2011 CIS Football Team Preview: Calgary Dinos

Source: Ben Matchett, Calgary Sports Info

2010 regular season record: 6-2
2010 regular season standings: 2nd in Canada West
2010 playoff record: 3-1
2010 playoff finish: Lost 29-2 to Laval in Vanier Cup

Not much is certain as the University of Calgary Dinos prepare to defend their Canada West championship for the third straight season, but one thing is for sure: the 2011 campaign will not end at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City.

After winning Canada West’s Hardy Cup each of the last three seasons, the Dinos invariably headed to the Université Laval campus – for the Uteck Bowl in 2008 and the Vanier Cup in 2009 and 2010 – and all three times made the long journey back to the visitors’ locker room empty-handed.

In 2011 the Vanier Cup heads west, crossing the Rockies for the first time on its way to BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and Grey Cup weekend. The Dinos would dearly love to spend a late-November week in the Lower Mainland – but the road is an arduous one.

The team returns in 2011 without the services of eight former conference all-stars, seven of whom were also All-Canadians – including a two-time national MVP quarterback. Erik Glavic, Andrea Bonaventura, Anthony DesLauriers, and Aaron Ifield each exhausted their CIS eligibility last season, while Anthony Parker, Nathan Coehoorn, Paul Swiston, and Alex Krausnick-Groh each stuck with their respective Canadian Football League teams after Calgary’s outstanding showing in the CFL Draft in May.

Quote from head coach:

“Every game, every week, every year in Canada West is a battle, and it’s going to be that way again in 2011,” said Calgary head coach Blake Nill, who’s about to begin his sixth season patrolling the sidelines at McMahon Stadium. “We’ve been fortunate enough to win some close games over the years, but it’s always tough to do it again because every team in this conference is so competitive.”

Head Coach:

- Number of seasons as head coach with team (including 2011): 6
- Number of seasons as head coach in CIS (including 2011): 14
- Career regular season record with team: 24-16 (.600)
- Career regular season record in CIS: 73-31 (.702)
- Career overall record with team (reg. season & playoffs only): 32-20 (.615)
- Career overall record in CIS (reg. season & playoffs only): 93-40 (.699)

OFFENCE

Number of returning starters: 7

Key returning players:

QB ERIC DZWILEWSKI is the incoming starter, fresh off a rookie campaign where he earned the Peter Gorman Trophy as the CIS rookie of the year. The Boise, Idaho native got stellar experience replacing Erik Glavic in 2010 and takes the next step as the team’s starting QB in 2011.

RB MATT WALTER starred for Canada at the World Football Championship in Austria over the summer and returns for a fifth season with the Dinos. Drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in May’s CFL draft, Walter is already the school’s all-time touchdowns leader and needs just 312 yards to become Calgary’s all-time leading rusher.

RB STEVEN LUMBALA was the MVP of the 2011 Mitchell Bowl, a 35-8 Dinos win over Saint Mary’s. He averaged better than six yards per carry for the Dinos in 2010 and was 1-for-1 in the passing department, throwing a TD in the conference semi-final game out of the wildcat offence.

OL REED ALEXANDER was picked up by Montreal in the CFL draft but elected to head to Austria with Team Canada instead, where he took every snap and captured the silver medal. Alexander is a team captain with a steadying influence on the O-line, which returns three of five starters.

OL KIRBY FABIEN is already being touted as a potential first-round pick in next year’s CFL draft. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 300 pounds, Fabien returns for a third season anchoring the right side of the offensive line at right tackle.

Key recruits (or newcomers: transfers):

R JAKE HARTY starred in Calgary high school, then with the Calgary Colts of the Prairie Football Conference last season. He makes the move to the CIS level and will look to replace some of the yardage the Dinos lost with the CFL departures of Anthony Parker and Nathan Coehoorn.

OL SUKH CHUNGH makes a belated appearance on the field after redshirting last season as he upgraded academically. Just 19 years old, the Port Coquitlam, B.C. native is 6-foot-4, weighs 300 pounds, and brings the strength to go with it. He played at the IFAF Team USA vs. The World showcase in 2010, representing Canada on Team World.

OC GREG DeLAVAL was hired by the Dinos in April as the program’s full-time assistant coach after resurrecting the Varsity Blues program in his three-year stint as head coach at the University of Toronto. DeLaval takes over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2011.

Key losses:

QB ERIK GLAVIC leaves big shoes to fill at the pivot spot and is one of seven All-Canadians who have moved on from the 2010 edition of the Dinos. Glavic, the two-time Hec Crighton Trophy winner, completed his eligibility and will graduate with an economics degree this fall.

WR NATHAN COEHOORN was a first-round pick, fifth overall, in May’s CFL draft and has dressed in every game so far for the Edmonton Eskimos.

SB ANTHONY PARKER was another first-round pick for the Dinos, going two spots ahead of Coehoorn and moving across McMahon Stadium to the Calgary Stampeders. Parker has seen extensive duties on special teams for the Stamps in 2011 and has gotten involved in the offence as well.

OL PAUL SWISTON was selected in the fourth round by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The 6-foot-9 left tackle, last year’s Canada West outstanding lineman and a second-team All-Canadian, attended the Bombers’ training camp and was placed on the 9-week injured reserve.

OL ALEX KRAUSNICK-GROH cracked the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ active roster thanks in large part to his long-snapping skills, which are featured on the Riders’ field goal and punt teams. He was also a fourth-round selection in the CFL Draft.

DEFENCE

Number of returning starters: 8

Key returning players:

LB SAM HURL made the step up after starting his career at defensive back and won immediate acclaim in 2010. He was the Canada West nominee for defensive player of the year after recording 42 tackles on the season at no fewer than three different positions for the Dinos.

DB TYE NOBLE is a veteran defensive back who was a Canada West all-star in 2010. Along with Doctor Cassama, Noble will be counted on as a shutdown halfback in Calgary’s secondary.

DL LINDEN GAYDOSH was the 2009 CIS rookie of the year and continues to dominate along the defensive line, even recording a playoff interception for the second straight year – taking it to the house against Alberta in the 2010 Hardy Cup.

Key recruits (or newcomers: transfers): LB Jordan Verdone, LB Zach McNeill,

LB JORDAN VERDONE transfers to Calgary from Waterloo, joining Gaydosh and Dzwilewski to put the last three CIS rookies of the year on the Dinos roster.

LB ZACH McNEILL was the Calgary Colts’ team MVP in 2010 and joins the Dinos with two years of eligibility remaining after a standout five-year junior career.

Key losses: LB Andrea Bonaventura, LB Geoff Paiement, DB Anthony DesLauriers

LB ANDREA BONAVENTURA, LB GEOFF PAIEMENT, and DB ANTHONY DesLAURIERS each completed their five years of CIS eligibility in 2010. Both Bonaventura and DesLauriers were all-Canadians during their careers, while Paiement was a steady five-year presence for the Dinos, who will miss his leadership.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Key returning players:

P/K JOHNNY MARK takes over kicking duties from Aaron Ifield. Mark, who redshirted under Ifield in 2010, is touted for his accuracy on field goals and his directional punting and continues to improve his punting distance.

Key recruits (or newcomers: transfers): N/A

Key losses:

P/K AARON IFIELD closed out his CIS career in style, booting a 51-yard field goal on the last play of the last regular season game to set a new CIS record with 71 career field goals. A five-year starter with the Dinos and a first team All-Canadian in 2010, Ifield has had several looks by CFL teams but has yet to crack an active roster.