VANCOUVER – Friday night at McMahon Stadium may not technically be a must-win game for the UBC Thunderbirds, but both the 'Birds and the host Calgary Dinos are in desperate need of a victory in their week five matchup.

Following a home opening comeback win over Alberta, the Thunderbirds (1-3) have dropped three straight to sit outside the Canada West playoff picture at the halfway point of the season.

The Dinos (0-4) are coming off a 46-4 drubbing in Manitoba last week and have yet to record a win on the year. Simply put, Calgary cannot afford to drop a fifth straight without falling irreparably behind the rest of the pack. It all makes for a massive tilt Friday night between two desperate football teams looking to get their respective seasons back on track.



"The Dinos are still a very good football program, they have lots of youth and there's talent in that program," said UBC Head Coach Blake Nill whose squad defeated the Dinos 28-7 in preseason action in late August. "It's just a matter of time before they start getting confidence and make plays. We're going in there fully respecting the fact this is a program that won a national title two seasons ago. We're preparing fully for a big fight."

As the T-Birds fly to Calgary, they're just one win back of both Manitoba and Alberta who currently hold down the third and fourth playoff berths, each with a 2-2 record. UBC needs a win to keep pace and in order to do that they simply need to put more points on the board.

It's not as if the T-Bird offence has completely struggled, other than failing to find its way into the end zone. In each of the last two weeks, the 'Birds have put up more yards of offence than their opponents. Quarterback Garrett Rooker had over 330 yards passing last week alone against the Rams and the second year pivot sits third in conference passing yards with 1014 while remaining the only QB yet to throw an interception. Isaiah Knight and Dane Kapler are third and fourth, respectively, in conference rushing.  



"I saw a lot of good stuff, I was happy with the speed and the intensity of the defence, the same with special teams, I thought special teams was a very strong part of that game," said Nill of last week's 21-13 loss to Regina. "Offensively we moved the ball at times but we had breakdowns. I really believe it's a mindset when you get down there. If we can move the ball 80 yards to get there, we should be able to finish and score points."

As is so often the case, the difference this week could very well come down to defence. UBC has been solid on the defensive side of the football, especially in the second half where they've allowed an average of just 8.5 points against per game. The Dinos, however, have struggled to keep the ball out of their own end zone, allowing a conference high 39 points against per game on average.

Regardless of what the stats say, the T-Birds head to McMahon with full respect for the Dinos, especially given the recent past with UBC failing to record a win in Calgary since the 2015 Hardy Cup.



"I think they're a better team," said Nill of the Dinos compared to when the 'Birds defeated Calgary in August. "They've managed to be together for six weeks more, this is going to be a very good football game. If you look at the Dinos game, there are indications they're getting close, they're knocking on the door."

Kickoff at McMahon Stadium is set for 5:00 p.m. PT Friday, September 30. The game will be streamed live on Canada West TV.