VANCOUVER – For the third time this season, the UBC Thunderbirds struggled to make it inside the end zone, and they paid the price as a result, falling 21-13 to the visiting Regina Rams Friday night in front of over 7,500 Homecoming fans at Thunderbird Stadium.
The Rams (3-1) found pay dirt three times including two touchdown passes from Noah Pelletier to Bennett Stusek.
Down 14-10 heading into the fourth quarter, the T-Birds came within a point on a
Kieran Flannery-Fleck 22-yard field goal. But Stusek's second touchdown halfway through the final frame proved to be enough as the Rams move into sole possession of second place in the Canada West standings.
"They're so well coached, that's a good football team," said Regina Head Coach Mark McConkey of the T-Birds. "We just had to play our game. It was ugly, we didn't play well offensively, our defence gave up some big drives. It wasn't pretty but good teams find a way to win and we didn't do that last year. We blew the big one to UBC last year, so maybe it was a little bit of payback for that, but I'm just so proud of our guys, we battled."
Late in the half, down 14-10, the T-Birds took the ball at their own 30 and quickly marched into Rams territory. Five straight completions got the ball inside the 20 and
Garrett Rooker moved the chains again as he scrambled out of the pocket all the way to the six. First-and-goal from the one with a second remaining on the clock, Rooker handed off to
Dane Kapler but the Rams defence wrapped up the second-year running back to hold the four point lead on what turned out to be a pivotal play.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," said UBC Head Coach
Blake Nill. "We're on the one-yard line, we don't get in, we have a couple opportunities to narrow the score, we missed a few kicks, we just didn't make plays when we needed to and that's been our issue all year. We're competing a lot of the time but I think right now our team is struggling with the fact that we're not making the right kind of plays to win."
Rooker finished the game with an impressive stat line going 27-of-41 for 363 yards and a touchdown pass to
Lucas Robertson. Pelletier threw for 178 yards completing 17 of 29 pass attempts and was efficient when it mattered most with his pair of TD passes.
After Olivier Savard opened scoring for the Rams with a 31-yard rush on third and short in the middle of the opening quarter, UBC tied the game 7-7 when Rooker faked a hand off and threw to a wide open Robertson who scampered in 21 yards.
As the Rams marched their way back into T-Birds territory on their next possession, Pelletier connected with Bennett Stusek for a 34-yard touchdown score as the visitors re-took the lead.
A 32-yard
Owen Brown field goal cut the Rams' lead to four just past the three minute warning.
With no change to the score through the third, Flannery-Flecks' 22-yard try made it a one point game until Pelletier hooked up with Stusek again in the end zone for a nine yard score with seven minutes remaining, the final points of the game with the Rams defence holding UBC at bay the rest of the way.
"I think we have the best defence in U SPORTS," added McConkey. "We learned so much as a team last year, learned how to finish games when it mattered. That's our theme for the year and just a sign of these guys growing up and becoming a little more mature."
The Rams are back home in Regina next Saturday to host the 2-2 Alberta Golden Bears.
UBC is back on the road for week five when they visit the Calgary Dinos at McMahon stadium next Friday, September 30 for what will be a critically important matchup for the 'Birds to stay in the Hardy Cup playoff race.
