The unranked UBC Thunderbirds came close to marking their first home game of the season with an upset over the No. 3 University of Calgary Dinos.
The Tbirds out-rushed the Dinos by 85 yards and averaged 7.9 yards per carry, but the visitors return home with a 41-31 win — and an injured starting quarterback.
The game ebbed for the Dinos when Tbirds receiver Alex Morrison ran 102 yards to start the second half and score the second-longest kickoff return touchdown in school history. But the Dinos answered and the Tbirds went down 10 points by the end of the third quarter. The start the final frame,  UBC scored 17 points and held the lead until a clutch interception led to a Calgary touchdown with 43 seconds on the clock.Â
"That's football," said head coach Shawn Olson in a UBC news release. "You don't always leave feeling good."
The Thunderbirds (0-1) lost their first exhibition game Aug. 23 to the University of Saskatoon (1-0). They travel to Edmonton Sept. 7 to meet the University of Alberta Golden Bears (0-1). Their next home game is 2 p.m. Sept. 14 against the University of Manitoba.
