Dinos offence leaning on rookie QBs
When a knee injury forced Calgary Dinos quarterback Jimmy Underdahl out of last weekend’s game against the Manitoba Bisons, it could have totally demoralized the team.
Losing the young man who’s been at the centre of the first place Dinos offence all season was a blow, no question, but when Underdahl’s teammates spoke this week, they didn’t sound like a team that’s giving up on the season.
If anything, the Dinos sounded like a team that was rallying around its fallen QB, but was eager to see what first-year backups Josiah Joseph and Adam Sinagra can do in his absence.
“Our guys have been very positive, they’re very supportive,” Dinos head coach Wayne Harris said. “Adam and Josiah have been with our program and have dressed in every game this year, the two of them, just in case we ran into this scenario.
“The guys are very confident in them.”
While there’s a possibility Underdahl could return to the lineup before the playoffs are through, the Dinos, for now, have no choice but to move on with their two rookies.
Fortunately, Sinagra and Joseph aren’t exactly your typical firstyear university quarterbacks.
Joseph joined the Dinos program during the winter after quarterbacking the Okanagan Sun to the Canadian Bowl, the national junior football championship. While his team lost to the Saskatoon Hilltops in the final, Joseph showed poise behind centre and got experience playing at a level that’s well above high school football.
Sinagra, meanwhile, came out of Quebec’s CEGEP system and started two years for John Abbott College in Montreal.
Neither was expected to get many starts this season and Harris wouldn’t commit to who he in- tended to play when the Dinos play host to the Saskatchewan Huskies at McMahon Stadium Saturday (1 p.m.), but they both have a role to play.
“We’re all confident in our backups,” Dinos offensive lineman Darius Ciraco said. “Adam and Joseph have been great. They’re young, but they’re learning the system and we trust our O-line to protect them.
“We have a veteran O-line, so we’re definitely going to do what we can do to make them comfortable and give them time and not feel pressured.”
Whoever is slotting in at QB for the Dinos, they’ll be stepping into a situation where there’s plenty for which to play.
At 5-1, the Dinos are sitting atop the Canada West standings, but the Regina Rams are biting at their heels with a 4-2 record.
Fortunately, that means the Dinos have the opportunity to clinch first-place in the conference if they win their final two games, start- ing with the showdown Saturday against the 3-3 Huskies.
While the final standings might not be sorted out until the last week of the season, the Dinos will clinch home-field advantage for at least the first week of the playoffs with a win Saturday.
In their previous meeting this season, the Dinos survived a tight, hard-hitting game and came away from Saskatoon with a 20-19 win.
While all eyes may be on Joseph and Singara this week, getting a second win over the Huskies this season will surely come down to a lot more than just the rookie QBs.
“We’ve always talked about it being a team game and the ultimate team game,” Harris said. “If you just rely on one person to get the job done for you, you’re not going to be that successful.
“You’ve got to make sure everyone is working to their maximum capabilities.”
We’re all confident in our backups. ... They’re young, but they’re learning the system and we trust our O-line to protect them.