Dinos football team dominates Regina in preseason tilt
Sonny Sachdeva, September 3 2015 —
The Dinos football team kicked off their 2015 campaign on a high note, taking down the University of Regina Rams by a dominant score of 25–9 in front of 1,200 fans at Medicine Hat’s Methanex Bowl.
While the match was a non-conference tilt and won’t count as part of the Dinos’ Canada West record, it was still an excellent step in the team’s preparations for the upcoming season. The result also marked the first victory for Dinos head coach Wayne Harris since he took on the position this summer.
“Certainly the starting group came out and executed very well,” Harris said. “The second quarter got away from us a little bit as we were trying to cycle some guys through. Anytime you get on the field against an opponent, it’s an opportunity to explore some different things. But we have to clean the execution and discipline up.”
The Dinos got out to a quick lead in the contest as quarterback Andrew Buckley ran in a 10-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. Dinos runningback Quentin Chown ran in the team’s second touchdown just minutes later, giving the Dinos a 14–0 lead heading into the second quarter.
Things didn’t get any better for Regina when backup quarterback Jimmy Underdahl took the field. The third-year passer Dinos hit receiver Denzel Radford for a 28-yard score six minutes into the second frame, taking the Dinos’ total to 21 before the Rams had managed to get a single point on the board.
Regina mounted a comeback attempt with a touchdown pass of their own later in the second quarter, but were unable to put up any significant points in the latter half of the tilt. The teams traded safeties during the third and fourth quarters before the Dinos walked off the field with a 25–9 victory.
Though the 2015 season won’t truly begin until the Dinos take on the UBC Thunderbirds on September 4 at McMahon Stadium, there are certainly some positives to be taken from their victory over their Rams.
Chief among these is the power of the club’s run game. While Regina matched the Dinos when it came to passing — the Rams threw for 271 yards while the Dinos threw for 233 — Calgary dominated their opponents on the ground all night long. The Dinos put up a monstrous 294 rushing yards, easily surpassing Regina’s 64.
Chown led the way with 109 yards and one touchdown, while 2014 Canada West All-Star Mercer Timmis contributed another 68 yards.
With their non-conference tune-up out of the way, the Dinos now turn their attention to former head coach Blake Nill and the UBC Thunderbirds. The two squads will face off at the University of Calgary’s annual Kickoff event at the end of Orientation Week.