Vancouver, BC - Weather conditions in Calgary call for temperatures to drop below freezing Saturday afternoon, fortunately for the UBC Thunderbirds football team that fits right into theme for the season.
"Our motto all year has been 'All Weather' and this not going to change. The more adversity, the better it is for us," said UBC head coach Shawn Olson.
If they want adversity they got it in the form of the University of Calgary who they will play Saturday at 2:00 pm PST at McMahon Stadium in the Canada West semi-final. The third meeting of the season between these two teams. Calgary has won both previous games, 41-31 in the first week of the season and 34-17 just last week in Calgary.
"We have a quiet confidence with our group, but obviously we are dealing with a team that has been on top of the Canada West for the past five years and were even more dominant then they have ever been this year, recording their first perfect season," said Olson. "We were fourth in the conference, they were first at 8-0. They are ranked number three in the country and have all the stars. They are definitely the favourites and we will play the role of underdogs."
Saturday will showcase two of the top running backs in the country. Calgary's Mercer Timmis, who led the country in rushing with 1,157 yards and 19 touchdowns, against UBC's Brandon Deschamps who finished third in the nation with 1,007 yards rushing. Both ran for over 150 yards last week in the season finale.
"The Dinos offence starts and ends with their running game," said Olson. "If we can control Timmis then we will give ourselves a better chance to win the game."
You can expect to also see receivers Chris Dobko and Brett Blaszko back in the line up for Calgary this weekend. They both missed the last two games with injuries, but have combined for 56 catches, nearly 1,000 receiving yards, and three touchdowns this season.
In both games this season, the Thunderbirds proved they can run with the Dinos, but a couple of key mistakes at crucial times proved to be their downfall. Olson believes two factors could change things in their favour this weekend.
"We don't have to be absolutely perfect to win on Saturday, but we do have to win the turnover battle and be more physical the entire game."
The game can be watched live on Shaw TV, as well as at canadawest.tv.
