A week ago at Investors Group Field, it was a fourth quarter to remember for the Manitoba Bisons, as receiver
Dylan Schrot scored 14 points in 2:30 to beat the Alberta Golden Bears.
This week, facing a hungry Alberta team once again, the Bisons found more late game magic — ripping off 14 points in the last 2:21 to beat Alberta, 37-27.
The win moves Manitoba to 2-2 on the season, with both wins coming against the Golden Bears in the last two weeks. Alberta falls to 0-4 with the loss.
"It was a crazy game, and I'll be honest, I thought the University of Alberta did more right things than we did, and we were fortunate to win the game," said Bisons head coach
Brian Dobie.
Coming into the fourth quarter leading 22-13, the Bisons quickly found themselves scrambling against the home team. Alberta scored midway through the quarter on a Brad Launhardt touchdown run, getting them within two points. Launhardt, starting in place of Week 1 to 3 starter Brad Baker, totaled 243 yards and an interception on 12-for-35 passing in the loss.
Quickly on the heels of that play, fourth-year Ben Kopczynski ran a punt return back 50 yards to the house for another score. All of a sudden, it was 27-22 Alberta with 5:36 left.
"Alberta wouldn't fold. They didn't quit. And then they responded and started taking over the game. It was their game to win, and we had to find a way to escape," said Dobie.
That's when Manitoba dug in for some poise to finish the game. On the following drive, second-year running back
Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette — up one in the depth chart with
Jamel Lyles out — scampered 42 yards on two carries to get the Bisons into the red zone. From there,
Des Catellier connected with
Trysten Dyce for Dyce's second receiving touchdown of the game to give Manitoba the lead back.
After a couple Alberta penalties stopped their ensuing drive short, the Bisons put the game on ice. St. Pierre-Laviolette got the ball and took it 51 yards to the house off a jump cut, giving the game its final score: 37-27.
St. Pierre-Laviolette, a native of Brandon, Manitoba, ended up with an enviable stat line of 133 yards and a touchdown on ten carries. Also helping in Lyles' absence was
Somto Anyadike, who had 46 yards on 11 carries. The two youngsters helped Manitoba get a season-high seven yards per carry on the night.
At the receiver position, fifth-year
Dylan Schrot didn't get into the end zone, but still hit triple digits with 100 yards receiving on nine catches. A more surprising name in the receiving column was defensive lineman
Kent Hicks, who grabbed a two-yard touchdown in the first half on a Manitoba trick play.
At pivot,
Des Catellier had an excellent line of 303 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception on 32-for-39 passing.
"We love our quarterback.
Des Catellier is the real deal," said Dobie. "I think he throws a really good ball, and has a really high football IQ. But above all, his compete level is through the roof. And he channeled that in the second half, and led our offence."
Manitoba also got a great contribution from returner
Marcel Arruda-Welch, who continued his hot stretch of play with 114 yards on punt returns and 82 yards on kick returns.
Besides another game where their offence was out-paced, Alberta struggled with ill-timed penalties on Friday. While both teams struggled with flags — Manitoba had 14 for 134 yards, Alberta had 14 for 120 — the Golden Bears' seemed costlier, as three fourth quarter flags either stalled their own drives or continued Manitoba's.
Bison football now looks forward to next weekend, as they take on the Regina Rams in their annual Homecoming Game on Saturday, September 29 at 2 PM. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster for $17.50, while U of M students and fans 17-and-under get in free.
