The Bisons football team achieved their second consecutive victory of the season with a 34-7 win over the Alberta Golden Bears during their homecoming game on Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Princess Auto Stadium.

Maya Turner opened the scoring early in the first quarter with a 17-yard field goal at the 12:01 mark, giving the Bisons a 3-0 lead. Alberta responded with a single point from Eric Schwarz at 8:31, narrowing the gap to 3-1.

The Bisons pulled ahead in the second quarter, beginning with a nine-yard run by Noah Anderson at 10:43 to make it 10-1. At 9:06, Mula Yitna caught a five-yard pass from quarterback Jackson Tachinski, extending the lead to 17-1. Breydon Stubbs capped off a dominant first half with an 11-yard run at the 2:35 mark, sending the Bisons into halftime up 24-1.

The Golden Bears came back into the game in the third quarter, as Eric Torhjelm connected to a ten-yard pass from Eli Hetlinger at the 11:28 mark, cutting the lead to 24-7. At 4:32, Payton Yakimishyn received a seven-yard pass from Cole Anseeuw, increasing the Bisons advantage to 31-7. Turner added her second field goal of the game for the Bisons, 34 yards out, with 12 seconds left in the quarter.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, sealing the Bisons’ 34-7 victory.

Bisons football head coach Stan Pierre emphasized the importance of homecoming games for both the team and the fans. “It’s just kind of the tradition on university campuses,” said Pierre. “Our [regular] fans are great, but it’s always a little special to have that type of crowd watching them play. It’s really exciting.”

Pierre shared insights on the team’s victory, highlighting the game’s momentum and the effectiveness of their offence. “Football’s a really simple game to analyze. You have to keep the ball and you have to limit explosive plays and you have to get explosive plays. And then the psychology, especially with kids 18 to 22, starts taking over. So those are huge plays that we are now making and hopefully we can keep it going. The kids did a great job. They saved our season, now let’s see what we can do.”

He discussed the win’s impact on the players’ mindsets. “It was important. We lost a couple tough ones in the first couple weeks of the season […] I’m telling them to keep plugging away. Well, eventually they need to see some fruits of their labour. So, we have that now. Hopefully there’s a little belief in that room that they can achieve whatever they want to achieve.”

Pierre touched on the upcoming game and its relevance for their season. He said, “Next week we go to Regina against a really good football team […]  The Canada West is a grind, but we have given ourselves a chance.”

Bisons linebacker Matthew Gillespie touched on the physicality of the players and how it impacted the game’s outcome. “Bringing the heat every single play, making those big hits, it just epitomizes our whole team, how we’re ready to gear up for the whole season. We’re bringing everything we got. We’re bringing the bang for this year. We’re coming out hot.”

Gillespie is prepared to contribute to the team’s efforts. “I feed off my team. When the energy’s hot, the team’s hot, everyone’s going. I just bring that passion [against] special teams, keep it going, keep the drive going. If we need, I’ll make those turnarounds in times of need to keep us going.”

In the league standings, the Bisons football team has four points, with two wins and two losses from four games.

The Bisons football team will face the Regina Rams on Saturday, Sept. 27 in Regina, Saskatchewan.