Regina capitalizes on Edmonton Huskies weaknesses to roll to victory during the PFC opening weekend; Thunder 51 Huskies 11.
The Edmonton Huskies had no answer for Jeff Bolen.
The Regina Thunder receiver had nine catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns, kicked two field goals and four converts, pinned Edmonton deep in its own end with a 71-yard punt that resulted in a first-quarter safety, and added a 15-yard run on a botched punt snap.
The 22-year-old from Regina nearly spoiled the Huskies' season opener all by himself as the Thunder rolled to a 51-11 victory Sunday at Clarke Park during the opening weekend of the 2009 Prairie Football Conference season.
"Kicking is what I've been doing --that's my goal, to keep on kicking, and (being a receiver) is just for fun," said Bolen, who accounted for 24 points.
Led by Bolen and quarterback Reid Quest, Regina extended the Huskies' losing streak to 10 games, dating back to October 2007 after an 0-8 campaign last year where they managed to score only 68 points.
Quest, who threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns while completing 16 of 26 passes, and the Thunder offence sliced up the Huskies defence for 380 total yards.
Quest also ran for a one-yard score and added a touchdown strike to Camille Lagimordiere, while Thomas Ringlein also ran in from the one and backup quarterback Wyatt Catley found Clay Cooke for a late eight-yard major.
"We returned pretty much all of our receivers...and with both quarterbacks coming back, we've had last year to jell and get in a groove, and it showed today," Bolen said.
"We had trouble covering their little drag underneath," said Huskies head coach Dalton Smarsh. "We made mental errors, and we can't win with mental errors."
While Edmonton's defence was being shredded, the offensive woes that plagued the Huskies in 2008 flared up again. They only averaged only 8.5 points per game last season and continued the trend. The offence could only muster 183 yards and a lone touchdown when rookie quarterback Kevin Allen hit Tylor Johnson with a 10-yard pass in the second quarter that briefly gave the Huskies a 7-5 lead.
"We dropped one in the end zone. We dropped one that looked like it should have been another touchdown. We put 21 points up in the first half, and we're maybe in the game. We're young. We let them put up the points, and truthfully, we seemed to shut it down," Smarsh said.
The Huskies offensive troubles were compounded by an interception, four lost fumbles and two turnovers on downs.
"For a while there on offence, it seemed like we turned it over on every series," said Smarsh.
The team's youth and inexperience on offence played a factor.
"It is just an excuse. ... If you're a running back, you hold onto the football. If you're a quarterback, you step in and you throw the football. If you get quick feet or jittery feet, it's not going to work."
The turnover problems and dropped balls seemed to drain the Huskies' work ethic as the game wore on and the Thunder lead grew, according to Smarsh.
"You drop the one that hit you right in the hands, and there's a negative thing going on there. Now, you start to fight the ball a little bit, and young receivers, that's a killer for them," he said.
"It wasn't like we were totally out of the game. I believe that we're like all young teams: the minute (the Thunder) get about a 14-point lead, it seems all of a sudden the air goes out, the balloon pops, and I don't think they try not to go as hard as they can, they just don't."
The next game for the Huskies will be against the 0-1 Calgary Colts at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 16. The Colts lost to the Edmonton Wildcats, 35-21 on Saturday, as the Huskies cross-town rivals opened up the new season with a victory.
