VANCOUVER - Heading into halftime with a 10-3 lead and with the massive Homecoming crowd on their side, the UBC Thunderbirds football team (1-2) seemed set for a win on Friday night's matchup against the visiting Regina Rams (2-1) at Thunderbird Stadium. However, a second-half resurgence from the Rams and 17 unanswered points led to UBC's second consecutive loss, with a final score of 20-10.
Rain ponchos were replaced with sunglasses as nearly 8000 T-Birds fans gathered under an unexpectedly sunny sky to celebrate UBC's Homecoming 2016. Thunderbird fever swept through the crowd who, regardless of the score, remained charged until the final play.
Receivers
Will Watson and
Marcus Davis led the Thunderbirds in yards, running 85 and 82-yards respectively. Despite hovering near the Rams endzone on multiple occasions, UBC was unable to generate the plays needed to penetrate a sturdy Rams defense. UBC's lone TD came off a fumble recovery in the Rams zone by linebacker
Colton Zayshley in the dying seconds of the first quarter.
UBC quarterback Michael O'Conner completed 32-of-48 passes for 337 yards, while his Rams counterpart Noah Picton who logged 268 passing yards.
UBC head coach
Blake Nill expressed the team's frustrations of not being able to put up points, even with a strong Thunderbirds defensive squad.
"The big problem is [that] we didn't score a touchdown. It's just like last week. [The defence] hung in there no enough for us to win. We were in a position to win, [but] didn't make the right plays at the right time," said Nill.
Nill acknowledged that there were positive aspects to Friday night's game, particularly the string of young players who took the field on Friday night.
"We started three young lineman [and] they played well. The defence continues to get better, so there are positives. But we have to win some games. I wasn't brought to UBC to lose football games."
Though things looked to be favoring the 'Birds in the first half, the Rams dominated the third quarter, outscoring UBC 14-0 with a pair of touchdowns and field goals.
Manitoba wide receiver Khalid Kornegay led his team with 109-yards, while slotback Mitchell Picton ran in both of the Rams touchdowns. Both of Picton's catches came during the Rams dominant third quarter. Kicker Daniel Scraper added six points off two field goals, helping his team nail down their second consecutive win.
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Davis expressed his gratitude to the many fans who made their way out to cheer on the home team.
"I really thank everyone who came out. It energizes us. We're playing for UBC, so that's what it's [all] for," said Davis.
Davis also shared thoughts on how he felt his team can improve heading into their next matchups.
"Just capitalizing on our opportunities. We know we have all the tools to do it, so we just have to come out and do our thing."
The Thunderbirds will be on the hunt for a much needed win when they visit the Alberta Golden Bears on September 24th. Regina will host Calgary on September 23th.
