QUEBEC CITY – The University of Calgary Dinos dropped a 32-3 decision to the defending Vanier Cup champion Université Laval Rouge et Or Saturday afternoon – but they should be a whole lot better for it.
With nothing really on the line, the Dinos got a good chance to evaluate many players Saturday at Stade Telus, while the offence moved the ball effectively early on when returning Canada West MVP Eric Dzwilewski was at the controls.
Johnny Mark accounted for the only Calgary points of the day on a 26-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. He finished 1-for-3 on the day with misses from 46 and 33 yards.
Dzwilewski was effective in his only quarter of action, completing 9 of 10 passes for 135 and moving the ball well, despite the scoreless draw after the opening 15 minutes. Andrew Buckley took over from there and completed 6 of 13 passes for 92 yards and an interception, while Jimmy Underdahl was 0-for-5 with a pick.
Chris Dobko was the top target on the day for the Dinos with five catches for 59 yards, while Brett Blaszko picked up 69 yards on three receptions. Freshman Rashaun Simonise had three catches for 28 yards. On the ground, Mercer Timmis carried the ball eight times for 45 yards while Underdahl picked up 42 yards on four carries. Fellow pivot Dzwilewski also had four carries for 31 yards as the Dinos quarterbacks used their legs effectively.
The Rouge et Or out-gained the Dinos by a 423-302 margin, but the first string Calgary offence had a strong edge in the first quarter, 135-36. Laval got touchdowns from Félix Faubert-Lussier and Julian Bailey – both passes from Tristan Grenon – as well as on a 58-yard romp by Guillaume Bourassa early in the fourth quarter.
On defence, sophomore lineman Zach Jenkins picked up 4.5 tackles, two of which were sacks, to lead the Dinos while Doctor Cassama added three tackles as well.
The weekend trip to Quebec City included an intersquad practice with the Rouge et Or on Friday afternoon as the Dinos wrapped up their 2013 training camp, presented by Perpetual Energy Inc. The team returns to Calgary Sunday.
The Dinos begin the defence of their five consecutive Canada West championships next Saturday when they face the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver to open Canada West play in 2013. Kickoff goes at 3 p.m. MT at Thunderbird Stadium, live on CanadaWest.tv.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
No scoring.
2nd Quarter
LAV – Félix Faubert-Lussier 14-yard TD pass from Tristan Grenon (Boris Bede convert), 4:06, 7-0 LAV
LAV – Boris Bede 38-yard FG, 12:23, 10-0 LAV
LAV – Boris Bede 26-yard FG, 14:37, 13-0 LAV
3rd Quarter
LAV – Julian Bailey 25-yard TD pass from Tristan Grenon (Boris Bede convert), 2:56, 20-0 LAV
CGY – Johnny Mark 26-yard FG, 5:34, 20-3 LAV
LAV – Boris Bede 27-yard FG, 11:11, 23-3 LAV
LAV – Team Safety, 14:19, 25-3 LAV
4th Quarter
LAV – Guillaume Bourassa 58-yard TD run (Boris Bede convert), 0:22, 32-3 LAV
Photo credit: David Moll
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