VANCOUVER – Two weeks shy of two years since the Thunderbirds last held a home game, the UBC Football team welcomes the Saskatchewan Huskies for their 2021 home opener on Friday, October 1st at Thunderbird Stadium.
Fittingly, the last time the T-Birds (0-1) stepped on their home turf, it was against these same Huskies, back in week seven of the 2019 season. Since then, however, so much has changed, and the focus for both teams this week is simply to earn their first win of the campaign.
Off the heels of a disappointing start to the season in Alberta last Saturday, the Thunderbirds are looking to build off some impressive offensive performances while also minimizing mistakes which cost them a chance at a victory.
"We want to take the positives and build off them, but just as important we need eliminate the self-inflicted wounds," said UBC Head Coach Blake Nill who's preparing for his sixth T-Birds home opener. "In a six game season we just cannot afford to not be at our best each week."
The Huskies (0-1) face a similar challenge following a season-opening loss to the defending Hardy Cup champion Calgary Dinos last week in Saskatoon. The 'Birds know they'll be up against a veteran offence that's equally desperate for a win.
"It's a typical Saskatchewan program, they haven't changed much in 30 years that I've been coaching," said Nill. "A very physical program, fundamentally well-coached, they play the game with an old-fashioned mindset. They're not going to surprise us often, but what we need to do is match their physicality in the first quarter and try to make some plays on a veteran team."
The biggest difference, and a huge wild card, UBC has in their collective back pocket this Friday is an estimated 2,500 fans in the Thunderbird Stadium stands after limited tickets were sold out days in advance of the first home football game in 714 days.
"There's going to be a lot of excitement here, I think the kids will build off their performance from last week. And to be at home is going to be a unique experience for them but I generally think they'll rise to the occasion and come out with a strong performance."
If last week's outing by UBC rookie quarterback Garrett Rooker was any indication, the fans headed to T-Bird stadium Friday night are in for a show. The first-year pivot out of Houston, Texas threw for over 370 yards with a pair of touchdown passes to rookie receiver Jason Soriano. Second-year wide out Edgerrin Williams also stepped up with 91 yards receiving while first-year running back Isaiah Knight rushed for 69 yards.
"It's very exciting that our youth is playing maybe higher than what expectations typically are, but right now we're focussed on a very physical Saskatchewan program, a program which like us cannot afford to go 0-2 to start the season and our focus and our urgency has to be on this program at this point in time," added Nill.
The last time these two teams met, the T-Birds overcame a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to earn a thrilling 38-37 win. The last time the Huskies posted a regular season win in Vancouver was back in 2015, the only home field loss that year in which UBC eventually hoisted the Vanier Cup.
Kickoff Friday night is 7:00 p.m. PT. While tickets are sold out, the game will be streamed live on Canada West TV and on SaskTel maxTV where available.
