence had a very good game," said Dinos Head Coach
Wayne Harris. "Anytime you limit your opponent to under 150 yards passing and, with the exception of one play, held the run game in check, you know that all 12 guys did an outstanding job. We got some breaks and took advantage of them. The guys came in with high emotion today, they were fired up but under control. From there, we made some big plays, got some turnovers, scored some defensive points, and that usually means you're going to have some success."
The one blemish for the Calgary defence was the lone bright spot for the Bisons as Jamel Lyles found a hole and scampered 75 yards to the end zone five minutes into the fourth quarter. Any momentum the Bisons may have gotten from that play was clearly snuffed out just over two minutes later when
Nick Statz picked off Deezar and ran it back 62 yards to the end zone.
Niko Difonte rounded out the scoring with three field goals on the afternoon in a penalty-filled contest, with 36 flags thrown costing the teams more than 300 yards combined.
Sinagra tossed three touchdown passes on 15-for-23 passing for 263 yards. Deezar managed to go just 11-for-30 for 141 yards on the day as the Dinos brought pressure all afternoon.
Jack McEwen had three sacks on the day, and all of his 4.5 tackles came behind the line of scrimmage.
Cory Robinson added a pair of sacks, with Rowe,
Michael Schmidt, and Wade picking up one each.
The Dinos and Bisons will meet again at McMahon Stadium on Oct. 14. Up first, the Dinos will host the Saskatchewan Huskies at Homecoming on UCalgary's Alumni Weekend next Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff goes at 4 p.m. at McMahon Stadium, and they know they'll be in for a test against the Huskies.
"There are still things we can do better, and we know they won't all be these kinds of games," said Harris. "I did like when we had the opportunities to make big plays in the first half, we did that, and that put us in a good position."
NOTES: The Dinos totalled 29 points off turnovers in the contest … the 76-point performance is the most for the Dinos since defeating Alberta 80-18 Sept. 17, 2015 … DiFonte's 48-yard field goal was the longest for the Dinos since Aaron Ifield hit from 51 yards on Oct. 30, 2010 and is tied for the sixth-longest in Dinos history … the eight sacks in a single game is the best Calgary total since the 1995 season (8, at Saskatchewan) and one off the school and conference record of nine … the Dinos now own five of the top six scoring totals in Canada West history, dating back to 1995 …
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