Frankly Speaking: No one in Canada West is a push-over

As the University of Regina Rams prepare to take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears 7 p.m. Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium, things on the surface appear to be looking very good for the team.

Unranked heading into the season, the Rams have put together a 3-1 record and a share of first place with the University of Calgary Dinos. The Rams have returned from BC where they beat the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 41-6 last weekend.
While the score may sound impressive, consider the Thunderbirds beat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon earlier this season and the result shows this season Canada West is very competitive.
“We’re really pleased with the season so far but it’s very important we keep our eye on the ball and stay focused for the rest of the season,” said Rams Head Coach Frank McCrystal.
“Every team in Canada West is competitive this year and can beat you if you don’t bring your A game every week.”
McCrystal was pleased with the Rams performance in BC last week and singled out the Rams penchant for making big plays as a welcome development for the team.
“We did a lot of good things but showing that big play potential was certainly good to see,” said McCrystal. “The offence did very well, our special teams have been improving and defensively we are defending the run better.”
“It’s pretty obvious that defending the run hurt us last year so we went out and recruited and trained well in order to address that hole in our defence. We are confident in our special teams and (punter) Chris Bodnar is showing he does a lot of things well – punting, kicking and throwing.”
“But on our special teams the unsung hero has to be Jorgen Hus who brings the ball back to Bodnar on the snaps better than anyone in football. He’s doing an excellent job and we’re happy to have him there.”
McCrystal said fans should expect a very physical game against the University of Alberta. Alberta not just plays a physical game, but has a number of athletes who can inflict a lot of damage on other teams if they get the opportunity.
“Their defence is fundamentally sound,” said McCrystal. “Their offence doesn’t have any big names, but they are a sound football team. And their punter Hugh O’Neill is a very good kicker and he can go toe to toe with Chris Bodnar as among the best in the country.”
The Rams went through a spate of injuries earlier in the season and with a bye week coming up, some of those players may be ready to come back onto the roster. McCrystal was keeping his options going into this game, waiting to see how those players were faring in their recovery.
The Rams defence has been getting quite a bit of the deserved credit for the team’s improved play this season. McCrystal said the defensive line with Akiem Hicks has set the tone for the rest of the defence and Benton Gieni, Stefan Charles and Logan Brooks have helped the defensive line set the tone at the line of scrimmage and opened up opportunities for the Rams linebackers and defensive backs.
“I’m really pleased with the play of (running back) Adrian Charles,” said McCrystal. “He has helped make a difference in allowing us to shake things up and being able to mix up the run and pass. We’ve gotten great blocking to open holes for him and it seems now our offence is rounding into shape.”
“We’re fortunate to be 3-1, but we have another half of a regular season. These are all tough games, but I think people will appreciate coming out to see a team that works like this one is doing.”

By Greg Urbanoski
September 29, 2010