It's a two week sprint to the regular season finish line with the UBC Thunderbirds facing a big challenge in their final home game this Friday, October 17 when the No. 5 ranked Saskatchewan Huskies come to town.

The T-Birds (2-4) showed some real promise with a week six second half comeback in Manitoba and despite falling just short in the end, the young blue and gold squad proved they have both the weapons and ability to not just compete, but succeed in a tough conference.

Now, coming out of the Thanksgiving week bye, the 'Birds need to pick up at least one, if not two, wins in the final two weeks of the season to keep their playoff hopes alive.

"What I tried to do with bye week was keep a balance of momentum from that half, hoping to carry that further and then at the same time use the opportunity to rest a lot of athletes who are banged up and just could use some time off their feet," said UBC head coach Blake Nill, looking to get his team into a playoff berth for a fifth straight year. "It was a balanced approach and it's what I typically do and hopefully it pays off for us. We just need to play 60 minutes like we played the last 30 minutes in Manitoba."



Posting that second half effort in Winnipeg was one thing, putting together a superior 60 minutes against the conference leading Huskies is another. Leading the Canada West with 464 yards per game on offence while putting up 33 points on average, Saskatchewan showed the Thunderbirds up close and personal what they're capable of back in week three when they laid a 51-14 beatdown on the T-Birds at Griffiths Stadium.

"Any time you have the opportunity to play one of the best teams in the conference, you got to look at it as a growth moment, an opportunity to take a step upward. That's how we're approaching this week," Nill said. "We know what we're facing, we understand everything about the scenario we're in. But we have a chance to play against the best and we want to reciprocate that by being at our best."

That scenario for the T-Birds is fairly simple: win their last two games and they'll clinch a playoff berth. UBC enters week seven tied with Calgary for the fourth and final post-season spot, but with the tie-breaker in their favour based on a homecoming win over the Dinos. A loss Friday to Saskatchewan doesn't ensure UBC misses the Hardy Cup playoffs, but it would take the team's fate out of their own hands.



As the weather turns and becomes more of a factor, the running game will likely become all that more important. While the T-Birds have improved their ground game both on offence and defence, there's plenty of room for growth.

"It starts with your ability to dominate the line of scrimmage and run the football when you're on offence and stop the run when you're on defence. That's going to remain a focus for UBC Football and we're going to try to be better at it this week again."
UBC's previously anemic offence found its footing in Manitoba with Drew Viotto throwing for 473 yards, the third highest single game total in T-Birds history, along with a trio of touchdown passes, two of them to Trey Montour.

Three UBC receivers finished week six with more than 100 yards (Montour, Shemar McBean and Colby Johnson) while Toluwalope Ayedegbe scored his team-leading fifth rushing touchdown of the season.

Viotto's and Johnson's breakout performances were cases in point of the talent UBC boasts among its freshmen class which continues as a whole to get valuable game-time reps.
 

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"In Manitoba we dressed 23 18 or 19-year olds, that's a lot of youth. They're young men who are athletic and can play, but there's a lot to be said for what I call 'old man strength' or 'old man confidence'. When you're a 23-year old, you just don't get fazed like you do when you're 18, and you don't let your emotions impact so much. It's just the inconsistency that's associated with young teams, no matter what the sport or the level."

Friday night is also UBC Football's annual Legacy Game, an opportunity to celebrate new inductees into the Frank Gnup Wall of Honour, while also generally recognizing the impact of the more than 100 years of program history. Given the recent passing of legendary coach Frank Smith, this year's event holds even more significance.

"Coach Smith obviously is the name most associated with UBC Football. It was his efforts, his legacy that helped set the foundation for what this program is capable of. Any time you honour past coaches or past players, you have to acknowledge the fact you're actually playing for them. Our athletes will be doing their best to properly represent the program."

Kickoff for UBC's final home game of the 2025 regular season is set for 6:00 p.m. Friday at Thunderbird Stadium. Tickets are available online and the game will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.