Stakes mount as Rams prepare to host Bisons at Mosaic on Friday

THE GAME
After a tumultuous 0-3 start, the University of Regina Rams are now right back in the Canada West playoff picture thanks to a big 38-14 road win over Alberta last Friday. A win for the Rams over Manitoba on Friday puts Regina into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings with just three games remaining on the Canada West slate. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium and will be broadcast live on Access7, on the dial at 620ckrm.com, and via webcast at [url]www.canadawest.tv.

THE HEADLINES
• Regina and Manitoba will also meet on Oct. 29 in Winnipeg, meaning that not only the outcome but also the point spread will be critical on Friday
• The Rams have won four consecutive games over the Bisons dating back to Oct. 24, 2008
• Converted slotback Zach Oleynik got the call for the Rams at quarterback last Saturday, becoming the fourth player in as many games to start at QB for Regina this season — Oleynik is expected to get the start at pivot for the Rams on Friday
• Regina’s Chris Bodnar remains the CIS leader with an average of 45.2 yards per punt
• After rushing for 165 yards against the Golden Bears, Rams running back Adrian Charles ranks second in both Canada West and the CIS with 503 rushing yards this season and is on pace to become the first player in Rams history to hit the 1000-yard barrier in a single season
• Manitoba quarterback Khaleal Williams ranks second in Canada West with 1160 passing yards this season (just 13 behind UBC’s Billy Greene), while receiver Tyson Takasaki is third in the conference in both receptions (18) and receiving yards (299)

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (1-3)
After a painful 0-3 start, the mood around the Rams’ clubhouse has dramatically improved this week following a big 38-14 road win over the Alberta Golden Bears last Saturday.

The win was crucial for so many reasons — not only did a Rams offence that had sputtered through the first three weeks of the season finally get going in a big way, but the victory put the Rams just one win back of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the Canada West standings.

Zach Oleynik will get the start at quarterback for the Rams again after a sparkling debut against Alberta. Running back Adrian Charles is ranked second in both Canada West and the CIS (behind Calgary’s Steven Lumbala) in rushing yards, while slotback Jared Janotta is tied for third in the conference in receptions (18) and touchdown catches (3).

Defensively, Jamir Walker is tied for the Canada West lead with two interceptions (both of which came last week at Alberta) and leads the conference outright with five passes defended. Logan Brooks is tied for the Canada West lead with four sacks and is just two short of tying Sean Brimacombe’s Rams single-season record of six (2005).

The Rams will have a week off before returning to action with a critical matchup at UBC on Oct. 15.

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA BISONS (2-2)
The Manitoba Bisons are no stranger to close games this season, as three of their four contests have been settled by a touchdown or less and the other featured only a 10-point victory margin.

Manitoba is coming off a close 29-23 loss to UBC in which a last-minute Bisons drive was snuffed out deep in Thunderbirds territory after a Khaleal Williams pass fell incomplete on third down. The loss puts Manitoba into a tie for third place in the Canada West standings with Saskatchewan, but the Bisons currently hold the tiebreaker due to their 26-16 win over the Huskies in Week 3.

Williams’ 1160 passing yards this season ranks second in Canada West, while he ranks third in the conference in both touchdown passes (6) and pass efficiency (140.0). Williams’ top target this season has been Tyson Takasaki, who is third in Canada West in receptions (18) and receiving yards (299). Running back Anthony Coombs averages 65.3 rushing yards per game, but also handles return duties for the Bisons and leads Canada West with 671 all-purpose yards despite missing a game to injury.

Thomas Hall and Lauren Kroeker both have two sacks on the season for Manitoba, while Hall, Grayson Wells, and Brett MacFarlane are among several players tied for second in Canada West with four passes defended.

Manitoba, which fell out of this week’s rankings after the loss to UBC, returns to action two weeks from Saturday with a home game against Alberta.

University of Regina Sports Info

Game Day Notes: University of Manitoba Bisons (2-2) vs. University of Regina Rams (1-3)
Friday September 30, 2011

The Manitoba Bisons football team (2-2) plays their second consecutive road game as they travel to play the Regina Rams (1-3) at Mosaic Stadium on Friday, September 30 with game time at 8 p.m. CT. The game can be heard live on radio at 101.5 FM (umfm.com) with pre-game starting at 7:45 p.m. CT. Derek Taylor will be handling play-by-play with Matt Rollason as the colour commentary.

