All season long, the Manitoba Bisons have demonstrated their tenacity. They were competitive in each game, with nearly every contest being decided in the game's final minutes. And on the road against the undefeated Calgary Dinos they demonstrated their never-say-die attitude once more.

Hec Crighton favourite Adam Sinagra was sacked four times in the first half — three of those takedowns coming from CFL draft-eligible defensive end Derek Dufault — as Manitoba entered the half down just 17-10. The secondary was partially responsible for a few of the visitor's sacks as well, holding the conference's leading receiver Hunter Karl as well as fellow Canada West All-Star Tyson Philpot in check.

"They were really bringing it all. I watched each of them at different times just doing different things technically or taking different approaches to their pass rush. They were playing to win, and their pressure caused problems," Dobie said of Manitoba's front four.

"I think the big part that needs credit is the back end. The receivers have to be covered for those sacks to occur, and that was happening."

Unfortunately, the team struggled to find a rhythm on offence, going back-and-forth at the helm for a number of series between Des Catellier and Jamie Ybarra Jr. The duo combined for 226 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, while Calgary was able to take advantage of a few coverage mishaps and outscored Manitoba 20-3 in the second half.

"There were times we felt [Catellier] wasn't seeing things real well, and that's why we switched it up," Dobie said.

"That's not an uncommon thing. They're not robots, they're not programmed, and we've done that lots over the years as have many teams. It's a change-up, but it's also an opportunity to have your guy on the sidelines standing right beside your quarterbacks coach and taking a breath and seeing things from that perspective."

Much like when the two teams met in the regular season, Calgary's consistent pressure was a problem for both Bison pivots as the Dinos recorded four sacks of their own.

"We expected [their defensive strategy] to be very similar, and I think generally it was," Dobie said. "They were coming with pressure. They're really aggressive and they're fast and they're athletic. Calgary's defence is really good."

With the season now over, Dobie and company turn their attention to recruiting and focusing on areas of need for the 2019 season.

Defensively, the squad graduates Jayden McKoy at safety, Houston Rennie at strong side linebacker and Braiden Watson at defensive tackle, as well as potentially Dufault in the draft. But all things considered, Manitoba is looking fairly solid.

They return Canada West All-Stars Shae Weekes and Marcel Arruda-Welch in the secondary, along with Stefan Conway and Arjay Shelley on the other side. All of their other linebackers will also return, while they will continue to have stellar depth up front with Brock Gowanlock, Samson Abbott and Chris Larsen off the edge, along with Jeremie Drouin, Kent Hicks and Cole Adamson inside, among others.

"Our guys that are here will get better," Dobie said.

"They will continue to work out hard in the weight room and on the track and they will be in offseason meetings and film sessions with coach [Stan] Pierre. The nucleus, the base of our defence is here. For sure we're excited for next year, because we think our defence is here now. It needs to take another step, but we think it's here."

The offensive side of the ball is where there are more departures and, thus, areas of focus.

Manitoba graduates Shai Ross, Stephen Ugbah and Canada West All-Star Dylan Schrot at receiver, while they will potentially lose as many as three offensive linemen, including likely CFL draft pick Zack Williams. Additionally, Catellier is entering his fourth year, while Ybarra Jr. and third string Jonathan Remple will be entering year five. With that in mind, Dobie is looking at bringing in at least two more pivots in the offseason in order to groom them to be the quarterback of the future once the other three have exhausted their eligibility.

A key part of the offence's success, however, will be up to coordinator Blair Atkinson, who will be entering his third year in the position and showed tremendous growth in year two. Additionally, offensive consultant Vaughan Mitchell will continue to be there to lend a hand as someone who's been in Atkinson's position in the past.

"I think Blair has great command of the passing game and the concepts that he works with," Dobie said. "But I also think the offseason is going to be really good for our offensive staff, because bringing Vaughn back as an offensive consultant, that will impact more this offseason than it did this season and will be a continuing and growing asset."