CALGARY – The Hardy Cup champion University of Calgary Dinos open their 2018 Canada West football season Friday night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Kickoff against the Rams is set for 7 p.m. MT, live on TELUS Optik TV (Ch. 997/998) and CanadaWest.tv.

Today, we turn our attention to the Calgary offence, which led Canada West with 42.5 points per game and finished second in total offence, just missing the 4,000-yard mark. Most of the weapons are back in the skill positions, with one of the fastest receiving corps in U SPORTS football set to provide plenty of targets for fourth-year quarterback Adam Sinagra. 

"We have a good balance of veterans in our receiving corps with a lot of young talent," said Wayne Harris, the Dinos' fourth-year head coach. "We expect to be explosive, with lots of athletes on the field."

Also entering his fourth season with the Dinos, offensive coordinator Ryan Sheahan will look to push the pace and tempo, making use of his receivers' wheels to stretch the field.

"Speed kills," said Sheahan. "We're pleased with how fast we're moving along the flank. We'll look to maintain a balanced attack, use formation and movement to create match-ups, and keep the defence guessing. We'll love to change the pace of the game and spread the ball around the field."

Here's a position-by-position look at the offence:

QUARTERBACKS
Losses: none
Returning starters: Adam Sinagra
Stepping up: Josiah Joseph
Stepping in: Matteo Spoletini, Matthew Wilson, Caleb Cutcliffe

At the most stable position on the field, the Dinos return starter and backup for their third season together. Sinagra owns the starter's position after his 2,447-yard, 18-touchdown performance in 2017 and comes into the season after interning with the Calgary Stampeders at the CFL team's training camp in May. Josiah Joseph runs the short-yardage unit and has performed well every time he's stepped on the field.

QUOTABLE: "It's the Adam Sinagra show, but Josiah proved he's as much of a gamer as we thought – his execution level in the exhibition game against Alberta was standout. Our young guys are eager and bring a different element to the game, and we'll foster their skill sets and get them primed to take over in two years." – Ryan Sheahan, offensive coordinator

RUNNING BACKS
Losses: Robert Stewart
Returning starters: Jeshrun Antwi, Quentin Chown
Stepping up: Alessandro Molnar 
Stepping in: Robinson Rodrigues, Adre Simmonds

Jeshrun Antwi returns after an injury-plagued 2017 season, and the Dinos also welcome a familiar face back into the fold in Quentin Chown, who sat out the 2017 season and came back for his fifth year. To that duo, the Dinos added Okanagan Sun product Robinson Rodrigues, with freshman Adre Simmonds out of Cole Harbour, N.S. also turning heads during training camp.

QUOTABLE: "We have a talented stable, with Quentin in his fifth year and Jeshrun in his fourth both looking like they're in top form. Robbie Rodrigues looks excellent, and Adre Simmonds shows a lot of promise. We envision them all contributing to carry the mail." – Ryan Sheahan, offensive coordinator

RECEIVERS
Losses: Michael Klukas, Richard Sindani, Brendon Thera-Plamondon
Returning starters: Hunter Karl, Dallas Boath, Justin Dasiuk
Stepping up: Alex Basilis
Stepping in: Tyson Philpot, Jalen Philpot, Nathanael Durkan, Brycen Mayoh

The Dinos went without Dallas Boath for all but Week 1 in 2017 after he was sidelined with an injury, and his return adds to an already-stacked receiving group that also includes 2017 all-star Hunter Karl as well as the Philpot twins out of Delta, B.C., Jalen and Tyson – both veterans of the U19 national team that won a world title earlier this summer. Brycen Mayoh was the CJFL offensive player of the year in 2017 with the Okanagan Sun. All told, the Dinos will have great speed at every receiver position, providing plenty of options for Sinagra.

QUOTABLE: "We return two all-star calibre guys in Hunter and Dallas, and we'll work by committee to replace the other guys. The Philpots have had outstanding training camps, as have Durkan and Mayoh – and I need to recognize the effort and execution level of returnee Alex Basilis, who has cracked the lineup." – Ryan Sheahan, offensive coordinator

OFFENSIVE LINE
Losses: Ryan Sceviour, Jordan Filippelli, Darius Ciraco, Curtis Krahn
Returning starters: Tyler Packer
Stepping up: Spencer Roy, Logan Bandy, Peter Nicastro, Tristan Rice
Stepping in: Nick Auvigne

Four of the Dinos' five starters from the 2017 season were CFL draft picks, with centre Darius Ciraco and guard Ryan Sceviour both going in the first round of the 2018 draft to Hamilton and Calgary, respectively. That leaves Tyler Packer, the recently-named Canada West rookie of the year from 2017, as the lone returnee among the starters. Spencer Roy will take over the centre position full-time after filling in due to injury a year ago, while second-year tackle Logan Bandy is the team's offensive captain.

QUOTABLE: "It's no secret that losing four seniors will have an impact, but this young group is very big and athletic, and they have something to prove. Our two tackles, Packer and Bandy, are leading that charge, and I've really been impressed with Nick Auvigne out of St. Francis in training camp." – Ryan Sheahan, offensive coordinator

SPECIAL TEAMS
Losses: Jackson Penner (LS)
Returning starters: Niko DiFonte (K/P)
Stepping up: Steven Finot, Brigham Wilson (LS)
Stepping in: Tyson Philpot, Justin Julien (KR/PR)

Niko DiFonte, he of 59-yard Hardy Cup-winning field goal fame, is back to handle kicking duties for the Dinos in his third season. The return game will have plenty of weapons to chose from with the likes of third-year Concordia transfer Justin Julien, Tyson Philpot, and the return of Dallas Boath complementing second-year defensive back Deane Leonard.