Bisons inch their way into playoffs

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This article was published 30/10/2023 (1045 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Bisons had 12 points to spare and they used every one of them.

It was dubbed The Manitoba Miracle, a sequence of plays that ended as time expired on the last regular season game and helped the Bisons secure a spot in the Canada West football playoffs for the fifth year in a row on Saturday.

Up 35-15, the Calgary Dinos needed to salt away the last 12 seconds to punch their ticket to the playoffs— a situation as ordinary as it gets.

“In my head, I’m thinking, ‘We might get the ball back with a couple of seconds,’” said Bisons quarterback Jackson Tachinski. “I was kind of getting ready for a Hail Mary or a play like that.”

That was until Bisons defensive back Stephen Adamopoulos knocked the ball free from Dinos running back Matthieu Clarke and Nick Conway scooped up the loose ball before scampering 30 yards for a Manitoba touchdown.

The Bisons would need a two-point conversion to clinch an improbable playoff berth via a point-differential tie-breaker, which proved to be a layup when Tachinski found a wide-open DeShawn Le Jour at the goal line to make it a 35-23 final in Alberta.

“I thought the season might be done and I was just trying to go out hustling,” said Conway, a fourth-year who added three tackles to his day. “I was just flowing to the ball, next thing I knew it was on the ground and I was just in the right place at the right time and was able to make a play.

“Honestly, the play, it’s Stephen Adamopoulos. I think it’s more of his play than anything, he’s the guy that forced the fumble. You don’t get my scoop and score without him punching the ball out and forcing that fumble. We got lucky and we kept ourselves alive for one more week and now we just gotta focus on the next week.”

Indeed, the Herd (3-5) must quickly hit the reset button to prepare for a date with the top-seeded University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (6-2) in Vancouver on Saturday (3 p.m. CT).

The Thunderbirds trounced the Bisons 56-10 in B.C. on Sept. 16 when Manitoba was without Tachinski, who missed the contest with a shoulder injury.

There’s no doubt the Bisons are a much-improved team since that day, but they also know they will need their A-game against one of the best programs in the country.

UBC is led by its offence, a unit that’s averaged a conference-best 33.9 points per outing this season. It all starts up front for the Thunderbirds, whose two starting tackles, Theo Benedet and Giovanni Manu, have received some attention from the National Football League and are expected to have a spot in the Canadian Football League if they want it.

“Everybody expected UBC to be there and here they are,” said head coach Brian Dobie. “Their offensive line is enormous, it’s outstanding and extremely well-coached.

“(Garrett) Rooker at quarterback, he’s a veteran and athletic and mobile and having a great year,” he continued. “They have speed at receiver, they have an All-Canadian running back, they have speed in their defensive secondary — there’s not a lot missing. They’re the No. 1 seed for many reasons and for sure it’s going to be a huge challenge but once you’re in the playoffs, every day is a new day until it’s not.”

Dobie acknowledged that it can be tough for a team to reset emotionally after what transpired in Calgary but believes his team’s track record speaks for itself when it comes to rising to the occasion.

“They’ve been involved in as pressure as it gets and I think what’s more important is… it’s not the hype we need, it’s not the rah-rah we need at this point, it’s being calm and collected and being responsible with our jobs and our assignments and doing things the right way,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Bisons offence — which averaged 31 points over its previous four games — will also need to find a groove again after mustering just 17 points against Calgary. Tachinski, who will make his second career start in a conference semi-final game (2021), said the offence will be ready for whatever is thrown at them.

“We think we’re a good offence. We know we’re a good offence. When we’re on our A-game I don’t think anyone can really stop us. We didn’t have the greatest offensive performance against Calgary, but I think that’s a credit to their defence, it played pretty well,” Tachinski said.

“We’re ready for whatever game it’s going to be, whether that’s a shootout or a defensive showdown. I think we’ll be ready because we have the confidence in ourselves.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

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