PREVIEW (Canada West 3x): Power offences collide; Bisons on the road to Alberta; Huskies host T-Birds for Blackout

KICKOFF: Saturday, Oct. 4 (2:00 p.m.)
SITE: McMahon Stadium (Calgary, Alta.)
CAPACITY: 37,317
RANKINGS: Regina NR, Calgary #2
RADIO: 620 CKRM (Michael Ball/PxP, Marco Ricci/CC)
LIVE VIDEO: www.canadawest.tv

Highlights
• This will be a battle of two of the top offences in the country, as Calgary is ranked No. 2 in the CIS in total offence and Regina is seventh
• The Rams come into Week 5 in fifth place in the conference, but are just one win behind Alberta (2-2) for the fourth and final postseason berth
• The Rams have dropped three straight to the Dinos, with their last win over Calgary coming in a 12-9 home win in 2012 – as they are this week, the Dinos were ranked No. 2 in the CIS at the time

THROUGH THE AIR: The Rams boast the nation’s No. 1-ranked aerial attack this season with an average of 401.2 passing yards per game – they’re the only team in the CIS to average over 400 per game and one of only seven schools over 300 per game. In terms of total offensive yards, the Rams rank seventh in the CIS with 522.8 per game.

THE RICHARDS REPORT: Addison Richards went over 100 receiving yards for the third time in four games this year in last week’s loss to Saskatchewan, ending up with 10 catches for 108 yards. The fourth-year WR now has 555 receiving yards at the halfway point of the Canada West schedule, which puts him on pace to become the first University of Regina player to hit 1000 in a single season. The 1000-yard barrier has been broken three times in Canada West history – two of which were by former Calgary standout Don Blair, who set the conference record with 1112 yards during the 1995 campaign. Alberta’s Brian Fryer – one of just two Canada West players ever to be drafted into the NFL, with the other being the U of R’s Akiem Hicks – is the only other player in conference history to collect at least 1000 receiving yards in one year.

JANOTTA WATCH: Jared Janotta caught five passes for 86 yards last week against Saskatchewan and now ranks second in Canada West in receptions (27) and third in receiving yards (389). With 166 career receptions, the fifth-year SB is within striking range of the conference’s all-time record, as he trails only former U of R receivers Mark McConkey (180) and Chad Goldie (173) in the category. Janotta is also third on the U of R’s all-time list with 2142 receiving yards, needing 28 to pass Jason Clermont for second and 317 to overtake Goldie for first in school history.

RAMS IN THE PROS: The Rams currently boast three former players in the NFL, including P Jon Ryan (Seattle), DL Akiem Hicks (New Orleans), and DL Stefan Charles (Buffalo). Four University of Regina products are currently on CFL active rosters, including OL Brett Jones with Calgary and SB Chris Getzlaf and OL Brendon LaBatte with Saskatchewan. FB Neal Hughes was placed on Saskatchewan’s six-game injured list in late July but may return to practice soon, while DL Micheal Dadzie (Ottawa), OL Chris Mercer (Edmonton), and DL Ryan Wellman (Saskatchewan) remain on practice rosters.

FAMILY TIES: OL Aaron Picton and SB Mitchell Picton are brothers, and their cousins QB Noah Picton and RB Blake Anaka are both in their first seasons of CIS eligibility with the U of R. There’s also a pair of Wilsons, as Riley is a third-year slotback with the Rams and his younger brother Luke is a rookie defensive back. Defensive coordinator Paul Dawson has a son (RB Dillon Dawson) and a nephew (LB Danny Nesbitt) on the team, while head coach Frank McCrystal’s son Charlie McCrystal is on the staff as a defensive backs coach. If that isn’t enough, QB Cayman Shutter is a first cousin of starting WR Mitch Thompson.

TOUGH LOSSES: With a 44-42 loss at Alberta two weeks ago and a 21-16 setback last week against No. 7 Saskatchewan, the Rams have lost their last two games by a total of just seven points – the lowest aggregate margin of defeat in back-to-back losses in program history. In both the Alberta (705-459) and Saskatchewan (412-366) games, the Rams actually held the edge in yards of total offence despite ending up on the wrong side of the final score.

QUARTERBACKS
• Noah Picton got his first career start last week against Saskatchewan, completing 26 of 45 passes for 355 yards and a TD
• Picton started in place of Cayman Shutter, whose status remains up in the air after suffering an injury at Alberta two weeks ago – Shutter started throwing this week, but is considered questionable for Saturday
• Picton now has 917 passing yards this year – the Rams record for most in a season by a first-year QB is held by Mike Wong, who had 1678 in 1999
• Frankie Gray is third on the depth chart at QB, while fourth-year SB Landon Buch often serves as the team’s quarterback in short-yardage situations

RUNNING BACKS
• The trio of Dillon Dawson, Jens Johnson, and rookie Atlee Simon will all likely see significant playing time again on Saturday
• Dawson has started all four Canada West games at RB for the Rams and leads the team in both rushes (27) and yards (150)
• Simon has handled kickoff duties for the Rams in all four games so far and has also seen an increased role in the team’s offence – he now has 15 rushes for 109 yards after last Saturday’s game
• Johnson is second on the team with 21 rushes for 126 yards and a TD

