By Jon Roe
Talent: This year’s Dinos football team, like last year, was young, but there was no shortage of talent, unpolished as it may be have been. Runningback Anthony Woodson, who had a great rookie year that was perhaps overshadowed due to quarterback Dalin Tollestrup’s outstanding ’06 season, was superb in his sophomore run, picking up a Canada West rushing title with 1181 yards and six touchdowns–nearly 500 yards ahead of the second-place ‘back, Matt Walter, a rookie Dino. The rushing accomplishments of the Dinos’ backs were helped largely by the strong offensive line in front of them, led by third-year wrestler/left-tackle Mark DeWit.
Effort: Though the team started a dismal 1-4, effort was only questionable in one loss during that early run: a 17-9 defeat at home to the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Bears finished 2-6 on the year, with the other win coming against the lowly Simon Fraser Clan, who finished 0-8. In that game, the Dinos lost four fumbles, threw three interceptions and did not seem sufficiently interested in playing a home game against cross-province rivals.
Coaching: Head coach Blake Nill, in his second season with the team, found a way to push this team to the playoffs after losing star quarterback Tollestrup to a church mission, potential starter QB Casey Brown to a knee injury in the preseason and Jordan Flagel to a thumb injury during the regular season. Nill has the credentials–four Vanier Cup appearances, two Vanier wins, four coach of the year nominations and one coach of the year win–and the will to make the Dinos a championship-winning program. With the young talent he has stocked through meticulous recruiting, it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Achievement: The Dinos, after four straight losses, took down the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon on a last-second 51-yard field goal, starting them on a three-game win streak that propelled them to the playoffs. Needing a win in the final game of the season to make the playoffs, the Dinos came back from a 20-3 deficit to beat the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, putting them in the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Grade: Albertosaurus
Fun facts: Much smaller than the tyrannosaurids, albertasauruses probably had pack-like behaviour, although they may have killed and eaten each other while attacking prey.