By Sarah Stall
In the last regular season game at McMahon Stadium, the University of Calgary Dinos muzzled the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 35-14. It seems no one can stop the Dinos; they are unbeaten in their last four games, wins that propelled them into the playoffs in a favourable position.
Head Coach Tony Fasano had many things to say about the game, namely about the strong offence and solid defence executed this week as well as in the last four games.
"The defence played their most complete game of the season so far," Fasano remarked. "They were effective against the run and the pass."
The Dinos had an amazing first half, dominating the Huskies for a 21-point lead, shutting out all offensive mechanisms and putting the Saskatchewan defence to shame. The closest the Huskies ever came was 28-7 in the third quarter. Calgary continued to surge ahead, putting points on the board and keeping the drained Huskies at their fingertips. Calgary was successful in all their converts and outnumbered the Huskies in offensive yardage and quarterback sacks.
Linebacker David Swaggar put on a tackling clinic for the weak Husky offence, with 10 unassisted tackles for the Calgary defence. Brock Balog also added to the momentum gained by adding a punt block for the Dinos.
"The sign of a good football team is to score when they have to," said Fasano. "We scored when we needed to and that’s how we won the game."
With many experienced Dinos showing leadership, the team is set for a great playoff run. They hope to go all the way to the CIAU championship.
"We started out with goals this year, and we met one of them last week by making the playoffs," said Coach Fasano. "We’ll find out this weekend if we are hosting the playoffs, our second goal."
The Dinos play a pivotal final game this weekend in British Columbia, the results of which will decide where teams will rank for the playoffs. Calgary is in a close race for the top of the Canada West standings, only one point below Manitoba–ironically, a team the Dinos defeated 34-31, the last time they met. Virtually no one can catch Calgary for second place, as they are four points ahead of their closest competitor, the UBC Thunderbirds.
The Dinos hope to make this game the sixth consecutive contest they’ve won, and the third loss in a row for UBC. After their loss, the Huskies limp home to take on the Manitoba Bisons in a game that will decide the top spot in the Canada West conference.