Calgary Dinos edge out Golden Bears in tight loss

The game was decided in the final minute. Calgary leaned on its ground attack throughout the night, and rookie running back Eri Olarubofin broke through for an 18-yard touchdown with 53 seconds left to secure the win. The Dinos finished with 215 rushing yards, most of them gained on inside runs that Alberta struggled to contain.

Despite the loss, Alberta’s offense looked sharper than it had in its first two games. Quarterback Eli Hetlinger threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, both to veteran receiver Carter Kettyle. It could have been more. Two earlier highlight-reel Kettyle touchdowns were wiped out by penalties, including an acrobatic one-handed catch in the end zone. Even with those setbacks, Kettyle’s impact was undeniable, giving the Bears a consistent deep threat throughout the night.

Penalties proved costly, Alberta committed 11 penalties, most of them occuring at crucial moments. The Bears also missed an early opportunity when Calgary’s kicker pushed a routine attempt wide, but could not capitalize. At halftime, the teams were tied 3–3 after a string of turnovers and stalled drives on both sides.

The second half brought more pace. Hetlinger commanded an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by Kettyle’s first offical touchdown. Calgary immediately responded with a short rushing score of their own. Later, with just over three minutes remaining, Hetlinger connected with Kettyle again on a 64-yard deep ball that gave Alberta a 19–16 lead and had the crowd roaring.

That set the stage for Calgary’s final push. The Dinos leaned once more on their inside run game, moving the ball steadily downfield before Olarubofin’s decisive touchdown. Alberta had one last chance in the final seconds, but could not find the endzone.

Looking forward

The Golden Bears are now 0-3 to start the season, landing us in last place in the Canada West standings. However, this game brought hope. Large steps forward were made on both sides of the ball: the offense looks three dimensional, and the defense was able to stall out drives consistently. Hetlinger commands the offense efficiently, and Seth Poelzer is looking explosive on the ground.

The run defense remains a concern. Calgary’s success between the tackles will give upcoming opponents a clear plan of attack. Closing those gaps would give the Bears the ability to come out ahead in these one-score games.

Next up, the Bears travel to Winnipeg next week to face the Manitoba Bisons, a team who struggled earlier in the season but is coming off a huge upset win against the Saskatchewan Huskies. The Bisons’ offense is dangerously explosive, so the Bears’ defense will have to focus on limiting big plays.

Friday’s result was disappointing, but it also showed that this group can compete with one of the conference’s stronger programs. If the Bears can cut down on penalties and improve against the run, they have the pieces to get back on track and finish the season strong.