The University of British Columbia Athletics

VANCOUVER – The CIS No. 3 Calgary Dinos took advantage of a special teams miscue in the fourth quarter to spoil UBC's bid for the upset in the season opener, as the Thunderbirds fell 41-31 on Saturday at Thunderbird Stadium.

A 42-yard field goal from Dinos kicker Johnny Mark ended up being the real difference with just over three minutes remaining. The T-Birds looked like they were about to take control of the game a few different times on Saturday, and always seemed to have a response when the Dinos were surging ahead, but on UBC's next drive, Greg Bowcott was picked off by Hunter Turnbull to essentially end the comeback hopes.

"That's football," said UBC head coach Shawn Olson. "You don't always leave feeling good."



But the 'Birds did have plenty to feel good about on Saturday until the game slipped away late. They outrushed the Dinos 283-158 and seemed to be winning the battle in the trenches for most of the game, particularly on offence where they rushed for 7.9 yards per carry. The defensive line also helped hold the Dinos out of the redzone entirely in the first quarter, and forced the Dinos to turn more to the passing attack.

"That was an area of focus on the offseason, " said Olson. "We added some guys on the defensive line that could add depth and spell other guys. The guys that were here already worked really hard and substantially improved their strength and quickness."

The 'Birds also saw some promising things from Bowcott, who played most of the second half after Carson Williams got the start. Bowcott ended up 5-for-12 for 59 yards passing and one touchdown, but really showed his versatility on the ground running for 76 yards on 10 carries.

"He's a gamer. He's played some football and that's the benefit of having a guy that's been in football games," Olson said of Bowcott. "Still a lot of things we need to clean up at that position, but both guys showed some heart and toughness. Its not easy replacing (former UBC quarterback) Billy Greene, but those guys are as good as it gets as far as young men leaving it on the line for a football team. I was happy with both of them."

Williams was 6-for-14 for 31 yard, adding 26 yards on the ground on three carries.

After Alex Morrison started the second half with the second-longest kickoff return touchdown in UBC history at 102 yards to give the 'Birds a 14-10 lead, an interception later in the quarter gave the Dinos a short field to work with, and Eric Dzwilewski capitalized with a touchdown toss to surge ahead. He also appeared to be injured on the play, as Andrew Buckley took over at quarterback the rest of the way for the Dinos. Dzwilewski finished 21-for-35 for 240 yards and a touchdown.

The Dinos' next touchdown came after a pass interference call went against UBC in the endzone on second and 10 to make it 24-14 Calgary.

But UBC running back Brandon Deschamps responded with a 59-yard touchdown run up the middle on the next drive to swing the momentum back in favour of the home side. Deschamps provided the bulk of UBC's offensive production with 175 yards on 22 carries,

After Quinn Van Gylswyk hit the game-tying field goal for the 'Birds, they got a quick defensive stop and seemed to have all the momentum in their favour as they forced the punt. But David Scott wasn't able to field it cleanly as it drifted toward the sideline, and the Dinos jumped on the fumble to take over at the UBC 28.

"He's very secure with the football but the ball just hung up and he misjudged it a bit and made a tough decision," said Olson, who says the mistake doesn't change a thing for Scott going forward. "He's one of our leaders and one of our captain-type guys. He's a great kid and nobody wants to do well for this program more than him, and I wouldn't hesitate a blink to go back to him."

After a couple runs from Mercer Timmis to get in range, Buckley finished the short drive for the Dinos with a nine-yard scramble to the goal line on first down, then a keeper up the middle to cap it off.

The T-Birds still managed one last answering drive, taking advantage of a couple long Calgary penalties before Deschamps took a screen pass from Bowcott to the house. But the Dinos also benefited from a key penalty on their next drive, getting into field goal range on a facemasking call for Mark to hit the game-winner.

Next up for Calgary is a trip to Regina. The Thunderbirds also head out on the road next week to take on Alberta. The next home game for the T-Birds is the homecoming game on September 14^th against Manitoba.

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