The Herd seek to make a playoff run and embark on a campaign to officially qualify for the playoffs for the first time since capturing the 2007 Vanier Cup with a perfect 12-0 record (8-0 in regular season; 4-0 in playoffs). Over the past three seasons, the Herd had posted a 2-6 record in 2010; while in 2009, Manitoba had a 4-4 record on the field but finished with an official Canada West record of 2-5 due to using an ineligible player and finally in 2008, the team was 3-5.

In the last 12 seasons since the Rams enter Canada West, the Bisons have a regular season record of 13-7 and hold a 5-5 record on the road versus the Rams. Manitoba has lost the last four meeting between the two teams (three losses in a row at Regina) and last won against them in 2008 season and last win in Regina was 2007 (Sept. 1/07: W 36-13).

Manitoba falls out of the CIS Top 10 this week after jumping back on the list for the first time since the 2008 season. For Canada West teams, Calgary remains at number three, UBC moves up to number eight and Saskatchewan drops to number nine.

In the 2011 Canada West regular season, Manitoba entered the season with 78 players on their roster and a whopping 31 (40%) are entering their first year of eligibility while another 12 (15%) eligible players are in their second year. The rest of the breakdown is third year players: 6 (8%); fourth year players: 20 (26%) and fifth year players at 9 (11%)

When the two teams met in game six (at the end of last season) for the second time in 2010, the Bisons have six offensive starters (OL Scott Johnson, OL Landon Rice, OL Justin Yakiwchuk, SB Jared Ralko, SB Stu Schollaardt and QB Khaleal Williams) and seven defensive starters (DL Adam Hindley, DL Lauren Kroeker, LB Thomas Hall, HB Pete Adams, CB David Ferrier, CB Grayson Wells and S Teague Sherman) who played last season and scheduled to start in this 2011 game.

This is the 50th consecutive season the Bisons have participated in university football since Manitoba re-instated football as a varsity sport in 1962.

These two teams played twice during the 2010 regular season:
October 16, 2010: Regina 41 Manitoba 19 at Manitoba

In the game, the tide turned in the third quarter. Manitoba could not take advantage of the strong wind (40km) to their backs and could only muster one point. There were two plays that the home side could not convert and stalled any chance for scoring points. With Manitoba clinging to an 18-10 halftime lead, the Bisons started a drive early in the third quarter and were at midfield and had 2-and-1 but were stopped twice as they tried to gain the yard and make the first down. Regina used the turnover and struck quickly with a 50 yard pass from QB Marc Mueller to WR Chris King and the lead was down to one for the Herd. Then on the next ensuing drive for the Bisons, they drove down to Regina’s six yard line and set-up for a field goal attempt but after a low snap, Bison kicker Nick Naylor rhythm was disrupted and he could not successfully kick the field goal. Manitoba would not get that close again to Regina’s end zone for the remainder of the game.

The Rams continued to pound the ball throughout the game and was led by Canada West leading rusher Adrian Charles as he churned out an amazing 222 yards on 19 carries (11.7 avg.). Charles had long runs of 90, 48 and 37 yards plus added two rushing touchdowns in the Rams’ win. Canada West second leading passer Mueller was consistent for Regina as he went 19-28 for 244 yards and 2 TDs plus added 70 rushing yards on eight carries.

For Manitoba, they could not ask for a better start. They begin with the wind and proceeded to rattle off 18 unanswered points in the first 15 minutes. Manitoba led 225-78 in yards and added two touchdown passes from QB Khaleal Williams to Jared Ralko (18 yard) and Quincy Hurst (12 yard) while Naylor added his longest field goal of the season from 42 yards and had a single off the opening kickoff.

Regina chipped away at the lead with a Mueller to SB Brenden Owens five yard TD pass and kicker Chris Bodnar added a 16 yard field goal in the second. After the missed chances by Manitoba, Regina exerted their will in the fourth. The Rams had their first lead of the game when Charles finished a 71 yard drive with a five yard TD run and then the next time, the visitors struck again when Charles rumbled in from 37 yards for his second touchdown. Mueller made it 3-for-3 for touchdown drives in the fourth after he completed a quick 48 yard drive with a one yard TD plunge and Bodnar finished the scoring with a 36 yard FG.

Regina had King with a 100 yard receiving day at 101 on four catches and one TD. Owens added 65 receiving yards on seven grabs while LB Bruce Anderson had a game-high 8.5 total tackles and one break-up. DB Kirby Kezma had 6.5 tackles and the team had four sacks. Overall, Regina had 327 rushing yards and 563 total offence yards.

