By Brad Day
The University of Calgary Dinos did the unthinkable, capping off their season with a second straight victory Sat., Oct. 28, and laying a thorough ass-whomping on the Simon Fraser University Clan 39-7. The win brings the Dinos to an almost respectable 2-6 on the year, with hope for bigger and brighter things in the future.
Leading the offensive charge for the Dinos was freshman runningback Anthony Woodson, who had 17 carries for 143 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Woodson also scored two receiving touchdowns on the day. Not to be outdone, freshman quarterback Dalin Tollestrup set another school record, this time for most completions in a game, completing 32 of 50 passes for 462 yards in the air. The 462 yards passing is the third highest in a single game in Dinos’ history.
“It’s good to see [Tollestrup] and Woodson doing the things they are capable of,” said an impressed offensive coordinator Greg Vavra. “They are going to be outstanding players in the future.”
Jim Lillico, who ended the game with a team high 153 yards receiving, opened up the scoring for the Dinos on a 13-yard touchdown reception, just 5:47 into the game. Tollestrup carried the momentum from last week’s late comeback win over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and completed four of four passes for 82 yards on the opening drive.
At 13:21 Woodson punched in his first of two rushing touchdowns–his fifth of the year–on a one yard carry, creating a 14-point spread for the Dinos at the end of the first quarter.
SFU made things interesting early in the second, scoring on a 25-yard touchdown reception by receiver Chris Passaglia just over a minute in. The Clan then attempted an onside kick, but linebacker Loukas Stavropoulos wouldn’t have it, and fell on top of the bouncing ball, giving the Dinos posession and decent field position.
At 9:02 Woodson scored the first of his two receiving touchdowns of the day. He was set up by Lillico, who found a hole in the secondary early in the drive and took off for a 38-yard reception.
Aaron Ifield kicked a 32-yard field goal with no time remaining in the half, making the score 25-7. Tollestrup had a huge first half, completing 15 of 24 passes for a secondary-shredding 309 yards.
Woodson rushed in his second touchdown of the day at 11:42 of the third quarter. His second receiving touchdown of the day came with 54 seconds remaining in the game, on a seven-yard catch.
With the win the Dinos proved to the fans and themselves they can win football games. They head into next year with a ton of potential and exceptional skill at key offensive positions.
“It’s good for the program to get a couple of late wins,” said Vavra. “It’s great for recruiting and it’s good to get the mentality of winning games, something that has been missing as of late.”