It's been nine long months since the No. 6 ranked Thunderbirds were last on the field and even longer since playing in front of fans at Thunderbird Stadium, but finally the 2018 Canada West campaign has arrived as UBC hosts the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday, September 1 to officially kickoff a season full of promise.
The home opener will be the first test of any kind for the 2018 Thunderbirds who did not face any preseason competition for the first time in head coach
Blake Nill's tenure. Now in his fourth season at the helm, the three-time Vanier Cup champion head coach has brought in one of the top recruiting classes in the country, vaulting the 'Birds to top spot in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll.
Quarterback
Michael O'Connor is back for a fourth season with UBC and will guide an offence that includes several fellow 2015 Vanier Cup champions such as receiver
Trivel Pinto and running back
Ben Cummings. The 'Birds bolster a deep receiving corps with the likes of fifth-year transfer
Blake Whiteley and running back
Ted Kubongo.
On the other side of the ball, the conference's leading defence returns with many familiar faces such as 2017 Canada West defensive player of the year
Stavros Katsantonis at safety, as well as All-Star defensive back
Will Maxwell and linebacker
Elliot Graham, who heads into his second season with the 'Birds. Add in a pair of standout rookie defensive linemen in
Lake Korte-Moore and
Shane Desrochers as well as veteran transfer
Sheriden Lawley and the Bisons' offence will be staring at a formidable front line.
The T-Birds are looking for redemption in 2018 having lost a second straight Hardy Cup final to the Calgary Dinos last season following a 6-2 regular season. Things begin anew for the Bisons as well after finishing 2017 with a 2-6 record and out of the playoffs.
Kickoff for the 2018 season opener goes at 7:00 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium.
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Previous Meeting
The T-Birds and Bisons met twice in 2017 with UBC taking both contests. The 'Birds earned a 32-18 victory at home and went on to complete the season series sweep in Winnipeg by squeaking out an 18-17 win. In fact, the T-Birds have never lost to the Bisons under Nill's leadership going 6-0 including a 52-10 Hardy Cup semifinal win en route to the Vanier Cup in 2015.
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By the Numbers
21.5 – UBC's defence was stellar in 2017 allowing a conference leading 21.5 points against on average while also holding opponents to a Canada West low 393 yards of offence per game.
2,308 – Quarterback
Michael O'Connor's total passing yards in 2017, an average of 288.5 per game. The veteran pivot is less than 400 yards away from moving into the all-time top-ten Canada West career passers.
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Players to Watch
Trivel Pinto (#1, WR) – Now in his fourth season, the 2017 first team All-Canadian receiver led the 'Birds last year with 717 receiving yards and five touchdown catches. A feature on special teams as well, the Brampton, Ontario native led the entire conference last year with an average kick return of 25.8 yards.
Will Maxwell (#3, DB) – UBC's leading tackler in 2017 begins his fifth and final U SPORTS season. Along with his 39 total tackles last year, the Calgary product had an interception and was named a Canada West All-Star and a second team All-Canadian.
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Coach's Take
While the Bisons faced Regina for a preseason contest last week, the Thunderbirds start the season without an exhibition game for the first time in
Blake Nill's tenure, but the veteran head coach believes that won't be an issue given his experienced roster.
"We've got a mixture of veterans, we still have about 15 players left from the Vanier Cup year, and a lot of really solid football players from the previous two recruiting classes," said Nill who's ready for his fourth home opener with the 'Birds. "The 2018 class has had some surprises as well. That mixture of athletes that are game-ready and athletes that are bringing in the enthusiasm of a rookie bodes well for us."
The 2017 season ended in heartbreak for the T-Birds with a second straight Hardy Cup loss to the Calgary Dinos, a game that has served as motivation for the new campaign for both coaches and players alike.
"It doesn't matter what's happened in the past, it's whether you prepare yourself for the upcoming season," said Nill. "I know we've prepared in the weight room, we've done a good job of recruiting new talent into the program. What has to happen now is the players have to realize it's in their hands to go out and execute and make the kind of decisions necessary to be a contender and I believe they're ready for that."
The 'Birds may hold a six-game win streak over the Bisons, but many of those have been closely fought, intense battles and coach Nill expects nothing less this time around.
"Manitoba is a very good football team, there isn't a bigger team in the Canada West. They have some tremendous weapons, skilled positon players, a very consistent, solid coaching staff. It's going to be tough, they've played and we have not. It's going to be a matter of us going out and trying to control the tempo of the game making sure that on offence we're making decisions to keep the ball in our hands and defensively using our athleticism."
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