Welcome to the Dog House. The Alberta Golden Bears begin their journey towards the Vanier Cup with a visit to Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon to take on the Saskatchewan Huskies. Playing in Saskatchewan requires intense focus and mental toughness as it’s the hardest atmosphere to deal with. From tailgating to fireworks, rabid fans and “Support the Troops” night – there are a ton of distractions that could be too difficult to overcome for a young Golden Bears squad.
Golden Bears head coach Jeff Stead says the key to overcoming those distractions is to embrace them. “We just treat it like it’s for us. They’re gonna shut the lights off because the Gold’s too bright.” He went on to say that “I think it’s exciting for the athletes. We don’t build it up like it’s the holy grail or anything. I wish every college stadium had that atmosphere.”
WHAT TO EXPECT
The Golden Bears will have their hands full on Friday Night. Their biggest weakness will be a young, inexperienced Offensive Line. If the Huskies find a way to exploit that – it’ll be a very long night for the Quarterbacks.
Jeff Stead hasn’t publically announced who his starter will be, but the smart money is on third year quarterback Curtis Dell. With that said, should Dell struggle you can expect to see Ryan Schwartz taking some snaps. “They’re always going to compete – they’re that close. They’ve got a great relationship, they worked hard at training camp, they’ve worked hard in the off season to get to this point.” Stead adds, “Mentally and physically they’ve earned it, now it’s just a matter of the actual execution”.
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Defensively, the Golden Bears can hold their own against their Canada West competitors. They’ve returned a number of starters from last season and will be the bright spot for this team all year long.
On Special Teams, you’ll want to keep an eye on rookie kicker Stephen Fabian. The 17-year old from Tilley, Alberta is considered to have one of the strongest legs in the conference.
STOPPING THE HUSKIES
Beating the Huskies at Griffiths Stadium is easier said than done. Saskatchewan has won four of their last five home openers, including a 38-7 decision last season against Alberta.
The key to victory is taking away the big play and, according to Jeff Stead, controlling the Huskies defensive line. “Their front four are probably the best in this conference. And now they have a whole new linebacking core which may balance it out but their front four is definitely something we gotta control”.
Most importantly, however, they must come together as one single unit. The coaching staff emphasized the importance of team work and bonding in the off-season. “It’s 100% a different team” said Stead. “There have been some guys that we did recruit or veterans that weren’t invited back or still came to camp and just didn’t want to buy into that and didn’t want to change. Then they need to move on because this group is part of the new process. It may not pay off in week one but it’s going to pay off in the long run with this group”.
DID YOU KNOW…
– Kick Off is at 7pm at Griffiths Stadium.
– Alberta begins the season with three of their first four games on the road.
– Saskatchewan’s starting quarterback will be rookie Drew Burko.
– Huskies running back Dexter Janke is out of the season with a torn ACL.
– Global Saskatoon Sports Director, Kim Thue, reports that Huskies Linebacker Seamus Neary will miss Friday’s game with a hamstring injury.
I’m off to Saskatoon to take in the opening game of the CIS Football season. I’ll have a full recap on the weekend. For those you going out for the Labour Day Long Weekend – be safe and remember, if you’re drinking please don’t drive.
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