If there truly is such a thing as a trap game in football, the Bisons’ game this weekend against the 0-3 Alberta Golden Bears has all makings of one.
The Bears have been outscored an embarrassing 128-23 through three games, including a 32-0 shutout on the road against Saskatchewan Huskies and a 65-6 mauling at the hands of Calgary. But if the Bisons think that Saturday’s game at University Stadium will be a cakewalk, they might be in for a rude awakening.
Sure, the Bisons are off to an improbable 2-1, having beat the top quarterback in the nation—Billy Greene and the UBC Thunderbirds—on the road in week one, and then prevailed over the Huskies and the elements in a gutsy victory at home the following week.
But this is a team that had a rude wake up call this past weekend, in the way of a 33-12 loss to the high-octane Dinos offence.
The Bisons showed some ugly tendencies in that game. They turned the ball over four times, and failed to take advantage of prime opportunities on offence. Furthermore, the defence appeared to lose their edge in the second half despite holding the Dinos out of the end zone after 30 minutes of play. Whether it was fatigue or a lack of ability to adapt to Calgary’s offensive tweaks, it’s something that must be remedied quickly if the Bisons are going to remain key figures in the Canada West playoff picture.
Cam Clark will have to bounce back after a mediocre showing in which he did a good job managing the game, but threw three interceptions and had a completion percentage under 50 per cent.
A healthy Anthony Coombs would surely give the Bisons the edge on the ground. While Kienan Lafrance and Nic Demski are big threats in and of themselves, this offence is most dangerous when all three running backs are available, as they each have unique skill sets that make it incredibly difficult for another defence to game plan accordingly.
Despite their record, the Bears aren’t necessarily the sad sack team that they appear to be from afar. In their most recent loss to Saskatchewan, the two teams were tied 10-10 heading into the half. A series of bad penalties throughout the second half gave the Huskies 88 yards of free real estate, which essentially eliminated any momentum Alberta had achieved up until that point. If the Bears regroup and play smart, they seem capable of stunning the Bisons and bringing them down to earth – and back to a .500 record.
To prevent that catastrophe, the Bisons will have to buckle down this week at practice and focus on three things: protecting the ball, establishing the run game early, and keeping up the intensity on defence.
The game kicks off at University Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1p.m.. Tune into UMFM 101.5 for complete coverage and commentary of Bison football.
