VANCOUVER – In front of a crowd more than 7100 strong, the UBC Thunderbirds earned a 54-37 barnburner win over the previously undefeated Alberta Golden Bears to make for a wildly successful Homecoming 2023, improving to 4-0 on the season for the first time since 1992.
Garrett Rooker threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns – two of them to
Sam Davenport – in his most prolific game of the season while
Isaiah Knight had 219 total yards of offence, 185 of them on the ground.
"I think you saw the potential of our offence, teams are going to have to deal with the fact we can score quickly, we can score through the air and once they start putting guys into coverage, we're going to run the ball," said UBC head coach
Blake Nill after his team amassed 666 total yards. "I'm happy with the way this program has evolved to a two-dimensional offence."
It was a true heavyweight contest at Thunderbird Stadium with the two top teams in the Canada West trading blows throughout the game until the T-Birds finally pulled away in the third quarter.
Holding a 27-19 halftime lead, UBC gave up a 95-yard rushing touchdown to Matthew Peterson on the first play from scrimmage after the break, the fourth longest scoring run in Bears history.
After Alberta pulled within one following Justin Giustini's convert, the T-Birds got right back to business. Facing third and four at their own 39, the T-Birds executed a fake punt with the direct snap going to
Lucas Mastrodomenico who scampered 49 yards, deep into Alberta territory.
Two plays later and the 'Birds once again found the end zone when Rooker hooked up with
Sam Davenport for the third time this season, the 25-yard touchdown pass restoring UBC's eight point advantage.
Giustini nailed his second 43-yard field goal of the game to pull back within five points late in the third, but the T-Birds answered with another Rooker to Davenport connection, this time for 40 yards.
After a pair of Flannery-Fleck field goals made it 47-29 UBC, the Bears turned the ball over on downs on their ensuing possession with the game all but decided, leading to a 13-yard Knight rushing score, eclipsing the 50 point mark for the second straight week.
The Bears made the score slightly more favourable in the dying seconds when Eli Hetlinger found Dakota McKay for an 11-yard score.
Hetlinger finished the game with a very strong 284 yards passing and three touchdowns. Peterson finished with 192 yards rushing with Alberta completing the game with 496 yards of offence, more than enough to win on more nights than not.
"I thought Alberta's offence was tremendous and gave us everything we can handle and more," added Nill who will face the Bears again in the final week of the regular season in Edmonton. "This was round one of Alberta-UBC. Round two will be a battle as well and Coach Morris will have his group ready to go. They're heads and tails the most improved team in U SPORTS right now."
The 'Birds put up 371 yards on the ground – 185 of them by Knight and 78 from
Dane Kapler who also added 90 yards receiving, tops on the T-Birds. Kapler's 66-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave the 'Birds their first lead of the game at 17-10, a lead they would never relinquish.
"We just gave up some big plays and made a few mistakes that are going to happen," added Nill who gave plenty of credit to his defence, limiting the Bears to just 10 points in the second half, until the late touchdown. "This was a team win. We took a step forward with this program and I think it's time we start getting recognized for what we are."
The 'Birds put their 4-0 start to a big test next week when they travel to Saskatoon to face the two-time defending Hardy Cup champion Huskies in a rematch of last year's Canada West final game. Kickoff at Griffiths Stadium is set for Friday, September 29 at 6:00 p.m. PT.
