Bisons could go all the way

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This article was published 10/09/2024 (571 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jackson Tachinski is the kind of dual-threat quarterback who makes life misery for opposing defences.

Last Friday in Vancouver he served up a perfect example.

With the Manitoba Bisons trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, the right-handed Tachinski rolled left to avoid the UBC rush before firing a perfect strike (48 yards through the air) to slot receiver Vaughan Lloyd at the Thunderbirds’ 40-yard line.

Lloyd, catching the football in stride behind UBC defender Max Kennedy, scampered the distance for Manitoba’s first touchdown of the game and a tied game. The Bisons went on to score 23 more unanswered points to pummel No. 8-ranked UBC, 33-10.

It was Manitoba’s first road win in Vancouver in 11 years and gave the Herd a 2-0 start to sit atop the Canada West university football standings.

The Bisons are hoping to give Brian Dobie, in his 29th and final season as head coach before retiring, a championship finish in 2024. With 22 starters returning from 2023, they have the horses to do it.

“Tachinski is the biggest key to it all, of course,” said Dobie, whose club will host the formidable Alberta Golden Bears at Princess Auto Stadium Saturday at 2 p.m. “He’s such a threat. I mean that pass he threw, rolling to his left, was unreal. (Lloyd) didn’t have to break stride and slow down or speed up.”

Tachinski has a strong arm but he’s an equally dangerous runner. The 6-4, 215-pounder carried the ball nine times for 61 rushing yards against UBC and added 62 yards on seven attempts in a season-opening 37-24 win over the Saskatchewan Huskies.

“He made a number of really good throws in game and then his ability to run, it just puts so much pressure on the defence,” said Dobie. “But if you look at his stats, they’re nothing fancy. He’s not throwing 300 yards but when you combine his throwing and his running, that’s a different deal. He’s very different quarterback than Trey Ford (of the Edmonton Elks) but kind of like him. When Ford was at Waterloo, he threw the ball really well and he ran the ball well and that’s Jackson.”

Tachinski, in his fourth year of eligibility, passed for 156 yards in the opener and 286 against the T-birds. In both games, he displayed a new-found care when taking off on a run, usually opting for a slide instead of taking the risk of absorbing a big hit.

“A big part of this team being successful is having our players healthy,” said Tachinski. “So a big thing I’ve been focusing on this year is just staying healthy, not taking any unnecessary hits.”

Tachinski’s superb stat line also includes four TD passes and zero interceptions while Manitoba’s stout offensive line has not allowed a sack in two games.

“He’s being a wise young man — it’s exactly what we need,” said Dobie. “And we don’t need him to be a hero until he has to be a hero.”

Manitoba’s reliance on a steady ground game, starring tailback Breydon Stubbs, comes at the expense of bigger passing numbers.

“I’d love to throw for 500 yards in the game, but at the same time I’d also love to win every game,” said Tachinski. “And right now we’re really good at running the football and that’s kind of the identity of our team.”

Stubbs rushed for 109 and 105 yards in consecutive starts to open the season.

“He’s run the ball really hard,” said Tachinski. “He’s making guys miss, he’s kind of shedding guys off. That’s kind of the Stubbs I know. But also our O-line is super good. They put a lot of work in the off-season and they’re very experienced group, too.”

Fellow Vincent Massey grad, Lloyd, had a career-high 143 receiving yard on five catches against the Thunderbirds. The versatile 23-year-old began his U Sports career as a boundary receiver before spending two seasons as one of the club’s running backs. In 2024, he will line up as a slotback and occasionally as a tailback.

“Honestly, I feel like I could go play running back and I can go play receiver,” said Lloyd. “So wherever you put me is where you put me.”

Having Lloyd run the ball out of the backfield or go in motion, forcing a linebacker into pass coverage, is another headache for the opposition.

“We’ve got some good running backs and Vaughan Lloyd is absolutely one of those running backs, but we felt with his ability as a receiver combined with his ability to run the ball, we can do some other things now,” said Dobie. “We can move people around and go in motion and set people at different positions, kind of like what the Bombers do… We’re not trying to copy the Bombers. I’m simply saying that we have an athlete at our level who we can use the same way (Bombers offensive co-ordinator) Buck Pierce uses (former Bison) Nic Demski.”

Lloyd loves the way the season is unfolding so far.

“I think our offence has a lot of room to grow and I think it’s going to be exciting year for sure,” said Lloyd. “Especially with coach Dobie retiring. If you needed any more motivation, there it is.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca