VANCOUVER – For the first time since 2017 the UBC Thunderbirds are headed back to the Hardy Cup after a gritty 28-14 victory Saturday afternoon over the Regina Rams at a chilly Mosaic Stadium.
Tied 14-14 deep into the fourth quarter, UBC went ahead on a
Lucas Mastrodomenico rushing touchdown after
Keijaun Johnson intercepted Regina quarterback Noah Pelletier at the Rams' 50 and raced down the sideline before being pushed out of bounds at the four.
UBC's defence owned the rest of the game, preventing the Rams from getting anywhere near the end zone.
Dane Kapler then put the game on ice with a 27-yard rush on third down with less than a minute remaining as the T-Birds have now made it four wins in their last five games heading into next week's Hardy Cup in Saskatoon against the Saskatchewan Huskies.
"I'm very proud of the effort, our defence is starting to peak at the right time," said UBC Head Coach
Blake Nill who will get a shot at his eighth Hardy Cup title. "Engel is giving us a chance and the resiliency of the kids – they could have quit. When we had that (blocked punt) that resulted in a touchdown I was pretty harsh on the kids at halftime and I asked how could we possibly allow us to be down on that kind of play. And full credit to the kids, I think it sunk in a bit and they came out and they made plays they had to make."
Starting his first Canada West playoff game – and just his second game at all – T-Birds quarterback
Derek Engel was steady, throwing for 176 yards and a touchdown pass to Shemar McBean with no interceptions.
That major to McBean came midway through the opening quarter after the Rams opened an early 4-0 lead on a rouge and an Aldo Galvan field goal. Engel threw a deep pass down the near sideline for McBean who reeled it in for his first career playoff major, a 46 yard catch and run effort to give UBC a 7-4 lead.
After the two teams traded field goals followed by a T-Birds safety which made it a 12-7 UBC advantage, Donovin Small scored the lone touchdown of the game for Regina. He blocked a desperation punt attempt after a botched snap on a UBC field goal try, then scooped up the ball and rumbled 58 yards for the go-ahead score.
That score gave Regina a 14-12 lead at the half, but it was also the Rams' final points of the game.
Pelletier was 15-for-32 and finished with 147 passing yards, almost half of which went to D'Sean Mimbs who led all players in both receptions (6) and receiving yards (71).
UBC's defence, which didn't concede a touchdown in the win, was led by
Lake Korte-Moore who had 7.5 tackles, a pair of pass breakups, 2.5 tackles for loss, and forced a fumble. The 'Birds limited the Rams to just 232 total yards of offence.
Kapler led all rushers with 71 yards, while
Isaiah Knight added another 40 for the T-Birds.
Edgerrin Williams topped all UBC receivers with 48 yards.
Now set to face the Huskies in a rematch of last year's Hardy Cup semifinal, the T-Birds will head to Saskatoon a confident group, not only having won four of their last five games but also having handed the Huskies their only loss on the season thus far, a week seven 35-29 victory.
"Anytime you win a playoff game it's an opportunity for the program to evolve," added Nill. "And what's happened the last few years, we've fallen short. In 2018, how we lost that year, and what happened, it starts to become your reputation, finding ways to lose. So for us to pull that out, I think it's a bit of a turning point for UBC, another opportunity for us and I couldn't be happier with the kids. We've improved over last year, we've taken a step forward to get back to the Hardy Cup. I'm ecstatic to be back."
The chance to capture UBC's first Hardy Cup since 2015 comes next Saturday, November 12
th at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. PT with a berth in the 2022 Uteck Bowl on the line.
