It's been a tough start to the 2019 Canada West season, but the UBC Thunderbirds (0-3) hope a trip to a stadium they've had recent success in will help change their fortunes when they visit the Manitoba Bisons (1-2) Saturday, September 21^st.

Both the T-Birds and Bisons will be looking to bump a slump in week four as Manitoba has not posted a win since their season opener against the Saskatchewan Huskies. With the Bisons currently tied with Regina for fourth in the conference, Saturday is a critical opportunity to stay with, or close to, the rest of the pack.

As for the 'Birds, picking up their first win of the season would go a long way to establishing hope of making the playoffs while also serving as a big boost for a young team that has struggled both on offence and defence.



UBC can look to the recent past for reasons to be optimistic heading into Winnipeg as the T-Birds have won each of their last five meetings with the Bisons as well as their last three visits to the Manitoba capital.

Kickoff at Investors Group Field is set for 12:00 p.m. PT on Saturday. The game will be available live on Canada West TV.
 

Last Action

It was a terrific start at last week's Homecoming game for the 'Birds who staked out a 13-0 lead by mid-second quarter. But the Calgary Dinos rallied off 47 unanswered points to hand UBC a third straight loss to start the season. The T-Birds' lone touchdown came via a blocked punt recovery early in the opening frame.



In a wild finish last week, the Bisons scored a go-ahead touchdown with 48 seconds on the clock, only to have the host Golden Bears score the game winning major with six seconds remaining, handing Manitoba a 29-26 loss.
 

Players to Watch

Tom Schnitzler (#94, DL) – Now in his second season with the T-Bids, Schnitzler put up four total tackles, one of them for a loss, last week against the Dinos. The defensive lineman from Saskatoon has eight solo tackles and ten total so far this season.



Garrin McDonnell (#43, K/P) – The third-year kicker was a perfect 2-2 on field goals last week, including one from 43 yards. The Parksville, B.C. product leads the Canada West in average punt distance at 42.3 yards.
 

Coach's Take

The T-Birds' 0-3 start to the season isn't in itself surprising given the amount of veteran talent the team lost to graduation in the off-season, but it's the way the team has been losing games that has been concerning for the coaching staff.

"We're in the process right now of trying to create the skill of being resilient," said UBC head coach Blake Nill. "We've had moments where we've really looked good and we do compete at moments very well, but we're lacking the skills right now to come back. So to go into Manitoba and play a complete game of 60 minutes where we're in the game the entire time would be a real big step for us at this point."

As for the Bisons, Nill expects to face a hardnosed, gritty opponent equally as hungry for a crucial win.



"Manitoba typically has mature teams, they're typically very good athletes and they're well coached, Coach (Brian) Dobie does a good job. We approach every game to win the game and that's what we're doing now, we're trying to find out how we can achieve success at Manitoba."

In addition to focussing on showing his players how they have been improving and how they can continue to improve, Nill is looking back on his first season at Calgary which saw a very similar scenario.

"In 2006 in Calgary, we had a small sprinkling of veterans that we tried to create a leadership with, but a lot of the productivity was put on the shoulders of young kids. I know what it's going to take to win and we just have to keep preparing as we do have a chance to win."