With a win under their belts in last weekend's home opener, the No. 6 UBC Thunderbirds (1-0) hit the road for the first time this season heading to Calgary for a rematch of last year's Hardy Cup final against the No. 5 Dinos (1-0) on Friday, September 7 at McMahon Stadium.
Both teams are coming off week one victories but neither are likely entirely happy with how they got there. It will be a litmus test for both in an early season clash of titans, the first Canada West meeting between top ten ranked U SPORTS teams.
Since UBC head coach
Blake Nill arrived from Calgary four years ago, the rivalry between the two schools has become one of the most intense in the country. The two powerhouses have met in three straight Hardy Cup finals with Calgary taking each of the last two by a combined four points.
The 'Birds haven't secured a win over the Dinos since the 2015 Hardy Cup final en route to UBC's Vanier Cup championship. Needless to say the hunger is rampant among the 'Birds to make a statement.
Kickoff Friday is 4:30 p.m. PT, the game will be streamed live on Canada West TV.
Previous Meeting
The Dinos won their second straight Hardy Cup with an unlikely 59-yard field goal with no time on the clock to hand the Thunderbirds a 44-43 heartbreaking loss to end the 2017 season.
Last Action
UBC won a fourth straight home opener with a 30-20 victory over the Manitoba Bisons. T-Birds quarterback
Michael O'Connor threw for 309 yards and a touchdown which tied the all-time UBC passing touchdown record of 71 set by Dan Smith in 1978.
The Dinos amassed 599 total yards of offence in a 49-35 win over the Rams in Regina. Fourth-year quarterback Adam Sinagra threw for 444 yards and three touchdowns and was named the U SPORTS offensive player of the week.
By the Numbers
15 – The total number of 2017 Canada West All-Stars between UBC and Calgary combined. The 'Birds had eight selections to lead the conference, seven of whom are back this season.
121 – The T-Birds' defence held the Bisons to 121 yards on the ground Saturday while the Dinos allowed 234 against the Rams in week one. With two of the top quarterbacks in the country going head-to-head, the amount of focus by either team on the ground game will be interesting to see.
Players to Watch
Kory Nagata (#20, RB) – The third-year running back put up 229-yards and two touchdowns against the Bisons, both career single game highs. Nagata was pressed into bigger service following an injury to fellow running back
Ben Cummings in the first half and he stepped up brilliantly leading UBC in both rushing and receiving yards.
Tom Schnitzler (#94, DL) – In his first game as a Thunderbird, Schnitzler was a force on defence with 4.5 total tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. From Saskatoon, Schnitzler played five years with the famed Hilltops program before heading to UBC to pursue a degree in Kinesiology.
Coach's Take
Following his team's week one victory,
Blake Nill knows, to a man, they have to be much sharper at McMahon on Friday afternoon.
"Now we're into a higher level of expectation from us," said the former Dinos head coach now into his fourth season with UBC. "We want to be better, we want to be sounder in all three components of the game and we know we have to be sounder because we're going against a very established football program, one where you're going to have to be at your best to compete with them."
The 'Birds worked off their preseason rust last week and now Nill expects his offence to show marked improvement.
"I'm very happy with the offensive line, they're big, strong, and mobile. I like our approach to the O-Line development. Michael (O'Connor) will put enough pressure on himself to be better and we just have to execute better. We have some young receivers who are learning to live up to the expectations of their quarterback and as the season continues they'll meet those expectations and I think we'll be better for it."
