Seniors’ Day closes out conference play

The Dinos (6-1), who fell to No. 3 in this week’s CIS Top 10 after last week’s loss to Regina, clinched first place in Canada West despite the setback and will enjoy home field advantage throughout the conference postseason. And the Bisons, 37-31 winners over UBC last week, clinched a playoff spot with their 4-3 record – though they can finish no better than third. With Saskatchewan owning the tiebreaker over the Bisons, only a Manitoba win over Calgary coupled with a UBC upset of Saskatchewan Friday night would avoid a Dinos-Bisons semi-final playoff game. Any other combination, and these two teams will go at it again with everything on the line next Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.
For the Dinos, it’s a chance to regain some of the momentum they lost with the wake-up call at Mosaic Stadium last Friday night and head into the playoffs on the right foot – all while setting the tone for what will likely be a return engagement exactly a week later with everything on the line.
Calgary will bid farewell to eight fifth-year players before the game, recognizing them prior to the final regular season contest of their careers. On the defence, halfback Tye Noble, safety Wyatt Getty, linebacker Zach McNeill, and defensive linemen Byron Roberts and Josh Smyons make up the graduating seniors.

Offensively, the Dinos will lose linemen Reed Alexander and Quinn McCaughan along with receiver Richard Snyder following the season.
Saturday’s contest is also Minor Football Day, with all Calgary-area minor football players admitted free to the game if wearing their team jersey. Prior to the game, the Dinos will also recognize former head coach Peter Connellan, who will be inducted in to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame next weekend in Winnipeg.
The Dinos and Bisons met once earlier in the season, with Calgary taking a 33-12 victory back on Sept. 15 at University Stadium in Winnipeg. Here’s a look at the two teams:
No. 3 Calgary Dinos (6-1)

Last week: lost to Regina 12-9
Next week: host Saskatchewan/Manitoba (Canada West Semi-final)
Despite their 16-game regular season win streak coming to a close last week, the Dinos still have plenty to play for at home Saturday. Calgary has won its last 10 consecutive home games in conference play and, if you take into account the playoffs, the Dinos have lost just twice in their last 31 outings at McMahon Stadium dating back to midway through the 2008 season.
Though the game is meaningless from a standings perspective for the Dinos, it does provide them with an opportunity to finish the season strong and rebound from a disappointing 12-9 loss – their only setback of the season – last week in Regina. And there are some historical items at stake, too – the Dinos are in striking distance of several team single-season records.
Impressively, Calgary could set team records for both points for and fewest points against this season. Entering the game with 302 points on the season, the Dinos need just 15 more to equal 1995’s output of 317. And the defensive number is even more staggering – having given up just 63 points in seven games, the Dinos have a nine-point cushion over a record that has stood for more than 40 years: in 1970, Calgary gave up a total of 72 points.
The Dinos have pitched a defensive gem in 2012, leading Canada West in all categories and allowing less than 250 yards per game. And they’ve gone almost four full games without allowing an offensive touchdown – Billy Greene’s one-yard plunge at 2:40 of the first quarter against UBC on Sept. 22 was the last time the opposing offence found the end zone.
Calgary is also within striking distance of several other team records on Saturday, including touchdowns, first downs, completed passes, single-season completion percentage, converts, and sacks. A slightly higher mountain to climb will be the race to the total offence record – Calgary would need a more than 700-yard explosion to equal 2009’s record of 4,651 yards.
Regardless of the outcome, the Dinos are certain to host a playoff game for the fifth consecutive year. That game will kick off Saturday, Nov. 3 at 5 p.m. from McMahon Stadium, live on Shaw TV.
No. 10 Manitoba Bisons (4-3)

Last week: defeated UBC 37-31
Next week: at Calgary/Regina (Canada West semi-final)
The Bisons snapped a two-game losing skid last weekend with a tight 37-31 win over the UBC Thunderbirds, ensuring them of a postseason berth. The only question remaining is who they will play, with Regina and Calgary the options – and it’s most likely going to end up being the Dinos for the second week in a row next Saturday.
After opening the season with wins over UBC and Saskatchewan, the 33-12 loss to the Dinos in Week 3 opened a spell of three losses in four games for the Bisons. But last weekend against UBC, Manitoba racked up 282 rushing yards – 169 of those from Anthony Coombs – and scored four rushing touchdowns as they edged the Thunderbirds 37-31 in the final game at venerable University Stadium.
Coombs, who has played just five games this season, is the only player in the conference averaging more than 100 rushing yards per game. One of the contests he missed was the Calgary game, so a key factor to watch will be the performance of the Bison rushing game against the Dinos’ top-ranked run defence, which has averaged just 99 yards against on the season and given up just three TDs along the ground.
The Bisons’ offence has been efficient through most of the season, trailing only Calgary with 228 points scored. Coombs has been a major part of that, while first-year starter Cam Clark has thrown for a respectable 232.6 yards per game and 11 touchdowns on the season – again, trailing only the Dinos’ Eric Dzwilewski in TD tosses. Xavier Johnson, who had an 80-yard receiving major against the Dinos the last time these two teams hooked up, has been Manitoba’s go-to receiver, ranking 10th in the conference with just under 400 yards on the season.
Defensively, Teague Sherman, Ranji Atwall, and Thomas Hall lead a veteran Manitoba group – but one that has given up a conference-worst 540 yards per game to the opposition.