HALIFAX, N.S. - Even though the schools are from different parts of the country, there's an awful lot of history between the Saint Mary's Huskies and Calgary Dinos.
As a result, the teams head into Saturday's Uteck Bowl with a number of intriguing storylines.
For Huskies coach Steve Sumarah, it's a chance to go against his former teacher - Dinos coach Blake Nill. For Calgary QB Erik Glavic, it's a chance to beat his former team, having moved west to join Nill back in January.
During the leadup to the game, everyone involved tried to downplay the history between the teams.
"We're all aware of the subplots, but (Steve) and I are both football coaches, we're both competitors and we both want to win the game," said Nill.
Nill was the head coach at Saint Mary's from 1998-2005, winning the Atlantic University Sport title six times and back-to-back Vanier Cups in 2001 and 2002.
Sumarah was an assistant coach with those teams and also worked with Nill at St. Francis Xavier in the 1990s.
When Nill moved to Calgary four years ago, Sumarah took over the head job at Saint Mary's. Saturday's game will mark the first time they've faced one another.
The Huskies are expecting a tough game.
"We know how good they are from what we see on film," said Sumarah. "They have weapons on offence we have to contain."
One of those weapons is Glavic, the 2007 Hec Crighton Award winner with Saint Mary's.
The quarterback is coming off a superb performance in the Canada West title game, where he passed for 479 yards and rushed for another 106 yards in Calgary's 39-38 comeback win over Saskatchewan.
Adding to the storylines of the game is that Glavic wasn't the only former Saint Mary's player to follow Nill to Calgary. Linebacker Andrea Bonaventura, defensive lineman Deji Oduwole, linebacker Julian Simmerling, defensive lineman Brandon Rockhill, and defensive back Steve Truzak also moved west.
On Thursday, Nill said the move to lure Glavic west from St. Mary's wasn't an attempt to stick it to his former team.
"My responsibility is to win football games in Calgary and that's how I look at it," he said.
Sumarah claims it hasn't jeopardized the relationship between the two men.
"Blake and I spent 14 years working together as close as you can work with someone," he said. "We try not to let the personal get in the way of the professional."
With Glavic out of the way, quarterback Jack Creighton took over the full-time starting position for the Huskies this year, passing for 233 yards a game and throwing just six interceptions.
Creighton said he had absorbed some teaching from Glavic, but added that their relationship was never particularly close.
"He gave me some tips and we were friendly, but we weren't best friends," Creighton said. "It's not about him and me. It's about our teams."
For Saint Mary's (8-1), ranked No. 6 in the nation, the most daunting task will be shutting down a Dinos offence that produced more than 39 points per game in the regular season, third-highest in the CIS.
The No. 2-ranked Dinos boast Canada's top rushing attack, led by 1,100-yard tailback Matt Walter. But Glavic, who is equally adept at passing and scrambling, will be the central offensive figure for Calgary.
Meanwhile, the Huskies' seventh-ranked rush offence will encounter a Calgary defence that surrendered less than 93 yards per game. If the Dinos neutralize the run, Creighton will have to carry the Saint Mary's offence.
Sumarah said his young quarterback isn't fazed by the pressure.
"One thing Jack has shown is that he's got a thick skin," said Sumarah. "We've had times this season when the offence has struggled, but he's really beared down."
Nill and Glavic have the experience, but Sumarah and Creighton have proven themselves to be model students. In the Uteck Bowl, the Huskies duo will look to deliver a lesson to their former teachers.
Notes: Glavic injured his knee in the 2007 Uteck Bowl, keeping him out of the Huskies' Vanier Cup loss to Manitoba as well as most of the 2008 season. ... Saint Mary's running back Devon Jones comes back after a two-game suspension, while his brother Tristan may return from a shoulder injury. Craig Leger rushed for 182 yards in a 31-22 victory over St. F.X. in last week's Loney Bowl as the Huskies' lone tailback. ... The Dinos own a 2-1 advantage in head-to-head meetings with Saint Mary's. The teams last met in the 1993 Atlantic Bowl, with Calgary prevailing 37-23.
