Vancouver, BC - A second win of the season and a .500 record is on the line this weekend as the UBC Thunderbirds (1-2) invade the Saskatchewan capital to take on the Regina Rams (1-2) in a crucial Canada West showdown. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm PST Saturday September 21 at Mosaic Stadium and will be webcast live at canadawest.tv.
UBC is coming off a heartbreaking 36-32 loss to #8 Manitoba, in which the Thunderbirds blew a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter. As for the Rams, they managed their first victory of the season last week defeating Alberta 55-35.
"I expect this, like every game so far this season, to be very competitive," said UBC head coach Shawn Olson. "This is a huge game for both teams to get back into playoff contention before the mid way point of the season."
Offensively these two teams are as different as they come. UBC is the top rushing team in the conference (236.7 yds/game), but are ranked last in passing (201.3 yds/game). The Rams are the exact opposite, tops in the Canada West in passing team (402.3 yds/game) and dead last in rushing (74.0 yds/game).
The Rams are led by CIS/Canada West Offensive Player of the Week Cayman Shutter. The quarterback previously played three seasons at the University of Hawaii and has already thrown for 1,207 yards in three games this year, along with seven touchdowns and just three interceptions. He is on pace to break the Canada West single season record for passing yards.Â
There is no real secret when it comes to Regina's offence, they like to throw the ball. In fact 76% of the time the Rams put the ball in the air.
"The more Shutter throws, the more he becomes comfortable," said Olson. "They have a good set of receivers that are excellent in the air and will be a tough challenge to handle for our defensive backs. We need to limit the long yardage and of course get as many hits as possible on the quarterback. The more hits, the more difficult it is for him to do his job."
Addison Richards is the Rams leading receiver, making 26 receptions for 332 yards and one touchdown.
Miguel Barker will be key for the Thunderbirds on the defensive side. The second year cornerback leads the conference in pass break ups with seven and has shown he can match up with all the top receivers in the Canada West.
When it comes to the Thunderbirds offence, they have a more balanced approach running the ball 54% of the time. While Brandon Deschamps did not have the type of game, statistically speaking, many have come to expect of him last week, there is no doubt he will once again be the key to success this weekend.
"He is a big part of what we do and whether it is running the ball, working him into the passing game, or setting him up with screen plays, he needs to get the ball 20-25 times a game," said Olson. "Last week in the second half against Manitoba we didn't do as good a job of getting the ball into his hands so we will need to be more creative versus Regina."
Expect both Carson Williams and Greg Bowcott to see action at the quarterback position, just as we have seen every game so far this year. Both have taken their turn providing a spark for the offence, so expect Olson to go with the hot hand.
First year linebacker Michael Stefanovic has been the Rams leader defensively, he is fifth in the conference in tackles (21), tied for first in sacks (3), and leads the Canada West in tackles for a loss (6).
