VANCOUVER – Costly turnovers and penalties proved to be the undoing for the UBC Thunderbirds as they fell to 0-2 with a 33-10 loss to the Manitoba Bisons Friday night.
After scoring the first ten points of the game, the T-Birds were shutout for the final 44 minutes as the Bisons scored 33 unanswered, improving to 2-0 for the first time in three years while UBC has now dropped their first two home games for the first time since 2019.
"Penalties and missed assignments that extended drives. It's frustrating," said a disappointed UBC head coach
Blake Nill following the game. "I want to say that it's not overly unexpected what's happened here. You got a group of guys with a little bit of a championship hangover and it certainly happens to a number of programs. I'll give the players two days off, then they'll come back and we'll decide what kind of football team we want to be."
After a rough start in week one against Alberta, the T-Birds began Friday night much stronger, scoring the game's opening touchdown on their second drive, capped off with a three yard
Isaiah Knight rush.
Forcing the Bisons to punt on their ensuing drive, the 'Birds used some trickery as starting quarterback
Garrett Rooker shoveled the ball back to
Derek Engel who threw a 29-yard pass to
Mark Webb inside Manitoba territory.
Kieran Flannery-Fleck gave the home side a two possession lead on the first play of the second quarter with a 29-yard field goal.
But that's as much offence as the T-Birds would muster with the Bisons rattling off three second quarter touchdowns to stake a 26-10 halftime lead.
Following a 37-yard Maya Turner field goal to get the visitors on the board, Manitoba pivot Jackson Tachinski heaved the ball up for Vaughn Lloyd who completed an 81-yard catch and run for the fourth year receiver's second touchdown of the season. Lloyd finished the game with 143 total yards receiving.
Later in the frame, Tachinski found Jake Roger in the back of the end zone for a 22-yard score and a nine point lead.
UBC had opportunities to claw back late in the half but a combination of breakdowns led to a healthy Bisons lead instead.
A series of T-Bird penalties on Manitoba's final possession of the half placed the ball on the one-yard line with no time left on the clock. Tachinski called his own number and plunged into the end zone to give the visitors 26 straight points and a 16 point advantage heading into the break.
The second half didn't start a whole lot better for the T-Birds who, after getting Manitoba to punt on the opening drive, saw Rooker intercepted by Stephen Adamopolous at the UBC 45. But the T-Birds defence managed to force a turnover of their own when
Ben Sangmuah punched the ball loose from Breydon Stubbs, recovered at the two by
Jerrell Cummings.
Failing to score and losing the ball on a third down gamble, the T-Birds saw Tachinski construct a three minute, 72-yard drive consummated by a six-yard rushing major by Stubbs to expand the lead to 33-10.
Rooker was picked off for a second time early in the fourth, but like in the first half, the 'Birds' defence got the ball back with
Maka Bangura pouncing on a Noah Anderson fumble, punched out by
Lucca Blasi.
Switching to Engel under centre, the T-Birds were driving with purpose looking for some late momentum, but Manitoba DB Sebastian Reed earned the Bisons' third pick of the night, downed at the Manitoba 11.
Rooker finished the night 15-for-26 with 195 yards passing and the two picks. Engel went 5-for-9 for 76 yards and an interception.
"It's infuriating. Turning the ball over that many times, that says everything," Nill added. "We just got to be better, that's all."
Tachinksi was terrific on the night, completing 17 of his 24 pass attempts for 286 yards and two touchdowns along with 61 yards rushing. All told, the Bisons racked up 193 yards on the ground to UBC's 144, 54 of those from Knight.
Despite the rough start to the season, the T-Birds know they are far better than what their record shows. Now, they just need to prove it.
"We're certainly not throwing in the towel," Nill said. "This team, I'm still of the opinion we're a talented group here. We have enough veterans coming back that they should recognize that, we just got to start playing better. Right now we're 0-2 at home, we're going to have to find a way to win some games. Before that though we're going to have to find a way to play winning football, to play football that represents the integrity of the game."
The 'Birds will hope their first road game of the season will reverse their fortunes as they visit the 1-1 Regina Rams next Saturday, September 14. Kickoff at Mosaic Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. PT.
