EDMONTON – Coming off a 42-28 road win over the UBC Thunderbirds, the Golden Bears return to Foote Field to host the 0-1 Calgary Dinos on Friday night.
Leading the Bears to victory was fifth-year DB/K
Jonathan Giustini, who finished with 12 points, one interception, and three tackles. Fellow fifth-year
Matthew Peterson added 117 rushing yards on 19 attempts, with
Ope Oshinubi adding 73 rush yards on just eight carries. The Bears finished Friday night's win with a conference-high 482 yards of offence, which included an efficient 248 yards from third-year passer
Eli Hetlinger.
Boasting one of the deepest receiver rooms in the conference, seven different Bears caught a pass in Vancovuer, led by five receptions and 135 yards from fourth-year
Chevy Thomas.
"We have really emphasized a strong run game behind a strong offensive line the last couple years, and those things just make our offence function better," said Bears head coach
Chris Morris. "We have a great young QB in Eli and some great receivers, but having two talented backs gives us a two-headed monster. Combine that with a quarterback who knows what he is doing; we have a chance each week."
Mustering just 275 yards of total offence, the Dinos suffered a 24-16 home loss to Regina to open the season. Calgary finished with 30 rushing yards, two interceptions, and just 26:33 of ball possession in the loss to the Rams.
The Dinos are a year removed from a 3-5 season, missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker to Manitoba. After capturing the 2019 Vanier Cup, Calgary has missed the playoffs in each of the three seasons since.
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GAME INFO
Golden Bears Football (1-0 Conference, 1-1 Overall)
Conference
Friday, September 7
Alberta vs Calgary Dinos (0-1), Foote Field, 7:00 p.m. MT
KEY STATS
- Alberta has won three of their last four meetings against Calgary, including a 33-9 road win last September. Each of those last three wins came on the road, with the Bears last home win over the Dinos coming on October 25, 2008.
- Calgary has won 10-straight games in Edmonton — nine at Foote Field, and the most recent clash at Commonwealth Stadium on October 15, 2022.
- The Golden Bears are ranked #5 in the U SPORTS Top 10, moving up from a #7 ranking in Week 1. It is the highest the Bears have been ranked nationally since November 7, 2004 when they were ranked fourth.
- Alberta is looking to start the year 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2004 and 2005.
