Vancouver, BC – Heading into the final week of the Canada West regular season the UBC Thunderbirds football team still has a chance at making the playoffs, despite being 2-5. While the playoff scenarios are plentiful, the one common denominator is the Thunderbirds must win Saturday against Saskatchewan if they want to have any chance of playing beyond this weekend.
UBC is coming off a crushing 67-6 defeat at the hands of the No. 2 ranked Calgary Dinos last weekend and are now tasked with trying to forget the past and focus on a Huskies team that has lost just twice all year.
“We did not spend a lot of time talking about Saturday’s game versus Calgary,” said UBC head coach Shawn Olson. “In fact we didn’t even go over the film. There wasn’t a whole lot to be gained from it. Any time spent trying to correct or analyze the film was going to prevent us from focusing on the University of Saskatchewan. We quickly put it behind us, got on the field, corrected significant points we needed to address and moved on.”
Other than Calgary, Saskatchewan is the only other Canada West team to have already wrapped up a spot in the post season. They will finish second in the conference and will host a Canada West semi final game. They are 5-2 on the season and are coming off a 41-23 victory over Alberta last weekend.
In their previous meeting versus Saskatchewan back on October 4th, UBC had its opportunities to take control of the game and win but mental mistakes and costly breakdowns were their downfall. In the end the Huskies prevailed 31-25.
“We just have to not hurt ourselves,” said Olson. “That has been our M.O. all year. It’s been a moving target in terms of what is hurting us looks like. One week it is drop balls, another week it’s penalties, the next time is poor tackling or the kicking game. It’s tough to fix one thing. We are trying to get our guys to just relax and play to their ability. Our job as a staff is to make sure they are confident in what we are trying to accomplish and help them execute.”
With four teams still battling for the final two playoff spots there are countless scenarios for how things will play out. Other games this weekend will see Regina (2-5) face Alberta (3-4) and Calgary (6-1) take on Manitoba (3-4).
If UBC, Regina, and Calgary all win, then there would be a four-way tie (UBC, Alberta, Regina and Manitoba) for the final two playoff spots at 3-5. In the event of a three-way tie or four-way tie, the tie breaker will come down to point differential in the games between all the tied teams.
Kickoff this Saturday is set for 2:00 pm at David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium.
Photo credit: Wilson Wong
Source: Dan Elliott, UBC Thunderbirds Sports Information
Huskies close regular season against UBC
Game Date: Saturday, November 1, 2014, 2 p.m. (3 p.m., SK Time)
Game Location: Thunderbird Stadium
Live TV Broadcast: Shaw
Live Radio Broadcast: CK 750,www.ck750.com
Live Stats/ Live Webcast: canadawest.tv
THE GAME
The No. 8 University of Saskatchewan Huskies will close out the 2014 Canada West football season with a road date against the UBC Thunderbirds Saturday in Vancouver.
BROADCAST INFO
Kickoff is 2 p.m. (3 p.m. SK time) on Saturday. It can be watched on Shaw. It is also available live on CK750 or www.ck750.com or via webcast at canadawest.tv.
THE HEADLINES
- Saskatchewan (No. 8) is one of two Canada West teams to hold a spot in the CIS Top 10. Calgary (No. 2) joins the Huskies in the national rankings.
- The Huskies have already secured a home playoff date in the Canada West postseason. The game will be played on Friday, November 7 at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park.
- Saskatchewan is still waiting on its opponent in the playoff game. The opponents could be any team, other than Calgary, depending on outcomes in the final weekend of play.
- Safety Mark Ingram was named Canada West and CIS Defensive Player of the Week after recording nine tackles and two interceptions against the Alberta Golden Bears last week, while kick returner Keegan Arnyek was named Canada West Special Teams Player of the Week for his 116-yard returned missed field for a touchdown.
- Fifth-year receiver Kit Hillis broke the Huskies all-time career receptions record in last weekend’s game (see media notes page 8)
- Third-year starting quarterback Drew Burko is steadily moving up the Huskies’ all-time career lists in yards, pass completion and touchdowns (see media notes page 8).
THUNDERBIRDS/HUSKIES SERIES
Since 1998, the Huskies are 21-4 against the Thunderbirds in conference games. Saskatchewan won the earlier meeting between the teams 31-25 on October 4 in Saskatoon.
No. 8 UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (5-2)
Everything went the Saskatchewan Huskies way last weekend.
