VANCOUVER – The No. 10-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (1-1) are back out on the road this weekend to take on Canada West rivals, the No. 7-ranked Manitoba Bisons (1-1), on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (PT) at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.

The T-Birds will be riding some significant momentum into the Manitoba showdown, coming off a thrilling 27-20 win over the Regina Rams at UBC's 2015 Homecoming game last week. Quarterback Michael O'Connor (Orleans, Ont.) led the way for the T-Birds' offence, slinging his way to 303 passing yards and a touchdown. On defence, safety Taylor Loffler (Kelowna, B.C.) was named Canada West's Player of the Week after hauling in a win-preserving, last-minute interception, while adding 10 tackles for good measure, against the Rams.

For T-Birds head coach Blake Nill, each game provides an opportunity for his players to improve and learn, something he expects to see against Manitoba and moving forward in the season.

"What we're trying to do is get better every week," said Nill. "We're a very young team, and even our veterans are learning, as they transition to a new system and new approach. If we can continue to correct the small errors and emphasize our strongest assets, I would be very satisfied with our performance."

Manitoba will be on the lookout for a little redemption following a 46-38 loss in Week 2 loss to the Calgary Dinos. Calgary running back Mercier Timmis ran roughshod over the Bisons, piling up 276 yards and three TDs on the ground.

However, the Bisons feature a dangerous ball carrier of their own, freshman running back and return man Jamel Lyles. Lyles racked up 209 yards on four kick returns against the Dinos, including a 109-yard score to open the contest, en route to being named the Canada West Special Teams Player of the Week. The Surrey, B.C. native also made waves in Manitoba's first game of the campaign against the Saskatchewan Huskies, putting up 155 and a touchdown on just 11 carries, and earning both Canada West and CIS Offensive Player of the Week.

Nill almost seemed excited at the prospect of his defence against such a high-calibre back.

"Obviously, we'll recognize when Jamel's in the game, and we're going to have a good strategy in place to try and neutralize him as much as we can. With a player like that, though, I don't think you can't take him out completely, but it'll be a great test for our guys to try." 

Manitoba has dominated the head-to-head matchup between the two sides in recent years, putting up a 6-2 record against UBC over the past 5 seasons. The T-Birds' most recent win against the Bison was nearly two years ago, a 28-24 win on October 5, 2013.

UBC will look to update that record on Saturday. Catch all the action on Canadawest.tv.