THE CANADIAN PRESS
Quarterback Deke Junior threw four touchdown passes to lead the Calgary Dinos to a 44-21 win over the Simon Fraser University Clan in the Hardy Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Anthony Woodson had one rushing and one receiving touchdown, while Anthony Parker caught a pair of TD passes in the fourth quarter for the Dinos, who now advance to the Uteck Bowl next Saturday. The game will be hosted by the winner of Sunday’s Dunsmore Cup between the Concordia Stingers and Laval Rouge et Or (12:30 p.m. ET).
The winner of the Uteck Bowl will then go on to the Vanier Cup on Nov. 22 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton.
Paul Swiston also caught a TD pass for the Dinos, while Aaron Ifield added three field goals.
Brandon Halverson ran for a pair of touchdowns for the Clan, who turned the ball over five times on three fumbles and two interceptions. Tyson Buchannon also caught a TD pass for SFU.
Elsewhere in CIS playoff action Saturday, it was: No. 3 Western Ontario 31, Ottawa 17; and No. 5 Saint Mary’s 29, St. FX 27.
At Calgary, the Dinos opened the scoring when Ifield kicked a 30-yard field goal at 6:49 of the first quarter. The play was set up after Deji Oduwole sacked Clan quarterback Bernd Dittrich and forced a fumble in SFU territory that Matt Grohn recovered.
The Clan responded less than four minutes later when Dittrich tossed a 27-yard touchdown strike to Buchannon.
Early in the second quarter, Woodson capped off a six-play, 38-yard drive with a 13-yard TD run. The score was set up late in the first quarter when Chase Moore recovered a fumble by SFU tailback Marek Seta.
The Calgary defence helped set up another score when Grohn and Geoff Paiement combined to sack Dittrich for a loss. On the next play, Grohn pressured back-up Clan quarterback Kenton Boldt and forced a fumble which the Calgary defensive back recovered on the SFU 39-yard line.
Two plays later, Woodson hauled in a 36-yard TD pass under triple coverage in the SFU end zone to put the Dinos up by 10 points.
The Dinos went up 24-7 at 11:11 of the second quarter when Junior faked a handoff before tossing a nine-yard pass to a wide-open Swiston as the six-foot-nine, 311-pound offensive lineman snuck into the end zone behind the SFU defence.
After Ifield kicked a pair of field goals for the Dinos in the third quarter, Halverson capped off a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard TD run for the Clan.
The Dinos then salted away the victory in the fourth quarter when Parker first caught a 38-yard pass in the end zone before adding a six-yard receiving TD.
Halverson rounded out the scoring for the Clan when he rambled for a 52-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
The Clan is the first team to rebound from an 0-8 season to reach the Hardy Cup since Regina accomplished the feat in 2000.
Yates Cup
No. 3 Mustangs 31, Gee-Gees 17
At London, Ont., Nathan Riva scored a pair of one-yard touchdowns in the first quarter and the Mustangs beat Ottawa to earn their second straight Yates Cup title.
Riva finished with 21 carries for 91 yards to pace Western Ontario, which built a 22-7 halftime lead and wasn’t seriously challenged the rest of the way. The Mustangs finished with 169 yards on the ground, compared to just 29 for the Gee-Gees.
Michael Faulds sparked Western’s other touchdown, completing a 32-yard pass to Zach Bull midway through the third quarter.
Faulds finished 15-of-29 for 201 yards. Ottawa counterpart Joshua Sacobie was 30-of-55 for 344 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The OUA-champion Mustangs will host the No. 5 Saint Mary’s Huskies in the Mitchell Bowl next Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Vanier Cup.
Loney Bowl
No. 5 Huskies 29, X-Men 27
At Halifax, quarterback Jack Creighton threw a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes as the Huskies built a sizable first-half lead, then held on to beat St. FX and earn a berth in the Mitchell Bowl.
Creighton completed TD strikes to Ryean Warburton and Carl Hardwick, and Tyler Schussler added a one-yard touchdown run in between as Saint Mary’s enjoyed a 26-5 lead at the half.
Steve Snyder led the X-Men on a second-half surge, throwing three touchdown passes to move St. FX to within three points. X-Men kicker Kyle Chisolm had a chance to tie the game with three seconds left, but he missed a 42-yard field goal wide left and Saint Mary’s conceded the single point.
Creighton finished 12-of-17 for 198 yards and a pair of TDs.
Snyder was 22-of-35 for 379 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.