GRIDIRON JUGGERNAUT
No. 1 Dinos still unbeaten
A game that is in doubt, that makes them work for every inch.
That’s what the University of Calgary football team genuinely hopes for every week and for a large stretch of time on Saturday afternoon, the Saskatchewan Huskies gave them that game.
Until the superior talent took over and ran off with it.
The Dinos, who trailed 10- 3 early on, shifted into second gear and posted a 59- 19 triumph over the visiting Huskies. All teams will now enjoy Thanksgiving bye week, with the nation’s top- ranked Dinos continuing to lead Canada West at 5- 0.
“It was definitely a tough game,” said Calgary head coach Wayne Harris Jr. “The first half was a little sloppy for us in some cases, but they ( Huskies) played well. I’m just happy our guys kept working hard and we got a favourable outcome.
“You always want to be challenged. It was a tight game at halftime and our guys were able to pull away in the second half so that’s good to see. We know we’re going to face more battles before this season is over.”
The Dinos didn’t dominate the game in its entirety but took advantage of the opportunities presented to them and made Saskatchewan pay dearly.
A memorable one was, from the Calgary 5- yard line, Andrew Buckley tossed a pass to Austen Hartley and he shook off a would- be tackler en route to a 105- yard touchdown — tying the school record for longest passing play. That one coming at 3: 17 of the fourth quarter was truly the final nail.
“We kind of had that play drawn up before and we were waiting for it to be called all game,” explained the third- year Hartley, who caught five passes for 171 yards and two majors. “I was happy when the opportunity came.
“It was good that our team was even behind a little bit, it keeps us grounded, makes us know what we have to do. Going forward, it’s a good experience to have.”
Buckley, who wasn’t his customary sharp self early on, seemed to get better and better as the game wore on and managed to put up significant numbers once again: 22 of 37 for 468 yards and four touchdowns.
“It is very difficult to defend our offence,” agreed Harris. “We face it every day in practice. The offensive line is critical to that success because they give him the time. He’s blessed with time, he’s intelligent, he makes good decisions and he doesn’t force things. We had a couple of dropped balls today as well, otherwise the stats would be even better.”