For the home side, RB Matt Henry reached the 3000 rushing yard career mark (3057) over his five years after a 138 rushing day on 26 carries. Williams was 13-24 for 233 passing yards and 2 TDs while SB Stu Schollaardt grabbed three catches for 100 yards and Chad Young added two receptions for 38 yards. LB John Tietzmann had 8.0 total tackles, one sack and one break-up while S Justin Clayton had seven tackles.

This was only the second loss at home by the Bisons to Regina in ten games (8-2) over the last 12 seasons. Manitoba allowed 24 points in the fourth quarter and that tied the most points scored by an opponent in a quarter, which was set last game by Saskatchewan.

September 3, 2010: Regina 45 Manitoba 11 at Regina
The Rams’ defence accounted for 22 of the team’s 45 points, as Bruce Anderson had a fumble return for a touchdown and both Mike Kerr and Jamir Walker returned interceptions for majors. Regina also forced Manitoba to concede two safeties.

Manitoba was down 9-0 after the first quarter when Rams QB Marc Mueller hit Brenden Owens for a 42 yard TD pass and a safety. In the second quarter, the Rams added to the lead when Bruce Anderson had a 48 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown before the Bisons scored their first point of the young season with a Brendon Bowman single punt point. The Rams scored five more points in the second before the Bisons struck for their first major of the season. In his first-ever CIS start at the QB position, third year Khaleal Williams scampered for a 60 yard TD run just before half.

The Rams held a 21-8 advantage at halftime and did not look back in winning for the third consecutive time against the Bisons in the last three seasons.

Steve Famulak also had a big game for the Rams (1-0), tying for the team lead with 5.5 tackles and also recording 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Brenden Owens was the team’s leader on the offensive side of the ball, catching five balls for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Marc Mueller was 16-for-25 for 189 yards, while running back Adrian Charles had 83 rushing yards in his Rams debut.

Jeff Lukomski and Daniel Knaus also had interceptions for the Rams, while Stefan Charles and Akiem Hicks both had sacks. Besides his fumble return for a touchdown, Anderson also recovered a fumble early in the first quarter.

Manitoba actually led the Rams in some statistical categories as they produced more first downs (19 to Regina’s 16); net rushing yards (144 to 121); possession time (30:59 to 29:01) and pass completions (20 to 16) but also led in the all important category of overall turnovers (Manitoba had eight to Regina’s zero). The Bisons registered four interceptions, two fumbles and two loss of downs on third down conversions.

In his first QB start at Manitoba, Williams was 20-33 for 170 passing yards but threw four interceptions and was sacked five times. He was the top rusher for the Herd with 70 yards on four carries. Fifth year Matt Henry contributed 55 yards on ten carries. In receiving, Bison rookie Xavier Johnson tied for the game-high with five receptions for 32 yards and Stu Schollaardt, Jared Ralko, Brendon Bowman and Quincy Hurst all added three catches in the loss. Bowman (46.2 avg.) split the punting duties with rookie Nick Naylor (33.6 avg.) while Naylor added his first CIS points to his young career with a 1/1 placekicking game after nailing a 28 yarder field goal.

On defence, the Bisons were led by DL Lou Richardson with a game-high 9.5 tackles while DL Everton Black added 6.5 tackles and LB Mike Taylor and DL Adam Hindley both had a sack and 4. 5 tackles along with LB Thomas Hall with 4.5 tackles.

The Rams scored 45 points against Manitoba and this is the most Regina has ever scored in a game against the Bisons in the 12 seasons they have played in CIS action. This is the first time ever that Regina has rattled off a three game winning streak over Manitoba since Regina joined the CIS in 1999 and Manitoba now has an overall regular season record of 13-6 against Regina.

Points of Interest
In the last 12 seasons since the Rams enter Canada West, the Bisons have a regular season record of 13-7 and hold a 5-5 record on the road versus the Rams. Manitoba has lost the last four meeting between the two teams (three losses in a row at Regina) and last won against them in 2008 season and last win in Regina was 2007 (Sept. 1/07: W 36-13).

This is an important game as at the halfway point, Manitoba is tied for third with Saskatchewan and one game back of second place UBC but only one game ahead of fifth place Regina. This is also the first of two games between the Rams and Bisons this season with a return match-up on the final week of the regular season on October 29.

In the latest Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) – CIS rankings, the Manitoba Bisons football team (2-2 record) dropped from tenth to out of the Top 10 and ended up 12th in the fifth poll of the 2011 season.

In the fifth CIS Top 10 football poll, of the 2011 season, Calgary stays ranked number three while UBC jumps up one to eighth spot and Saskatchewan moves down from seventh to ninth position.

There is one Bison roster starter change from game four to game five: WR Christian Hansen starts at wide receiver and replaces Xavier Johnson while rookie Nic Demski fills in for Johnson at punt return duties.

