VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds football team is set to kickoff the 2012 season with an exhibition game Saturday afternoon (12 noon) at Thunderbird Stadium versus Menlo College. The Oaks are an independent NAIA team from Atherton, Calif., 40 kilometres outside of San Francisco.
 
Youth is the theme of this year's team. Of the 92 players in camp, 51 are in their first year of eligibility. On the flip side, there are only two players in their fifth and final year; quarterback Billy Greene (Surrey, B.C.) and receiver Jordan Grieve (Salmon Arm, B.C.).
 
Training camp officially started on August 17 with physicals and testing followed by the first of seven straight days of two a day practices. The key for any training camp is to implement your system, but to also try and avoid any serious injuries.
 
"So far it hasn't been bad," said head coach Shawn Olson, now in his third season at the helm. "It's a bit of a grind and we are dealing with a few banged up guys, but for the most part our players are figuring out how we want to practice. Our young players have taken big strides, giving the coaching staff confidence they can contribute this year. Overall we feel if we can stay healthy we will have a solid team."
 
This is the second straight season the Thunderbirds will open the year versus Menlo College. Last year UBC made the trip to California, losing 39-13. Of course the ultimate goal is to win, but for Olson, Saturday's exhibition game is an opportunity to evaluate exactly what he has and give the players the chance to see real game action before their first Canada West regular season game on September 1.
 
"We are all competitors and want to show well in front of our home crowd, but we have a specific plan for this game and we will not sacrifice that plan to win," said Olson. "I expect to dress 70 guys and play everybody in order to see who can play when the physicality gets ramped up and a game is on the line."
 
The game will be played under American rules, meaning a smaller field, no neutral zone, and four downs of football. The transition is more complicated for the offense, because of the strict rules with regards to motion. However, Olson is confident his team can make the adjustment and represent themselves well.
 
"Offensively we are a pretty veteran group and the coaching staff knows what we have," said Olson. "Defensively, we lost a lot of guys, but we believe this group possesses a ton of athleticism and provides us with improved depth. They are young and sometimes that can lead to mistakes, but hopefully we have simplified things enough so that they know what they are doing."
 
For Menlo College, every game they play counts towards their overall record, so UBC is expecting to see their top players for the majority of the game. The Oaks finished 5-5 last year and head into the 2012 season ranked 40th in the NAIA college football preseason rankings.
 
The key for any coaching staff is to see the development of players from year to year and so far through training camp Olson has been impressed by his young quarterbacks.
 
"Dominik Bundschuh (Vienna, Austria), who redshirted last year, has had an outstanding camp and is expected to get the start on Saturday," said Olson. "Carson Williams (Abbotsford, B.C.) has been very good as well and rookie Lucas Spagnuolo (Grimsby, Ont.) has been able to handle all we have thrown at him showing a few moments of brilliance."
 
The quarterbacks will be protected by a bolstered offensive line, which features hulking newcomer Alec Pennell (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), who stands 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds. He was a CJFL All-Canadian last year as a member of the Vancouver Island Raiders.
 
The reigning Hec Crighton Winner, Greene, has taken limited reps during the first week of camp and is only expected to play one series in Saturday's game.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, only four starters have returned leaving a huge opportunity for somebody to step up.
 
"Our defensive line has been very good so far," said Olson. "Steven Mawa (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) and Martin Park (Surrey, B.C.) have led the way. Because we are young, it was important to improve our depth, which we did and in turn that helps to create a ton of competition for jobs."
 
Following Saturday's tilt against Menlo College, the Thunderbirds open the CIS regular season Saturday. September 1 at Thunderbird Stadium versus the Manitoba Bisons (2 p.m.).