Old rivals meet in nation’s only Top 10 tilt

CALGARY – Football games between Calgary and Saskatchewan are usually circled on the calendar when the schedule comes out every spring – and Friday night’s contest at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon has all the makings to be the game of the week in CIS football.

It’s the only battle between Top 10 teams on the national schedule this week as No. 2 Calgary once again puts its 5-0, undefeated record on the line against the No. 7 Saskatchewan Huskies (3-2). Kickoff goes at 7 p.m. Friday night.

It’s the second meeting in three games between the Dinos and Huskies, with Calgary dominating in a 38-24 win at McMahon Stadium – the Dinos’ first home win over the Huskies in more than a decade. This week, they hope to find the same winning formula that propelled them to their last conference victory in Saskatoon back in 2007. And, of course, who could forget the instant classic that was the 2009 Hardy Cup, a 39-38 Dinos win?

Outside those two games, however, victories for Calgary at Griffiths Stadium have been few and far between in the last decade. With the larger roster working this time in Saskatchewan’s favour, the Dinos will need to be on top of their game to enjoy a lengthy overnight bus ride home with a 6-0 record in tow.

The Dinos last swept a two-game season series with the Huskies back in 2000. Here’s a look at the two teams:

No. 2 Calgary Dinos (5-0)

Last week: defeated Alberta 61-7

Next week: host Manitoba

The Dinos have already pulled off a program first in 2011, clinching a playoff spot and ensuring they will participate in postseason play for the fifth consecutive season. A win over the Huskies would guarantee at least second place in Canada West, and would make the Dinos’ magic number one – any combination of one Calgary win and/or one UBC loss would clinch first place for Calgary for the first time since 1995 and home field advantage all the way through the CIS Mitchell Bowl.

But first things first, the Dinos will look to continue their winning, offensive ways that have given them an extraordinary +127 mark in the points for/against column. Before the bye week, Calgary defeated Alberta 61-7, and the Dinos’ average margin of victory over the past three games is better than 39 points.

Calgary sits atop the leaderboard in virtually every team category, with the glaring exception of passing offence. The Dinos have the third-best passing attack in the conference with just over 230 yards per game – but that number helps exemplify just how good the Dinos’ run game has been. The three-headed backfield tandem of Matt Walter, Steven Lumbala, and Anthony Woodson have combined to average more than 275 yards per game along the ground, racking up 1,376 yards in the first five games of the year. No other team has broken the 1,000-yard mark yet – Regina has come closest at 949 yards.

It’s no surprise, then, that all three Calgary backs are in the top 10 in rushing in the conference. Lumbala sits second with 616 yards, followed by Walter’s 316 and Woodson’s 250. Walter passed Elio Geremia to become the Dinos’ all-time leading rusher during the whitewash of Alberta on Oct. 2 and is shooting to become just the ninth player in CIS history to rush for 4,000 yards. He enters the final three games of his career with 3,788.

Lost in the major offensive numbers put up by the Dinos has been an impressive defensive performance that has allowed just 88 points through five games. Calgary has given up just 10 touchdowns and five field goals so far this season, and opposing teams have averaged just over 307 yards against – again, the best in Canada West by 50 yards.

The reigning Canada West defensive MVP, linebacker Sam Hurl, is a big key to that defensive effort, recording 31.5 tackles on the season. A defensive line led by third-year standout Linden Gaydosh has made the Dinos the best run defence in the conference and has sacked opposing quarterbacks 13 times. Gaydosh himself had four sacks the last time the Dinos and Huskies played back on Oct. 23.

Calgary returns home next week for a Seniors’ Day tilt against the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday, Oct. 22, with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. at McMahon Stadium. The Dinos close the season one week later when they visit the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver.

No. 7 Saskatchewan Huskies (3-2)

Last week: defeated UBC 36-33

Next week: at Regina

The quarterback carousel at Saskatchewan has continued throughout the season, with both Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren and Trent Peterson getting starts but neither getting through an entire game to this point. Gilbert-Knorren started the last game against the Dinos, only to be replaced by Peterson for the second half, while Peterson started against UBC a week later only to give way to Gilbert-Knorren at half time. The two quarterbacks present very different looks to opposing defences, with Gilbert-Knorren well-known for his scrambling ability.

The Huskies were banged up significantly the last time they faced the Dinos, and the additions of running back Ben Coakwell and linebacker Peter Thiel will certainly help their cause. Coakwell racked up 205 yards on 20 carries against UBC in a 36-33 Huskies win before the bye week. Rory Kolhert also had a big night against the Thunderbirds and is the lone Huskie inside the top 10 in receptions, averaging just over 56 yards per game.

Thiel is averaging 5.5 tackles per game when he’s in the lineup. Fifth-year linebacker Tony Michalchuk sits just ahead of Calgary’s Hurl on the conference tackles leaderboard with 35.5. Saskatchewan has given up just 654 yards along the ground this season – but 285 of those (44 percent) came in the one game against Calgary.

The Huskies find themselves in a four-way race for three playoff spots as the middle of the pack in Canada West remains bunched up. They enter the weekend tied with UBC for second place at 3-2, but stare at their final two games of the season on the road – where they’re 0-2 so far this year. Regina and Manitoba are just one game back at 2-3 in a season that could very well come down to the final weekend to decide playoff positioning. Only the undefeated Dinos are guaranteed a spot in the postseason.

Saskatchewan closes the 2011 regular season with back-to-back road trips, beginning next Saturday night in Regina and wrapping up in Edmonton Oct. 29 against the Alberta Golden Bears.

Ben Matchett