CALGARY – One win away from the Vanier Cup, the University of Calgary Dinos welcome the Ontario champion McMaster University Marauders to McMahon Stadium for the U SPORTS Mitchell Bowl.

The national semifinal kicks off just after 1 p.m. MT Saturday, with live coast-to-coast coverage on CHCH, SaskTel, TELUS, Bell MTS, TVA Sports 2 (French), and streaming on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, and the CBC Sports app. Tickets are available at the east ticket office of McMahon Stadium, with doors opening one hour prior to kickoff.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

The Marauders booked their ticket to Calgary with their 29-15 upset of top-ranked Western in last week's Yates Cup and make their first appearance in the national semifinals since 2014, while the Dinos return to the national stage after a one-year absence after a sterling defensive performance in last week's Hardy Cup, a 29-4 win over Saskatchewan.

On paper, the teams are evenly matched: both with 6-2 regular season records, solid pass defences, and similar passing offences. With great weather forecast for mid-November in Calgary, the fast track at McMahon could get a workout as two of the top three passing teams in Canada go to work. The winner, of course, advances to next week's Vanier Cup at TELUS-UL Stadium in Quebec City, where they will face the winner of Saturday's Uteck Bowl between Acadia and Montreal in Wolfville, N.S.

HEADLINES

• Just the second meeting in history between Calgary and McMaster, both coming in the Mitchell Bowl. The only previous tilt was in 2012 in Hamilton, a 45-6 win for the Marauders.
• The Dinos are 5-2 at home all-time in Bowl games, while the Marauders are 2-1 on the road.
• Since Queen's beat Manitoba 29-6 in 1968, Canada West teams are riding a 13-game win streak against Ontario-based schools in national semifinals at home. Calgary has been involved in three of those: 2013 (44-3 over Western), 1995 (37-7 over Ottawa), and 1985 (56-14 over Carleton)
• Coaches Wayne Harris and Stefan Ptaszek haven't faced off as head coaches, but they have faced off three times previously. Harris was Calgary's defensive coordinator in 2012 in the Mitchell Bowl with Ptaszek as McMaster's head coach, while Ptaszek spent the 2018 season as offensive coordinator at UBC, with the Dinos picking up 57-7 (home) and 32-28 (away) wins.

No. 7 CALGARY DINOS (8-2)
Last week: defeated Saskatchewan 29-4

• The Dinos captured their 18th Hardy Cup title last week thanks to an incredible defensive performance, holding the top run offence in the nation to just 132 yards in a 29-4 win over Saskatchewan, picking up a little revenge from their 2018 home loss to the Huskies
• Josiah Joseph came on in relief of Adam Sinagra in the second half, passing 9-for-10 for 98 yards in the win. Joseph added two rushing TDs on the day. 
• The defensive effort was led by linebacker Grant McDonald, who picked up nine tackles and a sack, while Deane Leonard added 5.5 tackles on the day
• Wayne Harris: It has been a long time since we played McMaster, and they're a very different team. It will be a hard-fought battle – they have a very good defence, have held their opponent south of the end zone, and created field position for their offence. Their quarterback has played well, and they have balanced attack in terms of run versus pass. That's something that we're going to have to take care of to get a favourable outcome."

No. 3 McMASTER MARAUDERS (8-2)
Last week: defeated Western 29-15

• Third-year QB Andreas Dueck threw for 2,431 yards this season, the second-best total in the country, with Tommy Nield his favourite target (38 catches, 498 yards, 3 TDs)
• Linebacker Nate Edwards led McMaster with 45 tackles on the year, adding a pair of sacks in the Yates Cup, while DB Noah Hallett's four interceptions was third-best in Canada
• Ptaszek rejoined the Marauders in 2019 after leading them from 2006-15, including three Vanier Cup appearances in four years from 2011-14 and the 2011 national championship.
• Stefan Ptaszek: "Calgary is pretty talented on offence, and their playmakers are crazy good. Sinagra's got a handful of receivers who can all make the big play. It's a balanced attack. That big offensive line can carve holes, and they can run the ball as well as they can throw it. Their halfback play is spectacular and might be the best we've seen all year. Every level of the defence has solid, good kids on it. The defensive line, linebackers and secondary are all good. We'll have to be who we are. We'll play Marauder Football and let the chips fall where they may."

-UC-