EDMONTON — Ryan Sheahan got his first win coaching the Calgary Dinos on Friday night.
And it came in enemy — and arch-rival — territory.
Nate Beauchemin scored two defensive touchdowns following interceptions, while Gideon Agyei added another and Vince Triumbari went a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts as the Dinos football team locked down the fifth-ranked Alberta Golden Bears with a 36-22 win from Foote Field.
Alberta scored the first nine points of the game, only to see Beauchemin notch his first pick-six with 5:02 left in the first quarter — just two plays before Agyei jumped an out-route and returned the ball 18 yards for another TD off an interception to give the Dinos a 14-9 lead and completely flip the momentum of this one.
In all, the Dinos defence finished the night with four INTs and eight total turnovers for their second-straight game with five-plus turnovers to start the season.
“The defence was sensational,” said first-year Dinos sideline boss Sheahan. “They’ve been our heart and soul all the way through training camp. We’re still learning how to adapt to this new system on offence. We still have some guys that this was their second game, so rusty is an understatement. We have a lot of work to do to improve, but this was a great team win.
“The guys deserve to feel good after this one. We had great special teams and excellent defence. And on offence, we got some clutch first downs when we needed to, but there’s still work to do.”
After a quick pick-six by Alberta and a team safety playing the field position game, Calgary quickly found themselves in a 9-0 hole.
Cue the Dinos defence.
Pressure from defensive lineman Liam Reid forced an errant throw by Eli Hetlinger and Beauchemin was waiting. The fourth-year defensive back weaved his way to midfield before turning on the jets for a 73-yard score.
Two plays later, it was Agyei’s turn. The Toronto native picked it off at the 18-yard line, avoided one tackler and scampered into the end zone to stun the Alberta homecoming crowd.
After the two teams traded field goals, it was Beauchemin again. With the Bears driving just past midfield, the native of Kelowna, B.C. grabbed his second pick of the day at the 35-yard line and coasted 75 yards for his second score of the day.
With the 148 return yards, Beauchemin broke the Dinos single-season — and game — interception return yardage before halftime. Darren Peterson previously held the mark with 142 INT return yards back in 1987 season.
After the game, Beauchemin reflected on his two game-turning plays.
“The first one, I was one guy covering two and it happened to come to me. The second one … if the ball went anywhere else, I would have been out of position and heard about it on film. It feels good. You get a little bit lucky sometimes, but it’s all about the week of practice that prepares you for these moments.”
The Dinos added a pair of Triumbari field goals to hold a 30-12 lead at the half, milking the game away over the final 30 minutes — only seeing Alberta find the end zone with the game already decided.
Calgary’s ground game showed improvement in Week 2, with Matthieu Clarke churning out 52 yards on 17 carries, while Tieso Piscionieri had a number of gouging runs before finishing with 45 yards and just eight attempts.
Dom Britton finished the night just 10-of-22 for 156 yards but came up with a number of key plays, including a 46-yard strike to Jack Gutek just before halftime to set up a Triumbari chip-shot.
Defensively, Ethan Ball led Calgary with nine tackles. Beauchemin added six, while teammates Osasare Odemwingie and Everett Schmuland each tallied five.
Steen Rasmussen collected the Dinos fourth and final interception of the night — his second in as many games to start the season.
The win continues Calgary’s run of dominance on the road in the Battle of Alberta, winning the last 11 times in Edmonton, with the last road loss in the series by the Dinos coming back on Oct. 25, 2008.
“The guys were all congratulating me on my first win as head coach, but this team beat U of A,” added Sheahan. “That’s what we’re really proud of. (The Bears) are a good football team, and we showed up and beat them at home.”
Up next, Calgary heads northeast to Saskatoon to take on a Saskatchewan Huskies squad that is still looking for its first win after a 33-28 loss to the Regina Rams on Friday.
— Tim Prahl