Anton Amundrud, Daniel Wiebe, and the Saskatchewan Huskies brought their win streak to a count of four as they defeated the youth-powered Calgary Dinos by a score of 45-22 on Saturday.
Heading into the game, with veteran running back Mattheiu Clarke out for the remainder of the season, and rising star Eri Olarubofin out with an injury as well, the Dinos needed to retool and adjust to respond to their nationally ranked opponents.
The Dinos had their hands full as the Huskies' experienced defence would be a direct challenge to the Dinos' strong ground game. Having kept Regina to under 100 yards, the Huskies would do the same against the Dinos.
A strong start from the Dinos and a quick response from the Huskies
The Dinos got off to an uncharacteristically strong start. Known more as a second-half team, head coach Ryan Sheahan had emphasized willing the young Dinos to focus on playing a 60-minute game.
"[The Huskies are] very good," said Dinos' head coach Ryan Sheahan postgame. "They've got a senior quarterback, a senior running back, and a big front. And we knew we were going to be in tight. What we hoped to do was match them toe-to-toe."
Glimmers of that shone through as the opening kickoff into the end zone — yet again — by Vince Triumbari gave the Dinos a quick point to start. On the following drive by the Huskies, Darius Redhead sacked Amundrud. The fumble by Amundrud would be recovered by Everett Schmuland, giving Calgary possession.
With Calgary's first possession of the game, the quarterback tandem of David Jordan and Jet Zakrzewski would need to move the ball just 30 yards to put Calgary up 8-0 against the #5 Huskies.
"It didn't start the way we wanted," said Huskies head coach Scott Flory. "We were a little shaky there in the first five minutes. I thought we had to get our feet underneath us a little bit. And credit to Calgary — they came out and made some plays early there."
Calgary's defence would stand strong throughout the first quarter, but a combination of penalties and an equally tough Huskies' defence would keep the Dinos from building their lead.
The Dinos' greatest opportunity came when Amundrud was sacked for the second time, this time by true first-year defensive lineman Ben Haden. But once again, the Dinos' run game would be stopped in its tracks by the Huskies.
The Huskies would not go scoreless in the first, as a 58-yard pass from Amundrud to Thomas Jule would give them their first major of the game to cut the Dinos' lead to just one heading into the second quarter.
The Dinos' struggles to progress the ball would continue into the second quarter as their first drive of the quarter would end in a missed 47-yard field goal by Triumbari.
"At the beginning, it looked like it was going to go [our] way," said Sheahan, "But hitting the stall button against really good teams usually ends in costing you in the end — we were the victims of our own errors."
A long 90-yard drive by the Huskies that saw veteran Daniel Wiebe score his first of three touchdowns from a 37-yard pass from Amundrud would give the Huskies the lead at 14-8.
Saskatchewan kept Calgary's possessions quick this quarter, and they capitalized on almost every possession as Amundrud would find Wiebe again for the second time for an 18-yard pass for another touchdown to widen the gap to 21-8.
Calgary wasn't completely blanked this quarter either. Their following drive ended with an on-form 39-yard field goal by Triumbari to notch three points on the board for the Dinos.
However, the floodgates had already opened for the Huskies at this point. They ended the quarter with a 43-yard field goal from Lukas Scott to give them a 13-point advantage at halftime.
"They were going to find a way to drive it home, and they did," said Sheahan. "That's really the chess match — we played right into their hands. We had a chance to make a few plays, but it's really difficult to run against Saskatchewan."
Second-half comeback? Maybe not this time
As we've seen throughout this season and beyond, the Dinos are capable of making comebacks in the second half with renewed energy. But we wouldn't see that same team this afternoon.
Calgary opened the half with a drive that ended in a 41-yard field goal from Triumbari. This would serve as the only points assigned this quarter, giving Calgary some sense of optimism. However, this veteran Huskies program wouldn't let this young Dinos squad off easy.
The fourth quarter saw Zakrewski take on the reins at quarterback as Jordan took the backseat for the first time this year. The first drive of this quarter saw the Dinos progress 53 yards, but it wasn't enough to secure a touchdown.
Saskatchewan's opening drive would end with a third touchdown by Daniel Wiebe, giving him the hat-trick as Calgary struggled to defend the receiver who spent the summer at camp with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Huskies would pour on the Dinos, going on a 21-0 run throughout the quarter, including a 39-yard touchdown by Dawson Lennea and a 31-yard rush by Kayden Miller to bring the score to 45-14.
The late Dinos surge came in the final minutes of the game, but it would be too little too late. Zion Grant's 13-yard touchdown from Zakrewski closed the Huskies' lead to 45-22, but that would be the final score of the game.
So what happened?
As coach Sheahan said, this was the first game of the season that felt as though it wasn't in their control.
"Our guys didn't quit, and we need to grow from this," he said. "We scrapped overtime against the defending conference champions. Last week's loss against UBC hurt, but we all knew that we had chances to win it. But this one hurt — we got beat."
The key here appeared to be a battle of adjustments — the chess game. Calgary came out strong, putting Saskatchewan on their heels right at the opening kickoff, but once the coach Jory and the Huskies pivoted, the Dinos had their backs against the wall and were playing catch-up the moment they lost the lead.
"I'm really proud of our guys," said Flory. "They didn't waver, they didn't panic, and we just rolled from there."
Next Up
Both teams travel east to Saskatchewan.
The Dinos head back on the road as they visit the Regina Rams for their home opener grudge match on Oct. 4 with a 2 p.m. local kickoff.
The 4-1 Rams are coming off their victory over the Manitoba Bisons and are looking to defend the top of the CanWest standings.
The Huskies return home to welcome the Alberta Golden Bears. The Golden Bears are fresh off an emotional win against the UBC Thunderbirds that saw some postgame dramatics.
Saskatchewan will work to simmer down the Bears for their fifth win in a row. Kickoff in Saskatoon is set for 7 p.m. local time.