Bisons QBs battle for starter’s job

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This article was published 23/08/2022 (1462 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Long after practice ended, there were Des Catellier and Jackson Tachinski throwing on-the-run long bombs under the overcast sky at IG Field on Tuesday evening.

Normally, it’s expected and to see quarterbacks working overtime, but the extra reps felt heavier with the U of M Bisons’ first game of the year set to kick off against the Huskies in Saskatchewan Thursday night.

The exhibition game against the Prairie rivals won’t count in the standings, but it will factor significantly as to who takes the field against the Regina Rams in nine days to start the Bisons’ eight-game regular season.

Catellier, the Bisons’ signal-caller from 2017-2019 and the first 38 minutes of 2021 before suffering a season-ending knee injury, and Tachinski, the replacement quarterback last year who filled in admirably after Catellier went down, are battling for the lead role of a team that has high hopes, coming off a 4-2 record and a Hardy Cup appearance a season ago.

While Catellier has received the first-team reps in practice, everything suggests the competition is still wide open.

“I’m excited to get back on the field and start playing game reps, full speed against another team,” said Catellier, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility after his quick exit in 2021. “You know, once you get deep into training camp, you kind of just get an itching for it so I’m just excited to get back out there and play some football.”

The competition is a good problem to have if you’re head coach Brian Dobie, who conceded the decision has been tough since camp began Aug. 11 due, in part, to the players’ differing skill sets.

“We’re using stats, we’re using film, we’re using our gut, (intangibles) come into play — but both are very good leaders — so a part of it will be the game on Thursday night against the University of Saskatchewan,” he said.

The starting quarterback is just one of the remaining position battles as the regular season nears.

Dobie said while a “significant” number of starters have already been decided for the Bisons, who return 18 starters (nine on offence, nine on defence) from last season, there are still battles that need to be hashed out.

One of those competitions is in the defensive secondary, where the Bisons appear to have an embarrassment of riches consisting of returning players and exciting new recruits.

Sebastien Reid is one of the fresh faces in the crowd, and is in a tight battle with Jake Nitychoruk, in his second-year, for a starting spot at cornerback.

Reid, in his third year of eligibility, is playing football for the first time in three years and admits he’s still adjusting to the pace of the game.

After graduating from New Westminster Secondary School in 2018, Reid chose the University of Calgary over the Bisons. He redshirted his freshman year before transferring to the Langley Rams of the Canadian Junior Football League, where he played eight games.

He hasn’t played since, primarily owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I feel pretty good,” Reid said. “I’m in a position battle right now. He’s real good, I’m real good. So I think it’s just going to be whoever has a good game (Thursday) and continues to have it because every week is going to be a battle.”

“I think it’s helped me a lot,” he said of the competition in the DB room. “Like, I’m in a mindset where I know every day I gotta come out and compete. And I act like I don’t have a job because I know how big our group is. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to have good practices.”

The secondary also features a battle for one of the starting safety spots between Austin Balan and Stephen Adamopolous, both in their third year.

Regardless of who’s out there defending passes, the Bisons are raising the standard for what’s been a strength of the program in recent years.

Dobie said the secondary’s knowledge of the defence has been evident through the first two weeks of practice.

“They came into training camp, out of the gates flying. The defence is ahead in terms of its cohesiveness and understanding of what it needs to do. It’s further ahead than almost any defence we’ve ever had, in that respect.”

“Heck, we have a first-team All-Canadian at corner in Marcel Arruda-Welch,” Dobie said of his secondary’s talent. “I think those players are all proven players. We have depth, we have quality depth.”

Battles aside, the Bisons had a buzz about them Tuesday evening. While the looming game surely helped; more so, it was the collective understanding that a team that had come so close to a Hardy Cup a season ago forged an even tighter bond since that time and was finally ready to run it back as they had talked about all off season.

“Not even just the past couple of weeks. The whole off season, everybody’s just been so connected, keeping each other accountable,” said Jarrett Alcarez, a second-year defensive back who enters this season as an unquestioned starter in the secondary. “It’s really the different types of personalities we have here. I think it’s so important to have strong-willed young men who are driven in many different ways, whether it’s football or school. Everybody’s so diverse and I think that’s part of how we built that culture.”

“I think everybody just understands where we’re at as a team. Everybody knows that we have what it takes. Last year, it was a lot of building that culture, building what we want to be. It felt like we were almost there and then this year, it’s almost an inch away again, so I think with everybody knowing that, everybody’s pushing each other harder. I feel like we got a real shot at this.”

Dobie said he thinks the team’s identity this season will be its confidence, fuelled by the culture that’s been built.

“This is a team where there’s a lot of good players, but in order to have success, they realize that they need each other to make the ultimate success happen,” he said.

“This is, in terms of togetherness and the culture, one of the best teams I have ever coached in my career. That’s a true statement.”

While cautious to put the cart before the horse, Dobie was clear on his team’s expectations for the 2022 campaign.

“This team needs to get back to the Hardy Cup again, with hopefully a better result.”

The Bisons start their regular season against the Regina Rams at IG Field on Sept. 2.

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam