EDMONTON – For the first time since 1999, the UBC Thunderbirds have clinched first place in the Canada West to earn home field advantage throughout the Hardy Cup playoffs, thanks to a gritty 23-10 road win over the Alberta Golden Bears Saturday afternoon at Foote Field.
Battling sub-zero temperatures, a brutal wind chill and travel woes, the T-Birds fought through it all while putting up one of their best all around road efforts in recent memory to finish the season 6-2 and the right to host a playoff game at Thunderbird Stadium for the first time since 2018 next Saturday when the Manitoba Bisons head west.
"Without a doubt, defensively it was the top game this year, maybe in the last three or four years," said UBC head coach
Blake Nill after sweeping the Bears in the two-game season series. "(Defensive Coordinator
Pat Tracey), Coaches Dom Termansen, Noah Cantor, all our staff staff just did an incredible job."
Limiting the Bears to just 261 total yards of offence, the 'Birds kept Alberta out of the end zone with all their points coming off the boot of kicker Jonathan Giustini.
UBC's offence were methodical throughout the afternoon and got the job done not only on the frigid ground but in the air as well.
Isaiah Knight rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown while quarterback
Garrett Rooker threw for 167 yards and a touchdown pass to
Cesare Rednour-Bruckman while going 18-for-26, a 69.2 percent completion rate.
"They're a focussed group and this is a talented group, they can be as good as they want to be," Nill continued "They have that much talent, they've been trained well, they've been coached well, and most of their potential is in their own actions and decisions. They're starting to believe in themselves."
That belief was shown early on Saturday in a far better start than was seen in either of the team's past two weeks.
Forced to punt on the game opening drive, the T-Birds quickly got the ball back when Carter Kettyle fumbled, recovered by UBC lineman
Clark Leonard at the Alberta 47-yard line for instant field position.
Scoring a touchdown for the second straight week, Rednour-Bruckman reeled in an 11 yard pass from Rooker as the 'Birds opened a 7-1 lead after the Bears were awarded a rouge on the opening kickoff.
Kieran Flannery-Fleck gave UBC a two-possession lead late in the opening quarter, punching through a 19-yard field goal in what was a solid road frame at snow dusted Foote Field.
The conditions certainly affected play in the opening half, but Giustini still managed a 42-yard field goal with five minutes to go in the second to pull the hosts within six points.
UBC continued to run the ball with regularity on their ensuing possession while Rooker also connected with
Mark Webb for a 29 yard pickup to get well inside Alberta territory. While the T-Birds' offence moved the ball quickly to start the drive, a stall forced another Flannery-Fleck field goal, this time from 34 yards out to restore UBC's nine-point lead at 13-4 with two minutes to go in the half.
Facing third and short, the Golden Bears gambled big time as the T-Birds' front line came up big, preventing any gain while getting the ball back in UBC's hands at the Alberta 43-yard line and still with more than 90 seconds to work with.
Unable to find the end zone, the 'Birds settled for another Flannery-Fleck field goal – a 15 yard chip shot – as UBC took a 16-4 lead into the half.
Giustini's solid afternoon continued into the second half, good on a 45-yard field goal to cap off Alberta's third quarter opening drive, once again cutting the Bears' deficit to nine points.
Following another Giustini punt, Rednour-Bruckman came up with a massive 54 yard return all the way down to the Alberta 18 with three minutes to go in the third. From there, it was the
Isaiah Knight show with three straight carries, the last of which was a six yard first down rush across the goal line, bouncing off a pair of defenders to give UBC their biggest lead of the game at 23-7 with Flannery-Fleck's successful convert.
Giustini got three points back for the Bears early in the fourth with his third field goal of the afternoon, a 21-yard attempt to cut the deficit to 13 on what proved to be the final points of the game.
All considered, it was a monumental win for the T-Birds. Between battling the top team in the conference on their home field – where they previously had been undefeated this season – to the elements, to a delayed flight Friday night, there were plenty of reasons for the script to be written differently.
"We talked all week about controlling what we can control. We knew the chances were we could have a flight delay, we knew we'd be coming in late. The kids were so focussed. Even though we came in late, it didn't even phase them. You could tell everyone was focussed. The entire staff, they had their guys ready to go. (Strength and Conditioning Coach)
Joe McCullum had our guys out early this morning getting them acclimatised, it was just a total team effort. It wasn't an easy road trip, we certainly had a lot against us but ultimately it comes down to our guys are a talented group and they came out and got it done."
The T-Birds will now host the Manitoba Bisons in a Hardy Cup semifinal on Saturday, November 4. Booking their ticket to the postseason on a last minute fumble recovery for a touchdown, the Bisons lost by 12 points to Calgary, a Dinos margin of victory one point shy of what they needed to clinch the fourth and final berth.
Kickoff at Thunderbird Stadium next Saturday is set for 1:00 p.m.
Tickets are available now!
