Hungry for a win, the UBC Thunderbirds make their way to Edmonton for their first of two meetings this season against the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday, September 28^th at Foote Field.

Both the T-Birds (1-3) and Bears (0-4) are in dire need of a victory in order to claw their way in to a Canada West playoff spot with half the season already gone. The matchup could very well prove to be a turning point in the season for the victor.

The T-Birds boast one of the conference's deepest offences which has shown positive signs the past two weeks but still has not yet lived up to its potential. UBC's meeting with Alberta features the two lowest scoring teams in the Canada West.



After winning their season opener, the 'Birds have dropped three in a row, but the last two games by just a combined six points. Alberta hasn't won since the final week of the 2017 season.

Kickoff at Foote Field is 6:00 p.m. PT Friday and can be streamed live on Canada West TV.
 

Last Action

In a game that featured four lead changes, the T-Birds were outscored 14-3 in the final quarter as the Dinos completed the season series sweep with a 32-28 victory to spoil UBC's Homecoming party.



The Golden Bears had a lead until late in the fourth quarter last Saturday in Winnipeg but the Manitoba Bisons scored two touchdowns in the final 2:21 to hand Alberta a 37-27 loss.
 

By the Numbers

258 – UBC has been making the opposition pay for punting, racking up 258 return yards, the most in the conference.

9 – The total number of sacks recorded by UBC's defence through the first four games of the season, tied for most in the Canada West. The 'Birds also lead the conference with nine fumble recoveries.
 

Players to Watch

Trivel Pinto (#1, REC) – Despite dressing in just three of UBC's four games so far this season, the veteran wide out is sixth in Canada West receiving yards with 360, and second with an average of 120 per game. Pinto caught his second touchdown pass of the season against the Dinos last Saturday.



Malcom Lee (#9, DB) – The fourth-year defensive back out of Surrey had what his head coach calls his best game as a Thunderbird against Calgary. Lee broke up an incredible five separate passes, at least three of which would have resulted in sure-fire Dino touchdowns. Lee leads the conference with seven broken up passes along with nine total tackles.
 

Coach's Take

The Thunderbirds have certainly shown very positive signs of improvement over the last two weeks being in a position to win both in Regina and last Saturday against Calgary. But if there's one thing that could have tipped the scales into turning those losses into wins, it was penalties.

"We have to work on our ability to make better decisions and that's been addressed and is being addressed continuously," said UBC head coach Blake Nill who's seen his team lead the conference in penalties with an average of 100.3 yards per game. "We just have to be able to not shoot ourselves in the foot and instead force our opponents to make plays to beat us, not do it for them."



There's no question the Golden Bears are a better team than their 0-4 record shows, and Nill insists nobody is taking anyone or anything lightly on Friday.

"Coach (Chris) Morris and his staff in Alberta have done a very good job building the foundation of that program. They started the season with different people at key positions and now they've got some experience and they're starting to play better. We're preparing for an Alberta team that is a strong football team with a very physical run game and a physical defence. We're preparing for a tough game on the road on a fall night in Edmonton."