LANGFORD, BC - Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was rust. For whatever reason the T-Birds came out flat in their first game of 2016 and dropped a 50-7 decision to the Manitoba Bisons before a raucous crowd of 2100 at Westhills Stadium in Langford.
 
It was the first CIS football game ever played on Vancouver Island and it was played by two teams featuring several Island born and bred players. On this night UBC wished they had done better. The scoreboard left little to the imagination. It was 9-0 for the Bisons after a quarter. 34-0 was the score at the half.


 
When a wild tipped pass, catch and run touchdown by UBC slotback David Mann was called back early in the second quarter on a holding penalty, which would have made the score 9-7 Manitoba, the air was officially let out of the UBC balloon.
 
"We just came out flat and played terrible," bluntly said UBC quarterback Michael O'Connor postgame. "These ones are tough to swallow but you just have to get back watch the film and get better from it."


 
O'Connor and his offence's tough night included three interceptions and two lost fumbles. Bisons starting quarterback Theo Deezar's stats were the opposite. The second year pivot threw for three touchdowns in the first half.  Four different receivers caught touchdowns for Manitoba on the night. The Bisons' fifth major was on a Marcel Arruda-Welch 34 yard interception return.
 
"I don't think there is that much of a difference between this team and the one from eight months ago," said UBC Head Coach Blake Nill. "I think what was disappointing tonight is we didn't play at the tempo we need to and our inability to make plays."
 
A bright spot for the T-Birds was the late game touchdown catch by Nanaimo born UBC wide receiver Marshall Cook. His corner of the end zone grab, on a beautiful touch pass by UBC back-up quarterback Cole Meyer, delighted the half dozen family and friends of Cook amongst the crowd.


 
The main story of the night was the atmosphere at Westhills Stadium. The crowd was energetic and engaged from the kick-off to the final whistle, with a large portion of the audience made up of young children and youth football players.
 

Tonight, @BCLions presented over $12,000 to @UBC13thMan in support of #UBC football. pic.twitter.com/Sv9lPFWiEp

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) August 27, 2016

 
UBC's will have a week worth of practice to get ready for their season opener versus Alberta on September 3rd. Manitoba welcomes the Calgary Dinos to Winnipeg on September 1st.