Under the Friday night lights of McMahon Stadium, the Calgary Dinos showed that youth can deliver under pressure.
With a roster packed full of underclassmen, the Dinos pulled off a gritty 15–14 win over the veteran Manitoba Bisons, giving head coach Ryan Sheahan his first home victory — and the team’s first at McMahon since October 2023.
Defensive Chess Match from Kickoff
It was a chess game from the start as Manitoba struck first early in the opening frame with a completion to Vaughan Lloyd with a 6-yard pass from Jackson Tachinski. A 1-point convert from Maya Turner put Manitoba up 7-0 — that score held for the next quarter and a half.
Drives from both sides of the field were quieted by the opposing defensive lines until the third quarter, where Vince Triumbari broke the shutout at kickoff to put the Dinos on the board with a 73-yard rouge.
But Calgary managed to stay within striking distance, setting up Triumbari for a 32-yard field goal, cutting Manitoba's lead down to three.
Third Quarter Resurgence
With less than six minutes on the board, Manitoba found themselves at their own 11-yard line following a punt return of just one yard from Shakur Harris.
A shoelace sack on Tachinski from Dinos' defensive tackle Darius Redhead set the Bisons back further, forcing them to take a safety, giving Dinos two points to cut the lead to just one point.
The tide finally shifted the final minutes of the third quarter with the Dinos completing their drive with a seven-yard run by Jet Zakrewski to put the Dinos up.
"[Jet] brings something different to the game," said Dinos head coach Ryan Sheahan on Zakrewski's value to the team.
"When he doesn't see something, he's like a running back, and he ran for a couple of key first downs and scored our first major for us tonight."
And it appears the quarterback picture is slowly clearing up for the Dinos as Sheahan added, "They [David Jordan and Zakrewski] bring something different to the game... I'm proud to play both of them."
Young Energy Rising Up
While Manitoba leaned on their veteran experience to control tempo, Calgary’s young playmakers kept finding ways to answer.
First-year running back Eri Olarubofin stepped in when veteran Matthieu Clarke left the game with an injury, going on to lead the ground game with 56 rushing yards, refusing to shy away from tough runs against a seasoned Bisons defensive line.
"When you lose your senior running back in the middle of a contest, it can suck the air right out of the game," Sheahan commented on Olarubofin, fresh out of Calgary's Lord Beaverbrook High School. "Eri answered the call."
On the outside, fellow first-year Zion Grant hauled in three receptions for 35 yards, giving Jordan reliable options to open up space on long drives.
"Hopefully we can build off of this," Grant said postgame. "We had a good training camp and we have a good connection going."
A Flair for the Final-Minute Dramatics
Manitoba responded in the fourth quarter, Robert Lasebnik punted his own 50-yard rouge to get the Bisons within striking distance but the chess game continued as both offences struggled to push and drive for points.
Last week’s CanWest Special Teams Player of the Week Triumbari returned in the 10th minute of the fourth for an easy 13-yard field goal to widen the gap to 15-8.
With the prospect of going 0-2 to start the season on the horizon, the Bisons refused to go quietly. The veteran squad pieced together three determined drives in the final quarter, pushing the Dinos defence to its limit.
Their resilience and experience paid off when fifth-year running back Breydon Stubbs powered through for a 5-yard touchdown with just seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to a single point.
The stadium held its breath as Manitoba huddled up for the conversion. With the score at 15–14, the Bisons faced a defining choice: settle for the routine one-point kick to force overtime, or gamble on a two-point attempt for the win.
Head coach Stan Pierre kept his offence on the field. The play call was in, the crowd buzzing with anticipation. Tachinski dropped back, scanning for his receiver at the goal line — but the pass to Braeden Smith fell incomplete as he lost control of the ball.
The call on the field was controversial as it appeared to cross the plane of the goal line, reminiscent of a similar call made last season that was a detriment to the Dinos.
Regardless, the gamble had failed, and with it, the Bisons’ last chance to wrestle the win from the home team, as their onside kick attempt failed.
"It was a hard fought game and we just came a up a little short," said Bisons head coach Stan Pierre. "It took us a long time to adjust."
In the final minutes, the difference between the two teams was stark. Loaded with veterans, highlighted by Stubbs and Tachinski, Manitoba put together one last push, but it was Calgary’s defence that stood tall when it mattered most.
When the final whistle blew, it wasn’t the Bisons’ experience that prevailed — it was the resilience of a young Dinos squad learning how to win on the biggest stage, building confidence with every team they challenge and prove wrong.
"With such a young team, we have a bright future ahead," Olarubofin said. "Everybody has four or five years ahead, we share similar goals and it makes our team closer."
For Sheahan, Friday’s win wasn’t just about ending a drought at McMahon but also proof that the program’s future is starting to take shape.
Up Next
The Bisons now return home to Princess Auto Stadium for their long-awaited home opener on Sept. 13. They play host to the Saskatchewan Huskies who dominated the UBC Thunderbirds 51-14.
While the homecoming is welcome, head coach Stan Pierre reiterated they need to put together a product worthy of showing to their home crowd.
"The bottom line is we need to concentrate on playing better football and whether we're home or away, it doesn't really matter," Pierre commented. "We need to be more productive on both sides of the ball so that's what we're going to focus on."
The Dinos now hit the road, making their way north to visit their provincial rivals, Alberta Golden Bears who are coming off a 23-47 loss to the Regina Rams.
The Golden Bears had their own struggles last season. The Friday night matchup at Foote Field in Edmonton will be a battle of the underdogs of sorts as Calgary looks to build on this win while Alberta continues to hunt for that first win of the season.