Who will quarterback Dinos in national semis?
Underdahl able to play if called upon, but backup Sinagra has the hot hand
Wayne Harris has a decision on his hands.
When the Calgary Dinos play host to the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in the Mitchell Bowl national university football semifinals, Harris will have to decide whether to ride the hot hand of backup quarterback Adam Sinagra or go back to his starter, Jimmy Underdahl. It’s not an easy choice.
“Jimmy Underdahl has been practising for the last two weeks and moving around and throwing the ball well,” the Dinos head coach said. “Adam Sinagra has had a few great games of late and he’s continuing to take a lot of reps.
“Everything has been a game-day decision for us. We’ve had changes in our lineup game day almost every game this season, so we’ll make decisions as the week progresses.”
Some might say that having two capable quarterbacks is a nice problem to have, but it’s also a bit of a headache for a team that’s one win away from playing in the Vanier Cup.
After serving as a backup for the Dinos for four seasons, Underdahl earned the starting job heading into the season. Through the first six games of the season, he was solid, throwing for 1,823 yards and eight touchdown passes.
But a knee injury against the Manitoba Bisons in Week 6 sent Underdahl to the sidelines, opening up an opportunity for Sinagra to stake his claim.
While the first-year player out of Pointe Claire, Que. has always insisted the starting job belonged to Underdahl whenever he was ready to return, Sinagra’s performances have given his coaches a lot to think about.
In last week’s Hardy Cup against the UBC Thunderbirds, Sinagra had his best game in a Dinos uniform and looked completely comfortable in the pocket, completing 22 of 29 passes and throwing for a trio of touchdowns while leading his team to its 16th conference title.
Harris has an idea who will be starting on Saturday, he’s just not ready to tip his hand.
“We’re leaning one way, we’re still evaluating, though,” Harris said.
“If we need to make changes, we’ll make changes. We’re comfortable with both quarterbacks, with all our quarterbacks, actually.
“Josiah Joseph’s been kind of forgotten but he definitely is a great player, it’s just a matter of who can execute on the day.”
This isn’t the first time the Dinos program has been faced with a quarterback ‘controversy’ at playoff time, and if history is any indication the team will be just fine with whoever gets the start.
In 2013, reigning Canada West MVP Eric Dzwilewski went down with a knee injury in Week 1.
Backup Andrew Buckley took over the starting duties and led the team all the way to the Vanier Cup Final, at which point Dzwilewski was ready to return.
The Dinos stuck with Buckley in the final, and while they’d end up losing to the Laval Rouge et Or, both players returned the next season ready to do their jobs.
If Sinagra is left on the bench, he’s still got a long university career ahead of him, while Underdahl can’t have too many complaints if his coaches choose to stick with the hot hand.
“It’s always nice knowing you have confidence in people who can come in and fill in if someone gets hurt,” Harris said. “When you have players who can step up and fill the role and you don’t drop down in your execution, then that’s a big lift for the program and the team.”
It’s always nice knowing you have confidence in people who can come in and fill in if someone gets hurt ... that’s a big lift for the program and the team.