Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

[gizmo fan 2]

vs.

Don't put away that green and gold gear just yet, folks. There's still a big game Saturday.
And trust me, there are few better ways to get over an Eskimos loss than to go down to Foote and watch another green and gold team kick the opponent all over the field. But U of S is a good team, so I anticipate a very close game - and every voice in the stands helps.

The Huskies come into this weekend riding a two-game losing streak, including an upset loss in Regina last Saturday on a last-second punt single - but have won four straight against Alberta dating back to the 2004 CanWest final. Rookie QB Brett Thompson and sack master Brian Guebert look to extend that streak to five, and lock up 2nd place in Canada West with a win.

The Golden Bears stuffed Calgary 33-10 last week for their second win in a row. Dave Lowry and Danny Bass Jr. lead a tough Bears' defence that forced the Dinos into nine turnovers. All-purpose speedster Kendall Jeske and super rookie Tendayi Jozzy are the main men in a Bears' rushing attack that piled up 276 yds on the ground last week, and they will be used early and often on a cold FieldTurf surface at Foote.

The Week 2 27-6 Huskie win in Saskatoon was a bit of an aberration - the game was 6-5 Bears after 3 quarters, but Adam Fragomeni's first game as punter was one to forget, as he had a punt blocked for a TD and a high snap was recovered by the Huskies for 7 more, both in the 4th quarter. Other than that, the game seemed pretty even - certainly not indicative of a 21-point spread.

This is going to be the most key game of the season.
If Alberta wins, a very real possibility if they play like they did last week, they get a home game (assuming they don't blow the game against Regina next week). Which would mean that there WILL be football in this town in November.
Sure, it's not pro, but it's a lot better than nothing. And it would give everyone an excuse to keep their gear out for another week, like usual.
A big crowd will do wonders in the cozy confines of Foote - and it's one of the best deals in town in terms of sporting value for your money.
So I urge EVERYONE to get out there on Saturday night and support Coach Jedrock and the Bears.


Saskatchewan.

Alberta.

Saturday, October 21.

7:00 pm.

Foote Field.

To quote the U of A marketing campaign - Your Seat is Ready. (And yes, there ARE actual seats now - no armrests, but molded seats and backs. Unlike SOME stadiums that I won't mention. )

Call 492-BEAR for tickets.
Adults $10 at the stadium, $8 advance
Students $5
U of A Students $4

Hope to see some of you there.

[gizmo fan 2]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

And, as befitting a big game such as this, I present to you Giz's MS Word/Paint graphic of the week.

Send 'em home whimpering!

TIME TO CAGE THE DAWGS!

[gizmo fan 2]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

Hello? (lo......lo......lo......)

ANYONE? (one......one......one......)

FINE, then.

[Party Time]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

Haha, I would go, but I've got midterms next week, along with a pile of assignments......
Hopefully we get that home game...I should be able to make that....

[gizmo fan 2]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

Haha, I would go, but I've got midterms next week, along with a pile of assignments......
Hopefully we get that home game...I should be able to make that....

Nope. Lost 28-11.

Usual Bears' problems...arm-tackling, and not making plays on offence (though SSK did a good job of taking away the run, our strength) .

Turning point of the game was with about 10 mins left in the 4th - Bears had just got a TD at the beginning of the quarter to make it 25-11, had SSK pinned back at their 20 or so, punting......and our returner Jeske underestimates the slightly short punt, dives for it at the last second, the ball bounces off the turf, then off his helmet, it's a live ball, and SSK recovers. Though we stop them there again, they kill a minute, hit a good punt, and then it's 1st-and-10 Bears at our 20 with 9 mins left, instead of at their 50 with 10 mins left and momentum.

Oh well. Still one game left against Regina here next Saturday, which should also be good. Will be a must-win for Alberta, as if we lose, we and Regina will be 4-4 and tied for the last playoff spot - but Regina will get it due to the head-to-head win. (assuming UBC doesn't lose to Calgary tomorrow.)

[esks4life]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

Go Rams...

[pete]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

lets face it the bears will go no where with the QB's they have. Linkes best pass is the short hopper and Quade tries to do his Mike Vick impression the minute he hits the 5th step in his drop.

[gizmo fan 2]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

lets face it the bears will go no where with the QB's they have. Linkes best pass is the short hopper and Quade tries to do his Mike Vick impression the minute he hits the 5th step in his drop.

Quade's looked easily the better of the two throwing...no idea why they didn't just start him yesterday.

Linke can't seem to throw even a swing pass to save his life - he overthrew Jeske in the flat yesterday, and his completion % on those must be extremely low.

To be honest, I didn't really expect the Bears to do as well as they have - a playoff spot with two basically rookie QB's and all the other new guys on offence would be pretty good, I think. An infuriating thing (for me) has been the schedule itself, as we got dealt a pretty tough hand IMO - play week 1 in Saskatoon, play at Manitoba, 4 of the first 5 on the road, have to play Sask twice, play Regina just when they start to get hot, etc. Compare that to UBC, who should end up with a similar record and will probably beat us/Regina out for 3rd (assuming Manitoba rests some starters in the last week)...they get to beat up on SFU and Calgary twice each, and play Manitoba and Regina at home. They only really have to travel three times, and two of those are relatively short hops to here/Calgary.
To sum up, to the sched.

I hope Armstrong plays most of next week. And I hope the secondary is on their toes - Regina's air game is the CanWest equivalent of the Esks circa 2004 or so. Will be interesting - and here's hoping for a cold, wet, windy day next Saturday.

[gizmo fan 2]

Re: Bears/Saskatchewan - Saturday night

Compare that to UBC, who should end up with a similar record and will probably beat us/Regina out for 3rd (assuming Manitoba rests some starters in the last week)...they get to beat up on SFU and Calgary twice each, and play Manitoba and Regina at home. They only really have to travel three times, and two of those are relatively short hops to here/Calgary.
To sum up, to the sched.

Check that ...Calgary beat UBC today .

Changes things a bit - if Manitoba beats UBC next week, the Bears are in the playoffs (I THINK - depends on pts for/against). If UBC wins, then Bears have to win or they're out - but if they do win, they'll be 3rd.