Randy SavoieYou’d probably be forgiven if you left Foote Field after the first half of Friday night’s game.
At the half, it looked grim for University of Alberta Golden Bears football team, as they were down 18-0 to the Saskatchewan Huskies, and had only managed to amass 89 yards of offence.
Things took a dramatic turn in the second half, as Alberta outscored Saskatchewan 38-8 en route to a 38-26 victory.
The Huskies look unstoppable in the first half, as they had the ball for over ten minutes in the first quarter, compared to the Bears’ 4:46 of possession time. Despite this, Alberta was still very much in the game after the first, only trailing 4-0. Saskatchewan upped their game in the second quarter however, as running back Tyler Chow scored a pair of rushing touchdowns to push the lead to 18-0 by the half.
Heading into the locker room at half time, head coach Chris Morris knew his team had work to do.
“The first thing I said to the guys in the locker room at the half was, we’re only down by 18, which means we’re still in this,” Morris said. “This is an opportunity given to us by somebody, so let’s make sure we take advantage of it.”
Those words definitely seemed to work, as quarterback Ben Kopczynski got the comeback rolling with an eight-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter.
Kopczynski had a rough start like the rest of his team, only throwing for 39 yards in the first half. Despite this, he said he was just focusing on one play at a time.
“We got off to a slow start just like last week,” Kopczynski said. “Coach always tells us that it’s about the five seconds in front of you, so I was just trying to play with that mentality, and if you make a mistake just keep going and keep playing.”
Kopczynski certainly did get it going in the second half, completing 15 of 21 passes for 261 yards.
Saskatchewan was able to respond with a field goal that pushed the lead to 21-7, but Kopczynski drove his team down the field again, and capped off the drive with a six yard touchdown pass to third year receiver Tylor Henry.
Alberta’s defence was also able to hold the Huskies in check, forcing them to try for field goals on their next two possessions, one of which was missed, making the score 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
Corner back Tak Landry was a huge contributor, leading the Bears defense with ten tackles.
“We bend, but we don’t break,” Landry said. “We’ve been doing our job, and believing in the system, and when you do that, you see what happens on the field.”
Morris was also quick to credit his defence.
“That’s a good group, they’re playing hard, and they’re playing together,” Morris said. “There’s not many elite athletes in that group, but they just all come with their lunch pails and they all play together and for each other, and it’s remarkable what you can do when you do that.”
The Bears ultimately took control of the game in the fourth, moving into the lead courtesy of a Jimmy Ralph three yard TD reception.
After conceding a safety that cut their lead to 28-26, Alberta was able to rebound with a field goal on their next drive, and after stopping the Huskies on the drive afterwards, had the ball with less than a minute to go. Just for good measure, running back Ed Ilnicki busted out a 61-yard touchdown run, part of his 149 rushing yards on the day, to put the game beyond all reasonable doubt. The final score ended up being 38-26 in Alberta’s favour.
While Morris certainly was pleased with his team’s result, he noted that comeback wins aren’t possible every week.
“If you continue to only play at half of your ability at the beginning of games, somebody is going to be able to finish it before you can get going,” Morris said. “When you play against really good teams, they aren’t going to just keep leaving doors open for you.”
Next up in the schedule, the Bears travel to Calgary this Thursday to clash with the Dinos, who are tied with Alberta atop the standings in Canada West after beating Manitoba 46-38 on Friday. This is a matchup that hasn’t been kind to the Bears in recent years, as last year’s 71-3 walloping would attest. Even though the Dinos would eventually forfeit that game due to the use of an ineligible player, the Bears surely still would have lost that game with or without that player in Calgary’s starting lineup.
Before last year’s forfeit win, which was actually a 71-3 loss on the field, the Bears hadn’t beaten Calgary since 2008, a span of six games. Morris acknowledged that Calgary is a good team, but was more focused on his own team preparation.
“That’s a good team down there (in Calgary),” Morris noted. “We’re going to do our best to come up with a good game plan, and go down there and compete every snap, and see what happens.”
It’s not often that these two teams meet on such level terms, as Alberta hasn’t made the playoffs since 2009, and Calgary has made it every year since 2006. The two teams will be meeting with first place in Canada West on the line, and there’s sure to be a lot of energy in McMahon Stadium Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the Huskies return home with their tails between their legs to face inter-province rivals Regina, who are also 0-2 after dropping their game against the UBC Thunderbirds this past weekend.
