VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (0-3) take on the Alberta Golden Bears (1-2) this Saturday at 2 p.m. at David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium.
 
Heading into the 2014 season there was much excitement and anticipation surrounding this year's edition of the UBC Thunderbirds football team. Unfortunately, instead, the 'Birds have been left scratching their heads after three straight losses to open the season, the most recent a 20-10 loss at the hands of the Manitoba Bisons.

"We have acknowledged our frustration as a group," said UBC head coach Shawn Olson. "This is a shared deal for everybody. We have embraced it and decided the only way to turn things around is to outwork it."
 
The struggles for UBC start with the offence which has managed to score just 26 points this year. The other 18 points came from the defence (11) and special teams (seven). Fourth-year running back Brandon Deschamps is averaging just 42.3 yards rushing per game, over a hundred yards less than his average last season.
 
"It may sound cliche or boring, but the fact is if two or three offensive plays go our way, especially in the games versus Manitoba and Regina, then the outcome could have been completely different," said Olson. "We make those plays and the team gains confidence and momentum. Because we didn't make them, guys start to press and become prone to making mistakes."
 
"From an offensive standpoint, our line is very young and inexperienced playing as a unit. Our biggest problem has been our ability to sustain blocks. The holes are there but we haven't been able to hold the blocks long enough to allow our running backs to get through in time."
 
Playing Alberta may be the cure for the Thunderbirds offence. So far this season they have allowed an average of 52 points per game against.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, UBC had its best performance of the season last week holding Canada West All-Star quarterback Jordan Yantz to fewer than 150 yards passing and the Bisons to just 16 points. The other four points came off safeties.
 
"We made a significant improvement from week two to three," said Olson. "Last week they kept us in the game, however, we are still missing too many tackles. As long as we clean that up, I believe we can continue to improve."
 
The Golden Bears head into the weekend fresh off the program's first win since November 3, 2010, a span of 27 games. Alberta defeated Regina 44-42 last weekend. The previous week they lost 42-41 to Saskatchewan in overtime and fell 71-3 to Calgary in the opening weekend of play.
 
"There are no easy games on the Canada West schedule," said Olson. "Alberta is a young and talented team that competes game in and game out. They have a number of explosive players, especially on the offensive side of the ball, so we will have our hands full."
 
Alberta quarterback Curtis Dell leads the Canada West in passing, averaging 342 yards per game. He also has six touchdown passes and just one interception on the season. Another player to watch out for is Aundrey Webster. He leads the conference in all-purpose yards with 188 yards per game.
 
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