CFL.ca Staff
CALGARY — The Saint Mary’s Huskies arrived in Calgary Thursday morning to prepare for the Mitchell Bowl on Saturday – and the icy weather in Southern Alberta dominated discussion at the traditional Meet the Teams press conference.
The national semi-final between the Huskies and the Canada West champion University of Calgary Dinos is set for 1:30 p.m. local (3:30 ET) Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium, broadcast live nationally on TSN and live Manitoba-west on Radio-Canada (tape delay Ontario-east). After significant snowfall blanketed Calgary in white Tuesday, the visitors were bundled up before heading to the field for their first on-site practice.
With kickoff temperature forecast to be minus-12 degrees Celcius, Saint Mary’s quarterback Micah Brown, a native of Tampa, Fla., was inundated with questions about the frigid temperatures and the snow.
“The coldest game I’ve been in was probably about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and then when we got here, it was minus-1 Fahrenheit (-15 Celcius),” laughed the fourth-year pivot. “This is the coldest weather I’ve ever been in, not just played in. It’s going to be different and challenging with the snow.”
Steve Sumarah, the 2009 CIS coach of the year, readily agreed with his quarterback.
“The reality is the punting game is especially impacted,” Sumarah said. “You have a poor punter on the sideline that gets out there nine, 10 times where he has to kick a brick. It’s going to affect the return games as well, and the throwing of the ball…I think both teams are going to run the ball probably a little bit more than originally planned.”
Calgary’s run game was the story when they faced the Huskies under more favourable conditions in last year’s Uteck Bowl in Halifax. The Dinos were able to rack up 426 yards along the ground in their 38-14 victory, with 235 of those coming from Matt Walter.
“They (Saint Mary’s) put a lot of weight on the shoulders of their defence, and we have some things in place to try to move the ball,” said Calgary head coach Blake Nill, who has led the Dinos to three straight Canada West championships in five seasons after spending eight years at the helm in Halifax. “You’re probably going to see the ball being run a lot more, and both teams have the ability to run and aren’t afraid to run. It’s something that we’re going to have to do offensively and something we’re going to have to defend, and that’s something we’ve been working on all week.
“Offensively, they have a couple of guys on their offence that are difference-makers,” Nill went on. You’re not going to be able to stop them completely, but we’re going to have to do a good job limiting the damage they do.”
Two-time Hec Crighton winner Erik Glavic, who was named national MVP once each with the Huskies and the Dinos, said his team is preparing well and will be ready for kickoff on Saturday.
“This team is focused, and it’s all about one goal, which is to get back to the Vanier Cup,” said the fifth-year quarterback. “You have to stay hungry and look at the task at hand. Last year in the Uteck Bowl we got a lot of individual efforts, which helped us win that game, but we can’t expect that to happen all the time.
“We can’t take this team lightly – they’re a good team, and from studying on film their defence is very good. We’re going to have to work hard to put some points on the board.”
In Saturday’s other national semi-final at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City, the No. 1 Laval Rouge et Or host the No. 2 Western Mustangs in the Uteck Bowl at noon Eastern, live coast-to-coast on TSN and Radio-Canada.
The winners of the Bowl games advance to the Desjardins Vanier Cup, Saturday, November 27 in Quebec City, live on TSN and Radio-Canada at 11:30 a.m. ET.
-With files from U of Calgary sports information
