CALGARY – The UBC Thunderbirds saw their bid for a three game win streak run into a brick wall Saturday, suffering a 53-14 loss to the Calgary Dinos at McMahon Stadium.
Tyson Philpot piled up 214 yards and three touchdowns to help the Dinos turn in their best performance of the season to keep their playoff hopes alive.
"We got beat by a better team today," said UBC Head Coach
Blake Nill, simply. "We couldn't match their best players. We thought we had a game plan for their best players. It obviously didn't work out. We thought we would be able to throw the football on them. We were able to get some momentum with the run game, but I don't know what else to say."
It was clear from the opening kickoff, Calgary knew their season was on the line.
The No. 10 Dinos (2-3) scored on their very first offensive play – a 37-yard strike from Josiah Joseph to Tyson Philpot – and before the Thunderbirds (2-3) could even blink, they found themselves down a score. And Calgary was far from done.
Three opening-quarter touchdowns, one from Tyson, one from his brother Jalen and the last one on the ground courtesy of Alessandro Molnar, helped the Dinos sprint out to a 25-0 lead which they would never look back from.
The win improves Calgary to 2-3 with the win, planting themselves smack dab in the middle of a wild Canada West playoff race with just one week to go.
The Dinos scored all 53 of their points in the first three quarters, as both teams would go scoreless in the fourth.
After Javier Williams scored the Dinos' fourth touchdown of the game late in the second quarter, the Dinos' defence would get in on the action, as Jacob Biggs would step in front of a
Garrett Rooker pass, taking it back for the score, giving the Dinos a comfortable 39-7 lead at the half.
The lone first half score for the 'Birds came courtesy of a 49-yard
Dane Kapler rush, part of a remarkable 161 yard game for the rookie running back.
If the game wasn't already over, two more Tyson Philpot scores early in the second half would seal the deal for Calgary, who would cruise the rest of the way for the 53-14 victory.
Joseph was the definition of efficient in this one, completing 16-of-18 passes for 350 and four touchdowns.
Jalen Philpot had 112 yards through the air to go along with his brother's 214, adding to the massive season from the dynamic receiving duo.
The Thunderbird running game was a bright spot for the team, as UBC finished the game with two 100-yard rushers as
Isaiah Knight chipped in 109 of his own to go along with Kapler's standout performance.
Rooker found
Jason Soriano for a 29-yard score five minutes into the third quarter before Tyson Philpot's third major on the very next play from scrimmage.
"It was a combination of us not matching the urgency that Calgary had and us not executing the game plan," said Nill. "I think as a program, it showed that we still have a long ways to go."
With both the T-Birds and Dinos at 2-3 heading into the final week of the shortened season, the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth will come down to the wire.
The T-Birds return home to host the 3-2 Alberta Golden Bears on Saturday, November 6
th while the Dinos head to Saskatoon to face the first-place Saskatchewan Huskies. A Calgary win, regardless of what the T-Birds do, would clinch a playoff berth for the Dinos while a UBC victory combined with a Calgary loss would see the 'Birds return to the post-season.
Essentially, the T-Birds will be playing for their lives against Alberta. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium. Tickets are free but must be
reserved in advance.
