VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds will host the Hardy Cup on home field for the first time in 26 years after a 29-21 comeback win over the Manitoba Bisons Saturday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium.
Trailing 17-3 deep in the second quarter, the Thunderbirds came alive, limiting the Bisons to just four points in the second half while scoring a pair of touchdowns to advance to a second straight Canada West Final.
"We just had to gain a little momentum. This is Canada West. Guys are going to say we came out flat, we didn't come out flat," insisted UBC head coach
Blake Nill following his eighth playoff win with the T-Birds. "All week we knew what kind of program we were going against. We knew it was going to be a 60 minute game and it was. That's all it is. We're full credit for that win but this is an example of why this is the top football conference in the country."
In stark contrast to the week three meeting between the 'Birds and Bisons where UBC earned a decisive 56-10 victory, the visitors proved Nill's point early about the quality of football boasted by every team in the conference. After forcing the T-Birds to punt on the opening drive of the game, Manitoba quarterback Jackson Tachinski methodically marched the Bisons down to the T-Birds' six-yard line.
Cue UBC's conference leading run defence which stepped up in a big way, stopping Brayden Stubbs on second and short, forcing Maya Turner to open scoring with a 13-yard chip shot field goal.
Garrett Rooker and the UBC offence got rolling on their final possession of the opening quarter when the third-year pivot hooked up with
Shemar McBean for back-to-back big gains to get inside the red zone for the first time. But this time it was the Bisons defence's turn to come up with a big stop, forcing UBC to kick a game-tying 17-yard field
Kieran Flannery-Fleck goal on the first play of the second quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Bisons used up 6:25 of game time to get down inside the UBC five. After failing to punch the ball in on second and short, the Bisons went to an unlikely target in a handoff to offensive lineman Matteo Vaccaro who used all of his 305 pounds to carry the ball across the line for the first touchdown of the afternoon and a 10-3 Manitoba lead after Turner's successful convert.
The 'Birds struggled to fully get their offence on track and after another Flannery-Fleck punt, the Bisons took advantage of a defensive breakdown as Vaughn Lloyd found a hole and scampered 41 yards for Manitoba's second major of the quarter, staking out a 17-3 lead with four minutes to go in the half.
Getting the ball back with just under two minutes remaining in the second, UBC started their final drive of the half at their own 48 after a short Bisons punt. Two quick first down passes by Rooker moved the T-Birds well into Manitoba territory. Aided further by a pass interference call, Rooker rushed for 20 yards, all the way down to the five, setting up an
Isaiah Knight touchdown run on the next play as the 'Birds finally found the end zone.
Following a Flannery-Fleck rouge, Turner restored Manitoba's two-possession lead, 20-11, with a 25-yard field goal to cap off another time consuming Bisons drive.
Yet another big UBC defensive play came just after a Flannery-Fleck punt when Mitch Townsend was credited with a forced fumbled, knocking the ball out of Manitoba running back Noah Anderson's hands on the Bisons' first play of the drive, giving Rooker instant field position.
Two plays later and
Lucas Robertson scored on a nine-yard Rooker pass to make it a two point game after the convert.
Midway through the fourth with the ball back in his hands, Rooker found
Sam Davenport and
Jason Soriano for big gains to get well into Manitoba territory. After a Bisons holding call moved the chains down to the 15, Rooker used his feet to score his second rushing major of the season while giving UBC their first lead of the game which would only be added to with another Flannery-Fleck field goal.
"He needs to make more plays with his feet because teams are going to take away our run," said Nill of his quarterback. "He's a third dimension and making plays with his feet has to happen and I was happy to see him do that a couple times today."
Rooker finished the game with 245 yards passing, converting on 16 of 21 attempts, scoring once with his feet and once through the air.
Davenport made his return to the lineup for the first time since UBC's September 29
th road game in Saskatchewan and was hugely impactful, leading all receivers with 119 yards on six receptions.
"He's our top receiver and getting him back was everything, you saw him make some big plays."
There's no question Davenport's return was a big boost for the T-Birds who kept their composure despite a slow start.
"Every step we can take is huge. We can grow and we have high expectations. I'm trying to get these kids to realize you don't have to be stressed about this game. That was I think a big obstacle for us, just dealing with the pressure of being the favourite."
The Thunderbirds will now host the 86
th Hardy Cup next Saturday against the Alberta Golden Bears who defeated the two-time defending conference champion Saskatchewan Huskies in Saturday's other semifinal. Kickoff at Thunderbird Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m.
Tickets are available now!