Last week for Manitoba at UBC, The No. 9 UBC Thunderbirds won 29-23 in their Homecoming Game over then No. 10 Manitoba Bisons on Saturday, September 24 afternoon.
The win improves UBC’s record to 3-1, the team’s best start since 1999, while Manitoba falls to 2-2. UBC is now in second and Manitoba in fourth in the highly competitive Canada West conference.

UBC quarterback Billy Greene found Jordan Grieve behind the Manitoba coverage on a 72-yard touchdown catch and run play at 12:34 of the third quarter for the winning score. Grieve would end the day with 172 receiving yards on seven catches. It was his fourth touchdown catch of the season, his third over 50 yards. Grieve’s latest big play put UBC ahead 27-20.

The Bisons had several late opportunities to take the lead but were unable to execute. Halfway through the final quarter, a Serge Kaminsky sack on the UBC 29 stalled a Manitoba drive, forcing the Bisons to attempt a field goal, which Boyd missed. With 1:43 to go in the fourth, and the ball on the UBC 35-yard line, Manitoba quarterback Khaleal Williams threw a pass into the front corner of end zone for Tyson Takasaki, only to have the ball knocked away by Alex Babalos. Later that same drive after a third down conversion and a facemask penalty, the Bisons were on the UBC nine-yard line, but a third down pass from Williams to Kienan LaFrance was off the mark.

The offensive output by the Bisons wrecked the team’s record book. The 34 first downs recorded tied the most by a Bison team and Manitoba totaled 607 yards on offence, which stands as the fourth most team total since records recorded in 1968. The 391 passing yards by Khaleal Williams is the fourth most recorded in team history and Williams’ fourth 300 yard game in his CIS career. In addition, the 27 pass completions by Williams, ties for the second most in Bison history (Shane Munson (Sept. 6/02). Takasaki had his first 100 yard receiving game (third by a Bison this season), Demski had the first 100 yard rushing game by a Bison this season and was his first century mark for the 17 year old in his rookie CIS season.

In team conference 2011 stats, starting with scoring offence, Manitoba is fourth (25.5 points per game), while Regina is sixth (14.8 ppg) and in scoring defence, the Bisons are fourth at 25.0 ppg and the Rams are fifth with 29.8. In total offence, Manitoba is third with 459.2 yards per game and Regina is fourth at 341.2 ypg. In total defence, Manitoba is third with 367.8 yards per game and the Rams are fourth at 384.0.

In rush offence, the Rams are third (185.0 yards per game) and the Herd is fourth (169.2 ypg). In rush defence, Regina is third (145.8 ypg) while Manitoba is fourth (159.2). In pass offence, the Bisons are second (290.0); the Rams are last (156.2 ypg). In pass defence, Manitoba is second (208.5 ypg) and Regina is fourth (238.2 ypg). Regina is tied for first in sacks with ten and the Bisons are tied for fourth (8) while the Rams are third (8) and the Herd is fourth (9) for least sacks allowed; Manitoba is fifth (-2) and Regina is sixth (-9) in turnover margin and time of possession, Manitoba is second (32:19) and Regina is fourth (29:08). Finally, Manitoba is fourth most penalized team (465 yards) and Regina Is most penalized (527 yards). Bisons have scored four TD in 14 red zone chances.

Individually in Canada West 2011 offensive stats, Rams Adrian Charles (503) is second and Bisons Anthony Coombs (196) is sixth in rushing yards; In passing yards, Bisons QB Khaleal Williams is second with 1160. Bison Tyson Takasaki and Rams Jared Janotta are tied for third with 18 receptions. In scoring, Bisons Nick Boyd leads with 43 points and Regina Chris Bodnar is fourth in kick scoring at 17.

Individually in Canada West 2011 defensive stats, Regina Akiem Hicks is seventh and Kirby Kezama is eighth with 20.5 and 19.5 total tacks in Canada West and Justin Edralin is tied for tenth at 19.0. For Manitoba, Pete Adams is tied at 12th with 18.5 while Eric Vincent is 16th with 17.5. In sacks, Logan Brooks is tied for first with four and Bisons Thomas Hall and Lauren Kroeker are tied for seventh with two. In tackles for losses, Brooks is third with 4.5 while Austin Bates is tied for fourth with 4.0 along with Kroeker while Bison Evan Gill is tied for eighth with 3.5. In passes defended, Rams Jamir Walker leads Canada West with five while Bisons Grayson Wells, Thomas Hall and Brett MacFarlane are tied for second with four and Pete Adams, Teague Sherman are all tied for seventh with three. Hall and Walker are tied for first with two interceptions.

