EDMONTON — It was a home opener for the ages as the Alberta Golden Bears erased an 18-point deficit to stun the (9) Saskatchewan Huskies 38-26.
Coming into the game, Huskies Head Coach Brian Towriss was expecting a tough battle and knew the Bears had a high-powered offence.
“They’ve got five or six players that can hurt you and take the ball a long ways on any touch on offence,” said Towriss.
That’s exactly what happened on Friday night. Ed Ilnicki led the way with 19 carries for 149 yards including a 61-yard run that cemented Alberta’s victory.
Once again, rookie quarterback Ben Kopczynski had a solid outing, completing 23 of 35 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns. His favourite target? Jimmy Ralph who hauled in eight catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.
It truly was a tale of two halves as the Bears just couldn’t seem to find a rhythm in the opening two quarters. Tyler Chow scored a pair of touchdowns and it looked like the Huskies would travel back to Saskatoon with a convincing 1-1 record.
But it was a completely different Bears team when they marched back onto the field to start the third quarter. It all started with a methodical eight-play, 75-yard drive down field capped off with a Kopczynski touchdown. From there, the flood gates burst open as the Bears outscored the Huskies 38-8 in the final 30 minutes.
With the win, the Bears are 2-0 to start a season for the first time since 2010, while Saskatchewan remains winless and falls to the bottom of the Canada West.
Up next, one of the biggest “Battle of Alberta” match-ups in recent memory as the Bears visit the Calgary Dinos with top spot up for grabs.
If the Bears hope to remain perfect, their defence will need to pull out a herculean effort. Dating back to last season, the defence has given up at least 500 yards in eight of their last 10 games.
In their two games against Calgary last year? They gave up a combined total of 1,502 yards. The Bears / Dinos game will be broadcast live on Krown Produce Canada West Football on Shaw TV. Tune in on local Shaw TV, Shaw HD Ch. 304, Shaw Direct 299 on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
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