Astounding upset

By Bo Rhodes

They told you you weren’t good enough. They told you that you would fail. You didn’t listen, though. Instead, you left your home to go face an enemy everyone thought would destroy you. This would be your last chance to prove yourself. To show those who doubted you that you were so much stronger than you were six weeks ago, you went into the nether regions of Saskatchewan and came back victorious. That’s right, the University of Calgary Dinos met the defending Vanier Cup champion Huskies and won. A team that has been plagued with injuries and the inability to make big plays, soundly defeated the University of Saskatchewan last weekend.

With a playoff spot on the line, the Dinos came roaring on to the field. Alan Giacalone scored a touchdown to give the team an early lead and the motivation they needed to dominate. The number-one ranked Huskies finally got on the board at 12:20 of the second quarter with a single by kicker Jamie Boreham. A missed field. goal gave the Huskies two additional points as the first half came to a close. Dinos 10, Huskies 3.

Second half action was intense as Husky defensive lineman Brent Dancey intercepted a pass by Lincoln Blumell and ran the ball 46 yards for a touchdown. A two point convert saw the Huskies take the lead at 1:12 of the third quarter. Fourth-year defensive back Jeff Lewis had a touchdown of his own late in the third quarter when he intercepted a Husky pass. Lewis ran the ball back 65 yards and pushed the Dinos into winning territory. "The turning point of the game was when we got the pick," said coach Tony Fasano. A field. goal by Jimmy Hartley sealed the Huskies fate as the game ended, Dinos 23, Huskies 18.

The solid play by the Dino defence helped the team maintain the lead.

"They had their best game of the year," said Fasano. "We had a big effort from the fifth-year guys. Gene[Loria], [Brian] Shewchuk and those guys did a good job. Phil Schnell did a good job and Jeff Lewis had a great game and that kept us in the game and we put enough points up to win and that’s why we won."

The Dinos did suffer a major loss though when Giacalone broke his fibula late in the game. With Dean Fisher already out with a, rookie 19-year-old rookie Scott Wenz saw his first action this year. He ended up rushing for 130 yards on 15 carries.

"Scott did really well for a guy who hasn’t touched the ball in two years in a game situation," said Pasano. "I felt he did a tremendous job."

Postseason play commences on Saturday in Vancouver when the Dinos will face the seemingly unstoppable University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. The same T-Birds who beat the pants off the Dinos 43-9.

"We know we’re playing a good football team. There’s no question about it. I think the bottom line is that we’re a better team than the last time we played them. We had a lot of guys out at that time and I just feel that we are better than what we were a month ago. We have to keep it as close as we can. Hopefully we’ll find a way."

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