VANCOUVER – The No. 9-ranked UBC Thunderbirds football team will take on the No. 8-ranked Manitoba Bisons in the two sides' Canada West regular season finale this Saturday, October 31. The game is set for a 1 p.m. (PT) kickoff at David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium.
 
This regular season clash will serve as a pre-cursor to the main event next weekend, as these same two teams are locked into a showdown in the Canada West semifinals on Saturday, November 7. However, one aspect of the two teams' playoff showdown has yet to be determined. With identical 5-2 regular season records going into this Saturday's matchup, the winner of the game will claim the right to host the playoff showdown next week.
 
Despite the guarantee of facing Manitoba in the playoffs next week, UBC head coach Blake Nill isn't looking past this Saturday's contest.
 
"We're not in a position to worry about the next week," said Nill. "We need to prepare fully for the coming game, do our best, and if we're fortunate enough to gain home field advantage, or even if we're not, we're going to have to alter the game plan in some other way."
 
If the last meeting between these two teams is any indication, the next two weeks should be appointment viewing. When they squared off back on September 25, the T-Birds and Bisons combined for a total of 1,089 yards of total offence and 99 points. The T-Birds claimed a narrow 51-48 win, as they used a massive 24-point second quarter to take command of the contest.
 
The 'Birds have been on a tear coming into this week's matchup, having won three straight games – two against the Alberta Golden Bears, and most recently, a 41-36 decision over the Saskatchewan Huskies.
 
That game against the Huskies might have been the most important for the 'Birds going forward, as it featured a breakout performance from freshman quarterback Michael O'Connor. The vaunted Penn State transfer beasted against Saskatchewan, completing 20-for-31 passes for a career-high 449 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound pivot looked surgical against the Huskies, using his considerable arm strength and impressive field vision to pick apart the Saskatchewan secondary.
 
However, while O'Connor may have hit a new level against the Huskies, Bisons quarterback Theo Deezar has been there all season. The sophomore signal caller has racked up a monstrous 2,227 yards of aerial offence in just six games this year. Deezar's 371.2 passing yards per game rank second to only Calgary's Andrew Buckley, while his 17 touchdown strikes have him atop the league rankings.
 
When it comes to trying to stop an athlete of Deezar's calibre, Nill admits that his squad is in tough, but the trick, cliché as it is, is in making him work for every single yard.
 
"You can't really stop [Deezar]. You try to make him work harder, to force his throws and make his reads more difficult. The other thing is that you also have to make him stick to small plays, and avoid the one-hitters. Make sure you get in his face over seven, eight, nine plays, instead of just two."
 
Regardless of which side takes this Saturday's game, these two teams will clash again in the Canada West semifinals on Saturday, November 7. However, what it at stake is the chance for the Blue and Gold to bring the playoffs to T-Bird Stadium.

Get your tickets for Saturday's matchup now.