The Matchup
November 5, 2016 seems like a long time ago, but it will be firmly etched into the grey matter of the Regina Rams (U SPORTS #5) when the UBC Thunderbirds (U SPORTS #7) come to visit them on Friday, September 1 at 6:00pm PT inside the new Mosaic Stadium.
It was last November when the Thunderbirds, a team that literally limped into the Canada West playoffs after a 3-5 regular season, spoiled the party for the number one ranked Rams by riding the red-hot arm of quarterback
Michael O'Connor to 40-34 victory.
The re-match of that game and regular season opener for both teams this Friday, promises to be a dandy, and
can be seen live on CanadaWest.TV and TELUS channels 997/9997 for TELUS cable subscribers.
Last Action
The UBC starters looked dominant in the first half of the T-Birds' 33-30 non-conference victory over the Alberta Golden Bears. The front line 'Birds had a 30-0 lead going into halftime, in the game played inside Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, BC, before giving way to the UBC second stringers and scout team for the second half.
Regina's 39-3 victory over the Calgary Dinos in non-conference play was somewhat the opposite of UBC' s result. Both team's starters cancelled each other out in the first quarter, which ended with a 0-0 score. The Rams' second stringers took over the game and outscored their Calgary opponents 39-3 the rest of the way.
By the Numbers
217.7 – O'Connor's quarterback rating in the first half against Alberta. That's the gaudy number produced when you complete 23 of 25 passes and sling three for touchdowns. The most remarkable thing about that freakish stat line; one of O'Connor's incompletions was a drop and the other skimmed through the hands of star receiver
Trivel Pinto, landing right in the bread basket of an Alberta defender for an interception.
3 – the numbers of serviceable running backs UBC will enter the 2017 regular season with. Last year's rushing leader
Ben Cummings will be joined by a healthy and more experienced
Kory Nagata and freshman Shane Noel, who was able to find the end zone is his first appearance for UBC against Alberta.
Players To Watch
Dakoda Shepley (OL) – offensive linemen don't often find their way into the players to watch category. They are like police officers or paramedics; you only notice them when things go very bad. But UBC's fourth-year right tackle is looking to have a big season in 2017, after being named number 14 on the list of the CFL's top 20 prospects for the 2018 entry draft. Shepley is not stopping on this side of the border; he has aspirations of getting noticed in the NFL as well.
Stavros Katsantonis (DB) – surrounded by more depth in the UBC secondary this season, the 'Bakersfield Bandit' will be looking to have a monster year and improve upon 2016's team-leading five interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
