Dino domination still stings vastly improved Bears
Calgary ultimately forfeited game, but coach says it feels like a loss
It might have been six weeks ago, but the sting lingers for head coach Chris Morris and the University of Alberta Golden Bears football team.
The Bears will get their rematch against the CIS No. 2 ranked University of Calgary Dinos — who pulverized the Bears 71-3 on Sept. 5 — this weekend at Foote Field.
“Not long enough,” Morris said, as he recalled the 68-point thumping the Dinos laid on the Bears in week one.
But since then, a lot has gone right for Morris and his 3-2 squad, who are over .500 for the first time since September 2010.
“We’ve drastically improved everywhere,” Morris said at practice earlier this week, as he compared his lineup today versus the one he fielded earlier in the season.
“Our mindset going into games has vastly improved from where it was from the beginning of the year. I think we’ve got better in a million different aspects as far as our team goes.”
Since their first meeting with the Dinos, Morris cited defensive back coverage, the offensive line and the running game as key areas of improvement since the start of the season.
Bears’ cornerback Tak Landry leads the conference with 8.2 tackles per game while Ed Illnicki sits at the top the conference rushing charts with seven touchdowns.
While the Bears ran for 271 yards and four touchdowns in their win over the University of Manitoba Bisons two weeks ago, Morris is aiming to spread out the offence against the Dinos, who have allowed just 17.2 points per game this season — easily the best in the conference. Leading the well-rounded attack will be quarterback Curtis Dell, who supplanted Ryan Schwartz as starter after Schwartz threw for just 124 yards and four interceptions in the season opener.
Dell threw for just 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his last game versus the Bisons.
“We’re gonna have to be balanced against Calgary, for sure,” Morris said of getting the passing game involved this weekend. “If you look at where they’ve been beaten on pass defence, they’ve given up some big plays on missed assignments or busted coverages. But they’ll clean that up and that’s not something that’s going to be there every game you get.”
And there weren’t many of those opportunities when the two teams met.
The Bears conjured up just 277 yards of offence in their last matchup at McMahon Stadium, while the Dinos amassed 734 yards, the most in a single Canada West game so far this year. The Dinos scored nine touchdowns compared to zero by the Bears.
On the season, the Dinos rank first in the Canada West in points (53.8), offensive yards (643.4), rushing yards (290.6) and touchdowns (34).
It’s no secret to Morris that stopping the Dinos potent offence is a priority.
“It’s tricky with the Dinos because they run the ball probably the best in the conference and they pass the ball probably the best in the conference,” Morris said. “What you try to do is put together a game plan that takes away what they do best. But with a team like Calgary —because they’re pretty good at everything — you have to pick your poison and live with the consequences.”
One of the consequences the Dinos will have to live with doesn’t stem from their stellar play on the field, but with an administrative error.
On Sept. 29, the Dinos forfeited their win over the Bears after suiting up two academically ineligible players for that Sept. 5 blowout. If it were up to Morris, he’d give that game back to Calgary.
“We’re not 1-0, they beat us,” Morris said of the Bears season record versus the Dinos. “I think it’s tragic for UBC, Regina and Manitoba — who are all fighting for playoff spots — to get affected by a paperwork issue that had no impact on the actual game. There’s no victory there.”
Although Morris considers the “win” a “moot point,” it works in his team’s favour.
Morris’ goal at the beginning of the season was to win multiple games and challenge for a playoff spot. Five games into the season, the Bears have already hit that mark, as they sit third in Canada West.
But there are still three games to go, and getting a win over the Dinos is all that’s on his mind.
“It’s a long season,” Morris said. “Lots of stuff has happened between now and then. Now we have to finish well in the last part of the season, then we’ll have accomplished our goal.
The Bears (3-2) will wrap up their home schedule versus the Dinos (4-1) at Foote Field on Saturday at 2.p.m.