WINNIPEG — The Manitoba Bisons’ season ended like it will for all but one of the university football teams in the playoffs, with a loss. It was a disappointing end to the campaign for the Herd who went out with a whimper in front of a national TV audience as they were blown out by the UBC Thunderbirds 52-10 in Saturday’s Hardy Cup semifinal.
“We were shocked,” Bisons head coach Brian Dobie said. “UBC played a tremendous game. It was the best game that anybody played against us all year, by a mile.”
Manitoba surrendered 29 first half points and the game was pretty much over before the start of the third quarter.
“You could feel a shark attack coming. You know, waters being filled with blood,” Dobie said. “You just see the momentum building for them and we’re trying to climb up a slippery slope.”
The two teams had met just seven days before with the Thunderbirds also winning their first meeting. But that game was a whole lot closer as Manitoba lost by only two touchdowns.
“We absolutely expected to win and I don’t mean that arrogantly. I’m sitting here after a blowout playoff loss. So I’m saying that in the most humble way I possibly can.”
A blowout playoff loss is a tough way to finish a football career and for some on the Bisons this was the end of the line. Even though much of the Bisons roster will be back in 2016, there were still a few tears shed after such a disappointing performance.
“There were guys sobbing, literally sobbing around the room, fifth year players,” Dobie said. “At the end of the day somebody is going to win the Vanier Cup, the other 27 teams in the nation will have lost. And I think for us in that locker room that loss was compounded by the way we lost.”
WATCH: Brian Dobie on their disappointing performance in the Canada West Semifinal.
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