Alberta and UBC look for first wins of season

Source: Alberta Sports Info

The team has been ravaged by injuries over the past three weeks, losing starting linebacker Tyler Greenslade (Achilles) for the season, as well as suffering bumps and bruises to a number of starters.

Despite the injury toll and an 0-4 record on the season, their past two games have been huge improvements over their first two games. Through the first two games, both on the road, Alberta recorded just 405 yards of offence and six points in losses to Saskatchewan and Calgary. Yet in the two games since, against Regina and Manitoba, the Golden Bears offence has produced 914 yards and 55 points. In both recent games, the Bears had a lead at half-time or were in a position to win going into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t come away with the necessary stop or points to earn the elusive victory. In Manitoba last weekend, the Bears showed incredible resiliency and continued to slug it out with the high-scoring Bisons’ offence.

“The players are working really hard, and despite being decimated by injuries over the past three weeks, the players are excited to come to football every day and actually are spending more time together as a team than I have seen in the past four years,” observed second-year head coach Jeff Stead. “We have great leaders on this team, and everyone, including the coaching staff, remains positive.”
This weekend, they face another winless squad in the UBC Thunderbirds, a team that finished last season with a 6-2 record and had a Hec Creighton-winning quarterback in Billy Greene. However, UBC had used an ineligible player all season last year, and had to forfeit every game, leaving them with an 0-8 record. Although Greene remains the team’s signal caller, the Birds have struggled to find a win this season.

Now, the Bears and Birds will clash and see which team reaches the win column first.

“We need for some of our younger players, who have not played much this year, to fill in this week due to injuries and prove why they belong on our roster and in the CIS,” noted Stead. “We also need to eliminate the big plays against on special teams, and, offensively, we need to score every time we have a chance. We have to finish drives instead of hurting ourselves with penalties.”

Third-year quarterback Curtis Dell has been at the wheel of Alberta’s improved play of late. In his first year as a starter, Dell has completed 55 of 108 passes for 721 yards and two TDs, while also collecting two rushing TDs and 148 rushing yards.

“Curtis has shown that he can be an elite QB at this level,” said Stead, a former QB at Bemidji State and at the University of Manitoba. “The biggest thing that has allowed him to have success is that he is protecting the ball. He works very hard each and every day to get better. His leadership on and off the field is becoming infectious within our team.”

Greene, meanwhile, has racked up 828 yards of passing on 59 completions, as well as four touchdowns, but the veteran pivot has also thrown a Canada West-high six interceptions. He’s also rushed for 254 yards through four games, and two touchdowns, making him a dual threat.

The UBC offence is the best rushing offence in the conference, having accumulated 239.5 yards along the ground and five TDs. Sophomore back Brandon Deschamps has 343 yards from the line of scrimmage, an average of 85.5 per game, but hasn’t found the endzone yet. Lucas Spagnuolo has 135 rushing yards and a TD, giving the Birds three quality rushing options.

The Bears are currently the third best defence against the run in Canada West, while UBC is last against the run. Both teams rank in the bottom defending the pass.