An electric crowd of over 5,300 packed McMahon Stadium for the Dinos’ home opener, a back-to-school tradition that introduces new students to Dinos athletics.
Calgary showed fight until the final whistle, but costly mistakes left them short in a 43-36 overtime loss to the Regina Rams on Friday night.
The matchup carried all the storylines: Regina arrived in Calgary as the defending Hardy Cup champions, while the Dinos entered the season in rebuild mode, boasting the largest recruiting class in the conference with over 50 freshmen on the roster.
But if the Rams proved anything last fall, it’s that Canada West is never straightforward. After sneaking into the playoffs with a 3-5 record, they caught fire in November, knocking off top-seeded Manitoba and Saskatchewan in a Cinderella run to the Hardy Cup.
Both coaches pointed to that same unforgiving level of competition after the game.
"In this conference, the competition is so good that you have to try and eliminate errors around every turn," said Dinos' head coach Ryan Sheahan.
"It's a tough conference to play in and you have to play a full 60 minutes," concurred Rams' head coach Mark McConkey.
"Every team's well-coached, every team has good players — it's a battle of a conference."
For Rams running back Marshall Erichsen, last year’s title run is already old news.
"Last season is last season — this is a new year and we're the 2025 Rams, so we want to create our own story."
Erichsen is forging his way through the Rams' history books, as with 114 rushing yards tonight, he joins just five other Rams to surpass 1000 rushing yards in the program's history.
Quarterback Noah Pelletier added another milestone for the Rams, throwing for 358 yards to move into fifth all-time in program passing with 4,085 yards.
"That's not something I think about too much," Pelletier said postgame.
"It's a team game at the end of the day, so I'm just feeding the playmakers and they're doing so much for me — I can't take too much credit, the whole O-line's doing a great job, keeping me up and letting me throw the ball around."
Still, the Dinos refused to roll over.
The first quarter opened with Calgary striking first, as rookie quarterback David Jordan connected on quick completions to Matt Sibley and Matthieu Clarke, before Clarke punched in Calgary’s first touchdown of the season.
A field goal from kicker Vince Triumbari gave the Dinos the early lead.
That advantage was short-lived. Two strong Regina drives, sandwiched around a stalled Calgary possession at their own 30-yard line, gave the Rams momentum heading into the second frame.
While Calgary’s defence ranked among the best in the nation last season, the departures of Nate Beauchemin and Ethan Ball to the CFL created gaps in the lineup.
University of Calgary fans came out in droves to see the new-look Dinos, led by rookie quarterback David Jordan, who finished 23-of-38 with three touchdowns in his U SPORTS debut. Photo: Mia Gilje/The Gauntlet
With the defence struggling to contain Regina, the Rams extended their lead to 24–10 at halftime. “Critical errors here or there caused us to stay on the field a little too long on defence,” said Sheahan.
But true to Calgary’s reputation, they did not back down and returned to the field with renewed energy. Several penalties against Regina helped shift the tide.
“It’s football — there’s always a human element,” McConkey said. “We’ve got to clean up the ones that we did take.”
Clarke again sparked the third-quarter offense with 36 rushing yards on two attempts before Jordan looked to rookie receiver Zion Grant.
After a defensive stop, Jordan found Sibley for a 10-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 24–17.
Regina responded quickly, as second-year receiver Nicholas Sirleaf broke free for a 55-yard touchdown from Pelletier to extend the lead to 33–20 after an earlier safety.
With a comfortable cushion, the Rams looked poised to close it out — but Calgary’s trademark fourth-quarter surge wasn’t done.
A kick out of bounds gave the Dinos strong field position at their own 40, and Jordan capitalized by finding receiver Austin Sladek for a touchdown.
A successful two-point conversion, followed by a booming 85-yard rouge from Triumbari tied the game and sent McMahon into a frenzy as the teams headed to overtime.
That’s where the Rams pulled away. Erichsen’s six-yard run set up a field goal from Ty Gorniak to give Regina the 43–36 edge, and the Dinos couldn’t answer in their overtime possession.
Despite the loss, Sheahan remains optimistic about the program’s trajectory. “The future’s bright here. We had two freshman quarterbacks in the game.
We had freshman receivers all over the place and on special teams. The next four or five years are going to be intense — they’re going to be fun.”
Up Next
The Rams will return to Leibel Field for their home opener against the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday, at 7 p.m. CST.
Meanwhile, the Dinos remain at home next week as they welcome the Manitoba Bisons to McMahon Stadium on Friday, at 7 p.m. MDT.