VANCOUVER – The No. 6-ranked UBC Thunderbirds football team (2-1-0) will make their way home on Friday, September 25, to take on the Saskatchewan Huskies (1-2-0).  The opening kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (PT) at David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium.
 
Moving up four spots in this week's CIS rankings, the T-Birds can credit their ascent to last Saturday's gutsy, high-octane 51-48 win over the Manitoba Bisons. Quarterback Michael O'Connor (Orleans, Ont.) showed why he was such a lauded transfer from Penn State, gashing the Bisons defence by completing 26 of 38 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns. Brandon Deschamps (Prince George, B.C.) provided some jump for UBC in the ground attack, gaining a season-high 85 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries,
 
The special teams display put on by the T-Birds against Manitoba, including Trivel Pinto's (Brampton, Ont.) 103-yard touchdown return in the second quarter, reinforced how good Blake Nill's kick return unit has been all year. UBC has picked up 347 yards on just 14 returns, and their average of 24.8 yards/return is good for fifth in CIS.
 
When discussing the game against Manitoba, and what needs to improve going into the game against Saskatchewan, Nill highlighted the special teams.
 
"There's no question that we had a very strong special teams effort, but we need to make sure that we continue to make strides in our there, because that's a crucial area for us," said Nill. "We're young, and I think that's an area where we can take advantage of week-in, and week-out."
 
After lauding the offence's productivity against the Bisons, Nill also stressed an area where the defence needs to improve.
 
"For the fourth straight week, " the head coach remarked. "I liked our defensive effort in the first half, but it subsided a bit in the second half, and we're going to have to figure out how we can get the defence to play a full 60 minutes."
 
After starting the year 0-2, Saskatchewan picked up their first win last week, a 33-18 decision over the Regina Rams. The Huskies got a standout performance from fifth-year senior linebacker Dane Bishop, who racked up nine tackles, added a sack, and forced and recovered a fumble, in the win. For his efforts, Bishop was named CIS Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Though it has given up 528 yards a game to opposing offences in three games, Saskatchewan's defense has shown a knack for the big play this season. The Huskies defense is tied for second across CIS with four fumble recoveries and is also tied for fifth with six interceptions. Saskatchewan also ranks third in Canada with 11 quarterback sacks on the season.
 
Saskatchewan's penchant for forcing turnovers will force the T-Birds to be extra careful with the ball, something that Nill noted is a job of everyone on the field.
 
"We'll need to make good decisions when we throw the ball, and when we're running, we need to protect it," said Nill. "They are going to go hard after the football, try and strip it whenever they get a shot, and that's the responsibility of the ball-handler, of course, but also the job for the offensive linemen to get downfield and protect them."