By University of Calgary Athletics
The University of Calgary Dinos football team made their return to the field with a 34-20 win over the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Saturday at McMahon Stadium.
It was the first weekend of Canada West football action in nearly two years, and there was no shortage of offensive highlights. Especially if your last name is Philpot.
The Dinos’ dynamic receiving duo of Jalen Philpot and Tyson Philpot exploded on the Huskies’ defence, combining for 401 receiving yards and three touchdowns. The sons of former CFL all-star running back Cory Philpot were so dominant, they earned themselves quite the comparison from their head coach after the game.
“I could see from Day 1 when they stepped into camp they were just operating on a different level,” Dinos head coach Wayne Harris said. “It reminded me of Don Blair back in 1995 when he was playing at a different level than most everybody else.”
Jalen had 246 yards and two touchdowns on 13 receptions and he was understandably pleased with his team’s performance but believes there is still room to improve.
“It was awesome to be back,” Jalen said. “I think that we haven’t even been close to our ceiling and we got lots left to do and lots left to prove, that’s for sure.”
Saskatchewan scored the only points of the first quarter with a 14-yard David Solie field goal. Although, the offence began to pick up in the second, sparked by a Josiah Joseph 13-yard pass to Jalen Philpot.
The Huskies countered with a Colton Klassen touchdown of their own, before the dynamic duo of Jalen and Joseph connected once again for a 24-yard touchdown, just before the half and the Dinos took a 14-11 lead into the break.
Leading 20-12 in the fourth, Calgary’s Javier Williams would pound one in from three yards out to extend the Dinos’ lead to 27-12. Saskatchewan made it a one-score game with 1:21 remaining, after another Klassen touchdown from quarterback Mason Nyhus.
Klassen was a standout for the Huskies, catching seven passes for 107 yards to go along with the two touchdowns.
However, it wouldn’t take long for Calgary to answer back, and this time it was Tyson’s turn. He took a pass from Joseph for a 53-yard score with just 36 seconds remaining.
That would be all the defending Vanier Cup champions needed, closing out a 34-20 victory.
In his first season as the unquestioned starter, Joseph was near flawless. He commpleted 29-of-34 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns while adding six carries for 34 yards.
Defensively, the Dinos were led by Daniel Flanagan who had six-and-a-half tackles, and Gideon Agyei who had four pass break-ups.
The Dinos will take on Regina (0-1) next week in a Saturday afternoon clash at Mosaic Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 2 p.m. on CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op and Telus Optik.