The combination of a Saskatchewan win, Alberta loss and a Manitoba loss last weekend solidified second place in the Canada West for the Huskies. Saskatchewan will host a Canada West semifinal November 7.
The Huskies used a strong second half to break away from the visiting Alberta Golden Bears en route to the 41-23 playoff-clinching win. Saskatchewan scored 24 straight second half points, outscoring Alberta 24-9 in the half.
Quarterback Drew Burko led the Huskies’ offence completing 29-of-41 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns.
Kit Hillis put his name atop the Huskies all-time receptions list – as he hauled in nine Burko passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. John Trumpy also caught two touchdown passes. Tyler Chow was the top rusher for the Huskies with 38 yards on 10 attempts. The first year running back added eight catches for 78 yards.
Safety Mark Ingram recorded nine tackles and two interceptions. For his game, he was named Canada West Defensive Player of the Week for the third time and won the title at the CIS level. Keegan Arnyek was also named Canada West Special Teams Player of the Week for his 116-yard missed field goal returned for a touchdown.
UBC THUNDERBIRDS (3-3)
Looking to forget a 67-6 loss last week to the Calgary Dinos, the UBC Thunderbirds will look to stay in the mix for a remaining playoff spot.
The Dinos scored early and often, with Johnny Mark connecting for a single on the opening kickoff sparking 16 points for Calgary in the first 5:32 of the contest. By the time the first quarter ended it was 26-0 as the Dinos capitalized with the wind. Calgary led 36-3 at the half and 43-5 after 45 minutes.
UBC’s Brandon Deschamps was able to pick up just 66 yards on the ground, while the quarterbacking tandem of Carson Williams and Trevor Casey combined for just 10 completions on 29 attempts for 105 yards in the game.
Quinn Van Gylswyk accounted for all of UBC’s scoring, adding a pair of singles to a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter. Otherwise, the Thunderbirds couldn’t penetrate deep enough into Calgary territory to threaten.
Photo credit: Calvin So
Source: Nicole Betker, University of Saskatchewan Huskies Sports Information
Dinos, Bisons wrap up regular season in Winnipeg
CALGARY – With one of the best seasons in program history already locked up, the University of Calgary Dinos will look to put the finishing touches on the 2014 campaign Saturday when they visit the Manitoba Bisons (3-4) in Winnipeg.
For the Dinos (6-1), who have already clinched top spot and home field advantage, it’s one last chance to tune up and work out any remaining kinks before the postseason begins next week. On the other side, though, the game is crucial for Manitoba: the Bisons control their playoff destiny and will clinch a berth with a victory, while a loss would put all that in jeopardy.
These two teams played one of the best games in the conference this year back on Sept. 26, when the Dinos squeaked out a 42-41 win after the Bisons malfunctioned on a game-winning field goal try. That game sparked a strange sequence for Manitoba: the Herd lost the following week at Alberta, came home to beat Saskatchewan by 33, and then lost a 56-41 shootout at Regina last week.
It is quite possibly a first-round playoff preview, as there are several scenarios in which Manitoba would finish fourth and travel to Calgary next week for the playoffs. Should that happen, it would mark the third year in a row the Dinos will play their Week 8 contest against their first-round playoff opponent after Manitoba (2012) and UBC (2013). In both cases, Calgary won both games.
Action gets underway at 2 p.m. local (1 p.m. MT) Saturday, live on Canada West.tv. Here’s a look at the two teams:
No. 2 Calgary Dinos (6-1)
Last week: defeated UBC 67-6; next week: host Canada West Semifinal
Their 2014 season won’t officially end at 8-0, but the No. 2-ranked University of Calgary Dinos will search for on-field perfection Saturday. And what an offensive juggernaut they have been.
Through seven games, the Dinos have already set school records for points scored (388) and touchdowns (48) – both of which were set in 2012. And Calgary has at least two more school records in its sights as well: the Dinos need just 37 more rushing yards to match the 2007 total of 2,353, and a team that has averaged 655 yards per game needs just 131 more to equal the total offence mark of 4,720 yards. In fact, the Dinos are in striking distance of the magic 5,000-yard mark in total offence – a spectacular feat.
Mercer Timmis returned to Calgary’s lineup last week in the Dinos’ 67-6 win over UBC last Saturday after sitting out nearly two full games. And he picked up right where he left off: 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns kept him atop the leaderboard in Canada West. Andrew Buckley, meanwhile, continued his MVP-calibre season, rushing for 99 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for another and directing the Calgary offence to another 60-point outburst.
