Golden Bears to host Birds in home opener (VIDEO)

EDMONTON – This Saturday will be the first time football fans throughout Edmonton and northern Alberta will be able to see the rebuilding efforts head coach Chris Morris has taken with the University of Alberta Golden Bears (0-1) as they take on the UBC Thunderbirds (0-1), 5:00 pm at Foote Field and LIVE on canadawest.TV.

Both the Bears and Birds are searching for their first win of the season after Alberta dropped a 65-41 loss on the road to the Manitoba Bisons, in what was the third-highest scoring game in Canada West history, while UBC lost a 41-31 decision against Calgary in Vancouver.

In their first game under Morris, who took over the program in January of this year, the Golden Bears recorded an impressive 618 net yards of offence and scored more than 40 points for the first time in three seasons. Newly anointed starting quarterback Ryan Schwartz guided Alberta’s rebuilt offence by running more than 90 plays, which resulted in him tossing for 352 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 150 yards and one TD. Also leading the way was freshman running back Ed Ilnicki who ran for 103 yards in his CIS debut, while another rookie, tailback Aundrey Webster, caught three passes for 56 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first-ever CIS game.

As impressive as the young guns were for the Bears, however, there are corrections to make before they tangle with the T-Birds this Saturday in front of the Foote Field faithful. Manitoba’s offence, arguably the best in Canada West, racked up huge yards against Alberta via the running game, and was able to score back-breaking touchdowns seemingly at will. Alberta gave up 21 points in a two-minute span late in the second quarter that effectively won the game for the Bisons.

Now, Alberta will face a UBC team that is also finding their way this season. Gone from the Birds is former Hec Creighton winner (as CIS MVP) quarterback Billy Greene, as well as receiver Jordan Grieve. The Thunderbirds are coming off a 2-6 campaign last season, which is their fourth under head coach Shawn Olson. Greg Bowcott and Carson Williams are the new pivots for the Birds, but back with the program is running back Brandon Deschamps. The third-year running back hauled off for 175 yards and one touchdown last weekend against Calgary, so stopping his ground game will be paramount for the Bears this Saturday.

Key to stopping that UBC running game for Alberta will be their veteran front seven. Greg Severin (DL), Steven Giang (DL), Tyler Greenslade (LB), and Connor Ralph (LB) are among the key players in that strong group of defensive lineman and linebackers, while new starters Troy Weissbach (DL) and Tom Tsoumpas (LB) are factors as well.

Up front, the blossoming chemistry between Schwartz and former CJFL player Tylor Henry should lead to even more production this week after the two hooked up on nine passes for 103 yards in week one. Veteran receiver Ryley Richardson, one of the few holdovers in the receiving corps, had four catches for 35 yards in game one, while freshmen Tak Landry and Adam Zajdel each caught TD passes in their first career CIS games. Fifth-year slotback and return man Jess Valleau could factor in as well, but is currently trying to return from injury.

The rebuilt offensive line, which features new arrivals David Beard, Lincoln Untereiner, and Scott Ledieu, as well as Eric Permann will have to overcome the loss of Reid Bowman who left the game against Manitoba late in the fourth quarter with a broken leg. The group did a solid job protecting Schwartz in their first game together as a unit, yielding just two sacks against on 90 plays, while also making room for the Alberta running game to collect 272 yards. Veteran Smith Wright, a recent Edmonton Eskimo draft pick, plays a key role in protection and short yard situations as well.

There are a plethora of storylines along the sidelines as well; Chris Morris and the majority of his staff are making their Foote Field debuts, while Golden Bears offensive line coach Tim Prinsen and offensive coordinator Rick Walters are making their return to the Foote sidelines for the first time since 2009 for Prinsen, and 2006 for Walters. UBC’s coaching staff features former Bears head coach Jerry Friesen, as the defensive coordinator, as well as former Alberta’s coaches Frantz Clarkson (DBs) and former Golden Bears’ player Jamie Stoddard. On top of that, UBC head coach Shawn Olson was Ryan Schwartz’s offensive coordinator when the pair were with the Simon Fraser University Clan (2010).

ATB Home Opener
ATB Financial is the title sponsor for the Golden Bears football 2013 home opener. Continuing its reputation for assisting sport in the province of Alberta, ATB Financial has entered into a three-year sponsor agreement with the Golden Bears football Alumni Association as the title sponsor of the annual alumni golf tournament.