With a 38-34 loss to the UBC Thunderbirds Saturday, the U of M Bisons football team finished the season at 3-5 and will take on the undefeated University of Calgary Dinos in the first round of the Hardy Cup Playoffs.
Following Saturday’s game, Bisons head coach Brian Dobie was optimistic about taking on the top team in the conference.
“Let’s go, let’s pull off the biggest upset in the nation,” Dobie said.
“We can do it, because yeah we have been that close […] well we’re that close, let’s just take the final step and that would be the game of your life.”
“It’s realistic, believe it or not,” he said.
“When your team is always — almost always — that close […] but good teams find a way to win, so we’re not quite where we need to be.”
The Bisons and Dinos squared off only once this season, in a game Calgary dominated until the fourth quarter.
Manitoba had only a single point on the board heading into the final quarter down 34-1.
But the herd did not go quietly and scored 15 points to make a game of it, finishing with a 34-16 loss but showing glimpses of how the club could win against the Dinos.
In that game, kicker Brad Mikoluff was one of the few Bisons to play well through all four quarters.
While he never had a chance for a field goal, the kicker had 10 punts — with four reaching over 50 yards — and his longest was 80 yards in that contest. Mikoluff also had three singles.
After Saturday’s game, he said he is ready for the challenge ahead of his team.
“It should be a good one,” he said.
“Should be a tough one for sure, they are the best team in the league, but we definitely have a group of guys here that can totally beat them.”
The herd may have to go without its starting quarterback Des Catellier. Catellier did not dress for Saturday’s season finale. The decision was made Friday to sit the starter and play his backup, Jamie Ybarra.
Ybarra went 20-for-26 against UBC on Saturday for 396 yards, threw two touchdown passes and rushed for 13 yards.
“He got hurt against Saskatchewan [on Oct. 20],” Dobie said. “In the fourth quarter.”
Following his first career start, Ybarra said he is confident with the prospect of making his second career start in a playoff game.
“I’m ready to play whenever they need me,” Ybarra said.
“Des is our dude right now — he’s been our number one guy all year and he’s been playing great — and if he’s not ready to go, which I assume he will be just based on how he was this week, then I’ll be ready to step in if they need me.”
Ybarra’s coach shared the confidence but maintained that Catellier could be back.
“I’m optimistic that Des will be able to play,” Dobie said.
“And I’m more optimistic that we have two quarterbacks, and I literally didn’t know if we did. And I’m not being disrespectful to Jamie, how would I know that? He’s never played for us.”
The last time Manitoba and Calgary squared off in the first round of the Hardy Cup playoffs was back in 2012.
Calgary crushed the herd 57-18, en route to their fifth of six consecutive Hardy Cups.
Manitoba will face Calgary in the first round of the Hardy Cup playoffs on Nov. 3 in Calgary. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. MDT.
