The sixth nationally ranked Bisons football team proved unstoppable following a five-star performance to defeat the nineth nationally ranked Alberta Golden Bears 24-23. This extends the Bisons’ winning streak to three out of three games in the new season.

The win not only marked an enviable start to the new season, but also served as the homecoming game for the Bisons and their fans at the Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14. The Bisons held on to a precious victory, having won every homecoming game since 2017.

Head coach Brian Dobie led the team into his last homecoming game as head coach this year.

Over 7,000 spectators — the second-most in attendance at a Bisons game since Princess Auto Stadium opened 11 years ago — gathered at their home venue to catch a glimpse of the superlative displays by the talented Bisons players, as well as the tactical prowess of the technical team.

The first quarter was fiercely contested between the two teams, but the Bisons escaped with a narrow score of 8-7 over the Golden Bears. Mula Yitna was served a 40-yard pass by quarterback Jackson Tachinski which made a crucial turnover for the home side. There was a two point conversion rush by Tachinski to salvage the moment for his side. Duncan Critch had one yard run for the Golden Bears after Jonathan Giustini had gone out with a good kick.

The Bisons showed class and dominance through a blistering attack to scale through the second quarter with 6-0 score. Maya Turner came in strong with a 21-yard field goal in six plays and 50-yards. Turner turned in another 24-yard field goal in 10 plays and 78-yards.

The third quarter ended 7-7 for the Bisons and Golden Bears. Duncan Critch had a two yard run with a good kick from Giustini in seven plays, 65 yards. Breydon Stubbs made a three yard run with a good kick from Maya Turner.

Alberta Golden Bears strived for a memorable comeback following 9-3 score in the fourth quarter, but that was not enough to elevate them to the winning seat. Guistini recorded a 29 yard field goal in 9 plays, 53-yards, while teammate Duncan Critch made one run in 11 plays, 85-yards. Maya Turner had a 22-yard field goal for Bisons.

Jackson Tachinski, quarterback for the Bisons, said, “it was back and forth the whole game.”

“You saw the first half was close, second half was pretty close. So, we kind of told ourselves in that locker room that’s probably going to come down to the last play. And, it pretty much did. And we were on the lucky side of it. And, yeah, I’m just proud of the guys for not giving up and, you know, giving their best effort the whole game,” said Tachinski.

He revealed how it feels to win a homecoming game for the outgoing coach Dobie, the team and fans.

“Homecoming’s a big deal, especially Coach Dobie’s last homecoming. So, we really want to win this for him, and, you know, there’s so many fans out there today,” said Tachinski.

“I think that’s one of the most fans I’ve seen. So, it was a really awesome game, amazing atmosphere to play in, and it gave us a lot of energy. You see on that two-point convert that we got that stand on. The fans were so loud […] So, I credit some of the wins to the fans there, because that was awesome,” he added.

Coach Dobie – who retires at the end of the season – spoke about his last homecoming game and how important the win was for him and the entire team.

“Oh, I mean, I was crying before the game. I think that says it all. I was so emotional at the end of the game. I was out of control emotional. I was walking in with Mike Still and I said in my whole career in 50 years, the feeling walking off that field wasn’t the same as winning the Vanier Cup. It was at the next level. That was, I’m pretty sure, maybe the second-best crowd in the history of our program. It was our homecoming,” said Dobie.

He continued, “It was against the top opponent in Canada West. All the stars were aligned. And to win like that, a one-point win defense held at the end and made it happen.”

“The best wins are always those kind of wins in any sport, anytime, anywhere, the ones that you have to grind it to the very end and win in the last moment. And that’s what we did today,” said Dobie.

The Bisons’ next game will be in Calgary on Saturday, Sept. 21 against the Calgary Dinos. A victory would propel the team to a four game winning streak.