In a quirky stat, Manitoba starting defensive secondary (CB Grayson Wells, HB Brett MacFarlane, S Teague Sherman, HB Pete Adams, CB David Ferrier) now all have one interception apiece. The team is tied for second in the conference with seven overall picks so far this season.

The Bisons have scored nine touchdowns so far this season (Coombs – 2; Takasaki – 2; Schollaardt – 2; Bowman – 1; Demski – 1; Grayson Wells – 1) with six pass TDs, one run TD, one kickoff return TD and one fumble recovery TD.

OL Landon Rice is the final Bison player connection with the 2007 Vanier Cup Championship as he was part of that team in his rookie campaign. LB Thomas Hall was also part of the 2007 team but did not play as he red-shirted that season.

Manitoba did play a pre-season game this season (the first against a CIS team since 2005) and lost 15-7 at Regina on Aug. 27.

For Manitoba offence, QB Khaleal Williams has started and played all 240 minutes at the pivot position so far this season. The Bisons have five receivers over 100 receiving yards (Tyson Takasaki – 299; Brendon Bowman – 207; Jared Ralko – 167; Stu Schollaardt – 145; Anthony Coombs – 142) while four Bisons have gained 130 or more rushing yards (Coombs – 196; Williams – 155; Kienan LaFrance – 137; Nic Demski – 136) while in all-purpose yards, Coombs leads team and Canada West with 671, Nic Demski has 380, Takasaki at 299 and Bowman with 241. Kicker Nick Boyd is 11-17 in field goals with his longest of 42 yards and 5-5 from 20-29 yard range. Bowman has a 38.1 punt average.

For Manitoba defence, HB Pete Adams leads the team with 18.5 total tackles followed by LB Eric Vincent with 17.5 and then DL Lauren Kroeker and LB Marlon Azurdia at 16.5, LB Thomas Hall at 16.0 and DL Adam Hindley with 15.0. Along with Kroeker and Hall withy two sacks each, DL Evan Gill and Azurdia has 1.5 sacks and DL Clifton Lewis has 1.0 sack. HB Brett MacFarlane and CB Grayson Wells leads the Bisons with three break-ups followed by S Teague Sherman, Kroeker, Adams, Hall and Azurdia with two break-ups. Gill, Wells and Louie Richardson have one fumble recovery and Gill, Richardson and DL Lincoln Bryan have one forced fumble. Richardson has the lone blocked kick so far this season.

The Bisons wants to reverse some Canada West statistical team categories not in their favour in 2010. Manitoba was last in scoring offence, scoring defence, total offence, rushing offence, rushing defence, pass defence efficiency, interception, punting, field goals, sacks against, first downs and opponents first downs. The Herd did not lead any team stat categories last season.

In the 2011 season opener, the Bisons had 23 of 50 players (46% of full roster) dressed for the Bisons for the first time in their career. With the new 23 players for Manitoba starting this season on the roster, 13 of them are 20 years old or younger. As of Sept. 10/11, Demski is right now at 17 while Coombs and Adewale are 18 plus eight players are just 19.

Last season, Manitoba had one Canada West All-Stars with halfback Pete Adams earning his second consecutive selection while Regina had seven.

BISON FOOTBALL PLAYERS CLOSE TO TEAM CAREER MILESTONES
– Head coach Brian Dobie (1996-) is coaching his 124th regular season game at Manitoba (64-57-1-1)
– Pete Adams (2008-) moved into ninth spot in total tackles with 111.5, ahead of tenth place Scott Coe (1998-01) at 111, and next is eight place Jim Jeavons (2005-09) in eighth at 112.
– Thomas Hall (2008-) is just behind Coe in 11th spot at 104.5 total tackles
– Teague Sherman (2008-) is in 14th position with 98.0 total tackles and can climb over 13th spot Everton Black (2007-10) at 99.0 and 12th spot Chad Vath (1995-98) at 101.
– Sherman is also tenth in interceptions at seven and one back of ninth place Scott Coe.
– Adams is tied for second in blocked kicks, with four other Bisons, and one back of first place Jason Rauhaus (1990-91) and Mike Howard (2003-07) each with three blocks.
– In defensive break-ups, this stat was first recorded in 2002 and Sherman leads with 17 followed by Adams at 14 while David Ferrier (2009-) and Grayson Wells (2009-) are tied for seventh at eight and one back of sixth place David Hewson (2000-04).
– Nic Demski (2011-) tied for most kickoff returns with one

Manitoba Sports Info