VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds saw a 17-point lead slip away with less than six minutes remaining in the game on Saturday, as the CIS No. 8 Manitoba Bisons charged back late behind big days from their trio of offensive stars for a 36-32 win to spoil the Homecoming crowd of over 3600 at David Sidoo Field.
BOX SCORE
Manitoba quarterback Jordan Yantz threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner on a 28-yard seam route to Nic Demski with one minute left in the game. Demski had 152 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 10 catches. Running back Anthony Coombs picked up 143 yards rushing on 19 carries, adding four receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.
"As a team we didn't make enough plays," said UBC head coach
Shawn Olson. "It was all different phases of the game – on special teams we don't make a tackle when we should and lose field position, defence maybe misses a tackle or a coverage, and on offense we were hit-and-miss all day. There are times when you win as a team and times when you lose as a team, and this was a team loss, coaches all the way down through our players."
The 'Birds seemed to have things well in-hand with a three-score lead and less than six minutes on the clock, but the Bison offence, and the passing game in particular, started firing on all cylinders just in time to spur the comeback.
First it was Demski making an 18-yard touchdown grab to cut the lead down to 32-22 with 5:46 remaining. After a quick defensive stop to force a UBC punt, Yantz drove the Bisons down field again before dumping off a 10-yard touchdown pass to Coombs, making it a three-point game with just over two minutes left.
The T-Birds couldn't move the ball at all and had to give it right back to the Bisons, who started at the UBC 53 yard-line with 1:25 left in the game. That proved to be plenty of time for Yantz to complete two mid-range passes to move within striking distance before finding Demski for the 28-yard game-winner.
"Sometimes a young team maybe counts the chickens a little bit before they hatch," Olson said. "I wouldn't point to just the defence or just the offence though. In all three phases we had little let-downs. It comes down to five or six key plays in a game, and we probably won four of those six, but all plays are not created equal. Some are more important than others and today, when it mattered, we didn't play well enough on those plays."
After slogging through a defensively-dominated first half and taking a 12-4 lead into the locker room at halftime, it was the Bisons who were first victimized by a sudden explosion from the opposition, as the 'Birds struck for three touchdowns in the span of just seven minutes in the third quarter.
The first catalyst for UBC's scoring run was a fumble on the handoff to Coombs, which was scooped up and returned 30 yards for a major by 'Birds linebacker
Yianni Cabylis, cutting the Bisons lead to 12-11 with 11:43 left in the third quarter.
On Manitoba's next play from scrimmage, it was Yantz putting the ball on the ground for another turnover, this time recovered by UBC defensive tackle
Martin Park at the Manitoba 39. After a pass interference call moved the T-Birds closer, quarterback Tyler Bowcott scored on a 21-yard designed run for UBC's first offensive points of the entire game, with 9:51 left in the third to give them their first lead at 18-12.
After a defensive stop forced Manitoba to punt on their next possession, Bowcott found Nik Jacobs with a 54-yard bomb over the middle to push back into Bison territory. Bowcott finished the drive with another great touch pass a couple plays later, hitting
Micha Theil in stride at the back of the endzone to go up 25-12, completing a run of 21 unanswered points in exactly seven minutes of game time.
"I think sometimes the nerves of players get worked out and you get a handle a little better on schemes," Olson said regarding the dramatic scoring shift between halves. "It's been the MO all year in the Canada West so far for the first half to be a little slow and the fireworks start in the second, so this was true to form."
Bowcott tacked on another touchdown on a six-yard fade route to
Josh Kronstrom after the Bisons interrupted the UBC scoring run with a field goal. That made the score 32-15 UBC with 8:39 remaining.
Bowcott, who took over for starter
Carson Williams in the second half, provided a big spark for the UBC offence with 164 yards and two touchdown passes while going 11-for-17 and adding a touchdown run. Williams was 4-for-10 for 31 yards.
"We're going to need both of those quarterbacks," said Olson. "They are both learning the position and both have some real strengths as well as some things they are working on. Today we took care of the football better than we have been but we weren't as efficient as we needed to be when it mattered. But they gave everything they have and today it just wasn't enough."
UBC running back
Brandon Deschamps, who came into the game leading the nation in rushing yards, was held to 68 yards on 16 carries by the stout Manitoba defensive front.
Next week Manitoba will be in Calgary to take on the 2-0 Dinos, who have an early battle for first in the conference with Saskatchewan later on Saturday. The 'Birds will be on the road to take on the 0-2 Regina Rams, who will square off with Alberta tonight.
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