Finding themselves at the bottom of the Canada West after an 0-2 start to the season, the UBC Thunderbirds are hoping their first road trip of the year will alter their fortunes as they head to Regina to face the No. 10-ranked Rams in a week three battle Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
Even with 25 percent of the season already gone, there's no sense of panic within the Thunderbirds, but there's certainly a sense of urgency to finally get into the win column.
"It's not easy, but I'm confident. Personally, I feel our best football is coming very quickly," said UBC head coach
Blake Nill who looks to avoid his team's first 0-3 start since 2019. "That confidence, I'm hoping, is in the locker room with the athletes. I've been trying to emphasize that to them, that where our issues have been are self-inflicted. We've played two very good football programs and we can't enable their success by not taking care of what we're able to do on the field ourselves."
Last week's 33-10 loss to the Bisons saw the T-Birds amass 94 yards in penalties while turning the ball over six times.
But, the defending Hardy Cup champions' struggles in the first two weeks of the season are firmly in the rear view mirror. The prospect of getting away from home and that changing dynamic could indeed be just what the doctor ordered.
"We reported to training camp on August 11 and every football event since that day has been here at Thunderbird Stadium," Nill added. "So, a little change of venue I think is going to be good. It'll be a smaller roster so a tighter group. There will be fewer distractions – we'll see how it turns out."
Along with Manitoba, the Rams are the only other undefeated team remaining after wins over Calgary and Saskatchewan to start the year. Regina has only put up an average of 22 points over their first two weeks, but they've been defensively solid having limited their opposition to just 305 yards of offence including less than 60 per game on the ground.
Rams quarterback Noah Pelletier earned Canada West Offensive Player of the Week after last Friday's win over the Huskies when the third-year pivot threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns along with a rushing score and a program record 83.9 percent completion rate.
"The Regina culture is exceptional, that group of athletes are always playing at their best. They play fast, they play physical. I'm not surprised by their start or any time they give programs difficulty. They're well-coached and they believe in one another. We have to go in there and match their confidence and their approach to the game, which I think is the right approach. If we're not able to do that, it's going to be a long afternoon."
While the T-Birds offence stalled repeatedly in week two, there's no doubt the team has the horses to be incredibly dangerous over the long-haul. The coaching staff are equally confident in their defence which, despite some issues early on in 2024, also has the ability to vastly improve.
"(Defensive lineman)
Aaron Parker, I've been very impressed with him, he's done a terrific job," said Nill who pointed out a number of noteworthy performances. "Mitch Townsend is starting to get his groove back. I thought
Maka Bangura had a good game and
Jaxon Ciraolo-Brown as well.
Jason Soriano is competing every play. Defence is a team effort, including the offence not turning the ball over on a short field and winning the time of possession. I think we just have to approach that better."
The T-Birds have won their last three battles with the Rams and have come away victorious in each of their last five visits to the Queen City. The chance to make that six in a row begins with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. PT Saturday at Mosaic Stadium. The game will be available live on
Canada West TV.
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