Riding a three-game win streak and picking up steam with each passing week, the UBC Thunderbirds head to Edmonton to face the Alberta Golden Bears Friday night at Foote Field for the rivals' second and final meeting of the regular season.
Suffering a 42-28 week one loss to Alberta, the No. 9 ranked Thunderbirds (3-2) will need to play their best game yet in all facets in order to even up the season series against a desperate Golden Bears (2-3) team fighting to stay in the mix amidst a log jam in the Canada West standings.
"We're approaching it like a playoff game," said UBC head coach
Blake Nill who prepares to face the Bears for the fifth time in the last 12 months. "I told my players Sunday morning when we were back together, this is why you play the game. You're going into a hostile environment against one of the best programs in the country. Despite their record, I would advocate fully for the Golden Bears program in regards to the way they play the game, the toughness, the athletic component they have. This is going to be a great showcase of not only Canada West football but U SPORTS football – two very well-coached teams with motivated athletes and a lot on the line."
Alberta's record is somewhat deceiving as the Golden Bears' last two losses have been by a mere four points combined and their +20 point differential is good for second in the conference.
Entering week six in sole possession of second place in the conference after last week's 32-30 win over the Dinos in Calgary, the T-Birds still have every reason to be confident heading to Edmonton after a perfect 2-0 road record.
Defensively, UBC has tightened things up considerably since their 0-2 start to the campaign. The 'Birds have won the turnover battle in each of their last three contests while limiting the opposition to an average of just nine second half points.
On offence, the T-Birds continue to heat up, led by a red hot ground game from the country's leading rusher in
Isaiah Knight. The fourth-year running back exploded last week at McMahon for 235 all-purpose yards and a touchdown, earning his second straight conference Offensive Player of the Week award.
Not to be outdone, the Bears have a highly formidable ground game of their own as Friday night's battle features the top two running backs in the country. Alberta's Matthew Peterson sits just behind Knight with an average of 130.5 yards per game.
"Everything we're trying to do is just find a way to limit the damage the Golden Bear ground game brings," said Nill. "Other than maybe a little bit against Sask, I felt we've been challenged all year on the ground defensively. Right now we're just trying to find a way to manage what's coming at us and hopefully limit as much as possible the effect of Alberta's run game."
After a quiet start to the season,
Garrett Rooker has thrown for 588 yards with a 70 percent completion rate the last two weeks. As UBC's veteran quarterback looks to be back to his dominant 2023 form, it adds yet another layer to the T-Birds threat, something Nill would like to further exploit.
"It's nice to know that you have that component of your offence, both the offensive line and with Isaiah carrying the ball. Add in the threat of Rooker pulling out of the pocket and it all impacts how defences approach you. I'd like to see (Rooker) run a little bit more. You don't want to see your quarterback being exposed to the risk potential, but I think when he does run the football it just adds a third dimension to that offence that makes it especially tough on defences. He's very good at finding targets late in the play as he creates more time by keeping the ball longer and running on his own."
A win this weekend in Alberta would inch the 'Birds a bit closer to securing a Canada West playoff berth while also continuing their progress in hunting down one of the two host positions. For the Bears, the situation is a bit more dire, needing a win to at least keep pace with both Saskatchewan and Regina, all of whom sit at 2-3.
Kickoff from Foote Field Friday night is set for 6:00 p.m. PT. The game will be available live on
Canada West TV.
