No. 4 Rams to visit Manitoba this weekend

THE GAME
The No. 4-ranked University of Regina Rams (4-1) will travel to Winnipeg this weekend for a game against the 1-4 Manitoba Bisons. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday at University Stadium, and a win for the Rams would clinch a Canada West postseason berth.

THE HEADLINES
The Rams moved up to No. 4 in the FRC-CIS Top Ten in the poll leading up to the bye week and remained steady at No. 4 this week
Regina’s No. 4 ranking is the highest the team has been ranked since they peaked at No. 4 in early October, 2002
The teams will be meeting for the second time this season, as the Rams opened up the Canada West schedule with a 45-11 win over Manitoba back on Sept. 3
The Rams have won three straight games over the Bisons, but have lost five straight games on the road to Manitoba (last road win was a 30-27 overtime victory on Oct. 8, 2005)
Regina leads Canada West in average points scored (36.8) and least points allowed (15.0)
Regina’s defence leads Canada West in least rushing yards allowed per game (114.6), least passing yards allowed per game (213.8), interceptions (10), and sacks (12)
Regina’s Adrian Charles leads Canada West in rushing yards (667) and touchdowns (7) and is on pace to become the school’s first 1000-yard rusher
Regina cornerback Jamir Walker is the outright leader in the conference with four interceptions and also leads Canada West with nine passes defended
Regina’s Mark McConkey has a Canada West-leading 29 receptions

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (4-1)
Since being edged 24-21 by Calgary in Week 2, the Rams have put it all together and have recorded three straight wins – the last two by convincing margins.

The Rams offence, which is averaging a Canada West-leading 36.8 points per game, is controlled by fourth-year quarterback Marc Mueller. Mueller leads the conference with a 65% completion rate and ranks second in Canada West in passing yards (1343) and touchdown passes (7).

Mueller’s top two targets this season have been Mark McConkey and Brenden Owens. McConkey has a conference-leading 29 receptions for 297 yards, while Owens has a team-leading 304 receiving yards despite missing one game.

Adrian Charles continues to lead the conference in all major rushing categories. The fifth-year back has 100 carries for 667 yards this season and has seven touchdowns. He’s on pace to become the U of R’s first 1000-yard rusher, as Neal Hughes holds the school single-season record with 953 rushing yards during the 2003 campaign.

The team’s stingy defence has allowed an average of just 15 points against per contest and leads the conference in both interceptions (10) and sacks (12). Fifth-year safety Matt Yausie leads the team with 31 total tackles, while Steve Famulak is tied for the Canada West lead with 3½ sacks and Jamir Walker has a conference-leading four interceptions. Middle linebacker Bruce Anderson has 24½ tackles and is first in Canada West with four fumble recoveries.

After Saturday, the Rams will finish off the conference schedule with games against Calgary and at Saskatchewan.

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA BISONS (1-4)
After losing to Regina and Alberta to start the season 0-2, Manitoba scored a convincing 40-17 win in a road game at UBC in Week 3. The Bisons then played Calgary tough at home, losing 26-25 to the Dinos, but followed that up with a 64-3 loss to Saskatchewan.

Dual-threat quarterback Khaleal Williams has thrown for 926 yards and five touchdowns this year and is also second on the Bisons with 203 rushing yards, 60 of which came on a long touchdown scamper against the Rams back in Week 1.

Running back Matt Henry has 386 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Manitoba, while Stu Schollaardt leads the team in receptions (20), receiving yards (271), and touchdown catches (2). Quincy Hurst has 13 catches for 180 yards, while Xavier Johnson is third on the team with 12 receptions. Former Ram receiver Jared Ralko has eight catches for 129 yards for Manitoba.

Pete Adams leads the Bisons in tackles (27) and pass breakups (3), while Grayson Wells has registered both of the team’s interceptions this season.

After Saturday’s game, Manitoba will play at Alberta in Week 7 and against UBC in Week 8.

MUELLER NAMED CANADA WEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Quarterback Marc Mueller became the fifth Ram to earn Canada West Player of the Week honours after throwing two touchdown passes and running for two more in the team’s win over Alberta before the bye week.

Mueller rushed four times for a total of 75 yards, smashing his previous career high of 14 yards. He ran for a 24-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and added a 35-yard scamper early in the fourth to score the first two rushing touchdowns of his Rams career.

He ranks first in the conference in both completions (102) and completion rate (65%) this season and is second in Canada West in passing yards (1343) and touchdown passes (7).

RECORD WATCH
A few school single-season records are in jeopardy as the three-quarter mark of the conference season approaches. Adrian Charles needs just two touchdown runs to tie Neal Hughes’ record of nine, and is 286 yards short of Hughes’ rushing mark.

Marc Mueller’s 65% completion rate is the highest in U of R history (second place is Darryl Leason’s 61.4% rate in 2001), while Jamir Walker’s four interceptions is tied for the highest single-season total in U of R history. Walker also had four picks last season, as did Tamon George in 2007.

On the career charts, Mueller needs just 198 passing yards to move past Darryl Leason into third place on the U of R’s all-time list behind Teale Orban and Mark Anderson. Brenden Owens is tied with Chris Getzlaf and Jordan Sisco for fifth on the school’s all-time list with 11 touchdown catches, while Walker needs just one more interception to tie Steve Ryan’s career record of nine.