By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
Feature photo: Jesse Walker hauls in a TD grab for the Bisons. Photo by Trevor Hagan.
This article originally appeared on gobisons.ca by the same author here.
For two weeks, the Bison football team – despite playing competitive football against two nationally ranked opponents – had been burdened by critical errors at critical times. But against the Alberta Golden Bears, they turned the tides, making some massive plays when it counted en route to a 37-21 win at home.
From their head coach’s perspective, it was an ugly win. But when all was said and done, the team put one into the win column and proved that they can look hardship in the mirror and overcome it.
“Like I said in the locker room, I thought we took a step back. We didn’t play very good football. We were all over the place on headsets, we were all over the place on the bench, we were substituting the wrong players, people were making mistakes. We took ten penalties, it’s the most we’ve taken this year. It was that kind of a game. It was just not a game where we were in a good rhythm,” Dobie said postgame.
“But we made plays and we found ways to win. And that’s what I said to [the team]. At the end of the day, it’s adversity. I don’t care who you play or who you win against. If you can win against adversity, that’s big.”
Saturday’s contest featured game-changing contributions from second-year cornerback Arjay Shelley as well as fifth-year slotback Dylan Schrot.
With the Golden Bears up 7-6 early in the second quarter and driving in the red zone, Shelley recorded a critical interception which kept Alberta from adding to their lead. He also added a second interception late in the third quarter on a tipped ball from fifth-year safety Jayden McKoy.
“He had two picks and he made a couple a couple of big tackles. He certainly made some plays,” Dobie said of Shelley’s performance. “I thought Jayden McKoy [made some plays] back there too and [strong side linebacker] Houston Rennie.”
Offensively, Schrot took the game over in the fourth. First, he took a screen pass 41 yards to the house to give the Bisons a 25-21 lead with just under eight minutes to play. He followed that up with a 51-yard touchdown reception on the following drive, using his speed to evade multiple Golden Bears defenders.
Schrot finished the contest with 141 yards on just six receptions and is now tied for the conference lead in receiving yards with 370 after three weeks of play. To put those numbers into perspective, he had just 238 yards all of last season while playing wideout. His five touchdowns are also tops in Canada West and are just two shy of tying Manitoba’s single-season record.
“Here he is again, for 141 yards on only six receptions and he’s been been doing that every game,” Dobie said of Schrot’s strong start to the 2018 season. “He’s unquestionably one of the best players in Canada West and on this football team.”
Next week, Manitoba heads to Alberta to face these same Golden Bears in a rematch. Home and homes are never easy, as according to Dobie, the opposing team has gotten the chance to see a significant amount of what’s in your playbook from the week prior. However, it appears the Bisons are ready for the challenge.