The Dinos will host the second of two Canada West Semifinals next Saturday, Nov. 8 with kickoff at 3 p.m. at McMahon Stadium, live on Shaw TV.
Manitoba Bisons (3-4)
Last week: lost to Regina 56-41. Next week: TBD
It has been an up-and-down, back-and-forth season for the Bisons. They’ve won all three previous games at home by an average of 22 points, but they suffered losses in all four road games, including a 15-point defeat at Regina last week. That game, an offensive shootout, saw the teams combine for nearly 1,200 yards of total offence. Kienan LaFrance picked up 175 yards rushing, while Nic Demski had 238 receiving yards on just nine catches for Manitoba. Theo Dezar started at quarterback in place of Jordan Yantz against the Rams.
The Bisons are mired in a four-way battle for the last two playoff positions on the final day of the regular season. With a 3-4 record, a win over Calgary would guarantee them a playoff berth and, with an Alberta loss, they would finish third. Should the Bisons end up tied with the Golden Bears, however, Alberta would earn the higher spot because of their seven-point win in Edmonton in early October. But those are just two of several possible scenarios, one of which is a four-way tie between Manitoba, Regina, Alberta, and UBC at 3-5 – and point differential would become critical in that scenario.
For Manitoba, though, it’s a simple matter: stay undefeated at home and beat No. 2 Calgary, and they’re in the playoffs.
Source: Ben Matchett, Calgary Dinos Sports Information
SITE: Mosaic Stadium (Regina, Sask.)
RANKINGS: Alberta NR, Regina NR
REGINA RADIO: 620 CKRM (Michael Ball/PxP, Marco Ricci/CC)
• As well as being the final Canada West home game for retiring head coach Frank McCrystal, this will also be the last one for seven Rams in their final season of CIS eligibility – Landon Buch, Dillon Dawson, Justin Edralin, Patrick MacDonald, Jared Janotta, Cayman Shutter, and Dean Viena
• If Calgary and UBC both win on Saturday, the Rams will finish in third place in the Canada West standings if they defeat Alberta by at least 19 points – the Rams would then play at Saskatchewan in the Canada West semifinals (Nov. 7, 7 p.m.)
• If Manitoba and Saskatchewan both win on Saturday, the Rams will finish in fourth place in the Canada West standings if they defeat Alberta by at least two points – they would then travel to Calgary for a Canada West semifinal game (Nov. 8, 2 p.m.)
• The Calgary/Manitoba game kicks off at 1 p.m. Saskatchewan time, with the Saskatchewan/UBC game scheduled for a 3 p.m. start
• First-year QB Noah Picton is expected to get his third start of the season – he was 17-for-24 last game for 368 yards and three TDs after replacing Cayman Shutter in the second quarter
• Picton has a 63.2% completion rate this year and has 1562 passing yards and 10 TDs
• Shutter was injured in Saturday’s game while scrambling for a career-long 51-yard gain, the longest run by a quarterback in the Rams’ history at the CIS level
• Frankie Gray is third on the depth chart at QB, while fourth-year SB Landon Buch usually serves as the team’s quarterback in short-yardage situations
• Rookie RB Atlee Simon had a spectacular outing in last week’s win over Manitoba, earning CIS Offensive Player of the Week honours after tying school records with three TD runs and four TDs scored overall and ending up with 243 all-purpose yards (156 rushing, 87 receiving)
• Despite only starting two games this year, Simon has a team-high 419 rushing yards and four TD rushes
• Backing up Simon will be fifth-year RB Dillon Dawson, who returned to the lineup last week after missing the UBC game due to an injury – Dawson has 29 rushes for 155 yards this season
• Also dressing will be Jens Johnson, who has 22 carries for 127 yards and a TD
• Fourth-year WR Addison Richards leads Canada West with 49 catches and 803 receiving yards this season and also has a team-high five TD catches – Richards has gone registered over 100 yards in five of the team’s seven conference games
• Second-year WR Mitch Thompson connected with Picton for a 104-yard touchdown last week, the third-longest play from scrimmage in U of R history – Thompson is third on the Rams with 26 catches and fourth with 308 receiving yards
• Richard Sindani will also dress – the second-year WR has five catches for 55 yards
• Fifth-year SB Jared Janotta had seven catches for 109 yards last week to set Canada West’s all-time receptions record
