The University of Alberta Golden Bears couldn't hold off the rampaging Manitoba Bisons as the No.8 ranked and defending Canada West champion Bisons picked up a 42-32 come-from-behind victory under the Friday night lights at Foote Field.
The Bears (2-2) got touchdowns from third-year runningback Ed Ilnicki, freshman quarterback Ben Kopczynski and third-year receivers Tylor Henry and Aundrey Webster, while racking up 518 yards of offence.
Manitoba, now 2-2, stops a two-game losing streak and moves into a four-way tie for second place in the conference standings, along with Alberta, UBC and Saskatchewan. The Huskies beat UBC on Friday night as well, winning 45-29 in Vancouver.
Jamel Lyles, the explosive rookie runningback for the Bisons, changed the course of the game on Friday night in Edmonton, scoring consecutive touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters that tied the game, and ultimately won it. Manitoba also got majors from receivers Jesse Walker and Anthony Dyck, while rookie QB Theo Deezar completed 19 of 30 passes for 324 yards and two TDs with one interception.
Both teams, however, opened the game with turnovers, as Deezar tossed an interception on his first pass attempt of the game, only to get the ball back after Kopczynski and Webster botched a hand-off exchange on the Manitoba 17-yard line. Deezar then moved the Bisons down to the Alberta 14-yard line, where he was picked off again. That play, however, was wiped out when the officials deemed that Deezar was hit late, which deposited the ball on the Alberta one yard line and allowed Cameron Fox to bulldoze into the endzone for a 7-0 Bisons lead.
Alberta responded on its next possession with a quick five play series that was capped off by Ilnicki's 37-yard touchdown run.
After a rouge and field goal by Fabian, Webster ballooned the score to 18-7, but Manitoba clawed back to within five points with a TD of their own, but were unsuccessful on the two-point convert attempt.
On the next possession, the Bears struck gold when Kopczynski tossed a rainbow downfield to a streaking Henry who ran 50-yards the touchdown.
Bisons' kicker Ryan Jones closed out the first half when he hit a 21-yard field goal to send the teams into half-time with Alberta up 25-16.
The teams traded touchdowns in the early part of the third quarter, and after a quiet first half Lyles made his mark on the game when he took a Stephen Fabian punt and sprinted 73 yards for the return major just as the third quarter expired. That tied the score 32-32, but gave the Bisons all of the momentum going into the fourth quarter.
At that point Alberta started to struggle offensively, going two-and-out on its next possession, and giving Manitoba another opportunity to increase their building momentum.
Following a Fabian punt to the 55-yard line, the Bisons managed to set up shop first and 10 on the Bears' 33-yard line where Deezar handed off to Lyles and the freshman scampered to the endzone for his second straight TD and the game winning points.
Jones sealed the deal with a 13-yard field goal to make the final 42-32.
The Bears will next be in action on October 3 when they host the UBC Thunderbirds, while Manitoba is home to Regina on October 2.