EDMONTON – Deane Leonard's 62-yard pick-six on the final play of the game sealed an ugly season-opening win for the fifth-ranked University of Calgary Dinos as they took a 41-31 win over the Alberta Golden Bears Friday night at Foote Field.
With the Bears on a last-gasp drive trailing by three, Leonard stepped in front of Brad Launhardt's throw and speeded down the sideline to the end zone, allowing the Dinos to emerge with the victory.
"There were only eight seconds left and I knew they'd have to get out of bounds at some point, so I was ready to break on that out," said Leonard, a first-team All-Canadian in 2018. "We're happy to get the win, we just need to clean it up now."
"We were just trying to stay settled and focused, and we played a coverage they hadn't seen all game," said Dinos Head Coach
Wayne Harris. "Deane made a great play – he's a great athlete, and you hope to get big plays at big times from big players."
The ending capped an ugly, penalty-filled contest where the two teams combined for 51 penalties totalling 395 yards while the Dinos offence went cold in the second half, scoring just four points.
"I think we had enough penalties for a whole season tonight, not just a game," Harris went on. "It was very sloppy, and we had some bench management issues. We have to do a better job of getting coaches and players on the same page, and that starts with me. We'll work on fixing a lot of those things for next week."
The Dinos used a significant second quarter to jump out to a 17-point lead at halftime. Calgary put up 21 points in the second frame with touchdowns by
Zach Newman,
Jalen Philpot, and
Adam Sinagra, adding to
Josiah Joseph's 1-yard TD plunge in the first quarter to lead 30-13 at the break.
The Bears came alive in the third quarter, holding possession for 10 minutes, but the Dinos were able to limit the damage to just eight points on a Tanner Buchanan touchdown. Alberta had the ball deep in Calgary territory as the fourth quarter opened, but the Dinos held them to a field goal try that the Bears failed to convert. Alberta got it right back, though, with Jayden Dalke picking off Sinagra and running it back for a 35-yard TD to bring the Bears within five.
Jonathan Giustini's 15-yard field goal made it a two-point game inside four minutes remaining to bring the Bears within two. A
Niko DiFonte missed field goal made it three points, and the Bears had one last chance before Leonard's game-ending heroics.
Sinagra finished 17-for-33 for 268 yards and a touchdown.
Jalen Philpot was his top target with five catches for 77 yards, while
Alex Basilis caught four passes for 75 yards.
Jeshrun Antwi carried the ball 17 times for 79 yards.
Leonard's interception was the third of the night for the Dinos, who also got picks from
Matthew Lucyshyn and
Charlie Moore. Leonard also picked up four tackles on the night, with Lucyshyn and
Joe Cant each recording five tackles.
Calgary (1-0) returns home to prepare for their Week 2 contest, their home opener against the Manitoba Bisons at KICKOFF XIV next Friday night at McMahon Stadium, while Alberta will visit Regina the same evening.
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