• Third-year SB Riley Wilson has started all seven games for the Rams – he’s got 21 catches for 330 yards
• With fifth-year SB Landon Buch banged up last week, Mitchell Picton got his second start of the season and had two TD catches – Picton now has 11 catches on the year, four of which have been for touchdowns
• Buch remains questionable this week, so Picton is likely to start for the second consecutive game with second-year players Andrew Bennett and Davin Johnston as backups
• The Rams have gone with the same starting five on the line in each of the last six games and that shouldn’t change this weekend, with Jeremy Zver (LT), Kyle Paterson (LG), Aaron Picton (C), Tristain Hoath (RG), and Matt Degelman (RT) expected to start again on Saturday against Alberta
• Picton, who will be eligible for the 2015 CFL Draft, is the team’s most experienced lineman with 18 career Canada West starts and two postseason starts
• Also a post on the U of R’s basketball team, Zver will make his 16th consecutive start at left tackle for the Rams
• Degelman comes into Saturday with 14 career starts, while Paterson has 13
• Keenan Carrier, Nathan Cugnet, and Brandon Williams will also dress on Saturday
• The Rams made their first change to the line last week with Dean Viena injured – rookie Eric Wicijowski stepped in to start at rush end with Bryce McKinnon still at nose tackle and Tyler Perkins at defensive end
• Perkins tied a school record with his third career blocked kick last Saturday – he also leads Canada West with three fumble recoveries this season to go along with 15 tackles, three TFLs, two forced fumbles, and a sack
• Viena has a team-leading two sacks this year, but remains questionable for Saturday
• McKinnon has 14½ tackles (9 solo, 11 assisted) and one tackle for loss this year
• Wicijowski could start for the second consecutive game in place of Viena – the rookie had a 10-yard sack last game had has 7½ tackles on the season
• Depending on the status of Viena, the Rams could also dress second-year man Thomas Lill or rookie Brad Sich
• The Rams went with the same starting linebackers for the third consecutive game last week with Zack McEachern at SLB, Connor Ketchen at MLB, and Michael Stefanovic at WLB
• Stefanovic is the team’s leading tackler (25 solo, 18 assisted) and also has three TFLs
• McEachern stepped into the starting lineup for the Calgary game and has a team-leading 21 tackles in the last three games
• Ketchen has 22½ tackles this season including 2½ TFLs, while Minshull started the first four games of the year and has 26 tackles including 3½ TFLs and 1½ sacks
• Ketchen and Minshull were teammates in high school (Neelin HS in Brandon, Man.)
• Cody Kezama (7 tackles) and rookie Danny Nesbitt (3 tackles) have also dressed for all seven Canada West games – the coaches hinted Thursday that one of them could possibly see an expanded role against Alberta
• Julius Landry will also likely dress for the fourth time this season
• The Rams are expected to go with the same starters at safety (Justin Edralin), dimeback (Joey Dwyer), and halfback (Patrick MacDonald and Jeff Propp)
• Injuries could force a change at CB, as Kahlen Branning and Kadeem Ellis had to step in to replace starters Tevaughn Campbell and Ryan Serbu due to injuries
• Both Campbell and Serbu are listed as questionable for the weekend, so Branning or Ellis – or both – could very well step into the starting lineup against the Bisons
• Jordy Kibamba, Korey Greene, and possibly rookie Dilan Elgert will also dress for Saturday’s game
• MacDonald now has a team-high two interceptions this season, while Dwyer, Edralin, and Serbu each have one
• Dwyer also has the defensive backfield’s only sacks of the year – he’s got 1½ sacks and is also tied with MacDonald for second on the team with 31½ tackles
• MacDonald also leads the team with eight pass breakups, while Dwyer and Campbell have four apiece
• Andrew Fabian is 11-for-15 on FG attempts this season and is averaging 38.8 yards per punt for the Rams
• With Atlee Simon essentially taking over the ground game, rookie Daniel Scraper will likely dress and handle kickoff duties for the Rams
• Mitch Thompson has 13 punt returns for an average of 8.8 yards per atttempt and is the team’s leading kickoff returner with 14 returns for an average of 23.4 yards
• Catlin Schneider should also play a large role in the return game – he averages 22.6 yards per kickoff return and 4.5 yards per punt return
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