RECEIVERS
• WR Addison Richards, a second-team All-Canadian last year, leads the nation with 555 receiving yards – Richards also leads all Canada West players in both receptions (32) and receiving TDs (5)
• WR Mitch Thompson starts opposite Richards and is third on the team in receptions (18) and fourth in receiving yards (152) while serving as the team’s holder and primary return man
• Jared Janotta, Landon Buch, and Riley Wilson have all started the four Canada West games at slotback for the Rams, with Janotta (27 catches, 389 yards) the most heavily targeted of the trio
• Wilson had two catches for 59 yards last week against Saskatchewan, both coming on back-to-back plays during the final drive – he now has 16 catches for 252 yards for the season
• Buch had three catches last week and now has eight catches for 73 yards on the season
• Second-year players Mitchell Picton (two catches for 74 yards and two TDs) and Richard Sindani (three catches for 35 yards) are the only other non-RBs with receptions

OFFENSIVE LINE
• The Rams have gone with the same starting five on the line in each of the last three games and are expected to trot out Jeremy Zver (LT), Kyle Paterson (LG), Aaron Picton (C), Tristain Hoath (RG), and Matt Degelman (RT) again on Saturday
• Picton, who will be eligible for the 2015 CFL Draft, is the team’s most experienced lineman with 15 career Canada West starts and two postseason starts
• The durable Zver will make his 13th consecutive start at left tackle for the Rams
• Degelman comes into Saturday with 11 career starts for the Rams, while Paterson has 10
• Two of Keenan Carrier, Nathan Cugnet and Brandon Williams will dress as backups – Cugnet and Williams have both played in all four games, while Carrier has played in two
• Lyndon Smith remains out after being injured in the non-conference game, but is a possibility to return following the bye week

DEFENSIVE LINE
• With defensive coordinator Paul Dawson moving from a 42 defence to a 33 defence this season, the Rams will have a three-man front under most circumstances
• The Rams have gone with the same starters on the line in all three Canada West games, with Dean Viena at defensive end, Bryce McKinnon at nose tackle, and Tyler Perkins at rush end
• Perkins had a big game last week against Saskatchewan with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the same play, two tackles for loss including a sack, and six total tackles (five solo, two assisted)
• Viena also had a sack last game and has a team-high two on the season to go along with 10½ tackles and a pass breakup
• McKinnon has seven tackles (five solo, four assisted) and one tackle for loss this year
• Rookies Eric Wicijowski and Grey McKen are also expected to make the travel roster for this weekend’s game

LINEBACKERS
• The Rams have gone with the same three starters in all four Canada West games this year, with Connor Ketchen at mac, Michael Stefanovic at will, and redshirt freshman Dylan Minshull at sam
• Ketchen and Minshull were teammates in high school (Neelin HS in Brandon, Man.)
• Stefanovic is the team’s leading tackler (17 solo, 12 assisted), while Minshull had his first career sack last week and is tied with Perkins for the team high with three TFLs
• Ketchen has 12½ tackles this season
• Zack McEachern has three solo and three assisted tackles this year, all of which have come on kick coverage
• Cody Kezama (four tackles) and rookie Danny Nesbitt (1½ tackles) have also dressed for all four Canada West games

DEFENSIVE BACKS
• After going the first three games with the same six starters in the backfield, the Rams switched it up last week with Ryan Serbu getting the start at CB and Mason Rossler starting at HB
• Joey Dwyer (dimeback), Tevaughn Campbell (cornerback), Jeff Propp (halfback), and Justin Edralin (safety) have all started all four Canada West games for the Rams
• Look for the same starting six at Calgary, with three of Kahlen Branning, Kadeem Ellis, Korey Greene, and Jordy Kibamba also dressing as backups
• Serbu and MacDonald both had interceptions last week – along with Edralin, they’re responsible for all three of the team’s picks this season
• Dwyer and Propp are tied for second on the team in tackles (16 solo, eight assisted), while Dwyer also has the lone sack from the team’s defensive backs

PUNTERS/KICKERS
• Former Calgary Colts kicker Andrew Fabian leads the Rams with 37 points scored this year, is 9-for-10 on field goal attempts and is averaging 37.9 yards per punt
• Rookie RB Atlee Simon has handled kickoff duties for the Rams this year and is averaging 48.7 yards per kick

RETURNERS
• DB Tevaughn Campbell and WR Mitch Thompson are expected to return punts, with Thompson and RB Atlee Simon likely to see kickoff return duty
• Thompson has nine punt returns for an average of 7.3 yards per return and nine kickoff returns for an average of 21.6 per return

HOLDER / LONG SNAPPER
• WR Mitch Thompson will hold on field goal attempts, with OL Jeremy Zver to continue to serving as long snapper on punts and FGs

(Source:  Braden Konschuh, Regina Rams Sports Information)

The #10 Manitoba Bisons football team goes back on the road and will face the Alberta Golden Bears on Saturday, October 4 with kickoff at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be shown on live webcast at canadwest.tv website.

For the Bisons this season, they are searching for their first road victory of the 2014 campaign after suffering a tough 42-41 loss at #2 Calgary on Friday, September 26.The Herd lost to start the season at Saskatoon by a 44-24 result against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Fri., Sept. 5. Book-ending those road losses, Manitoba won two consecutive games at home by scores of 20-10 over UBC (Sat. Sept. 20) and 42-18 against Regina (Fri. Sept. 12).

Alberta returns home after losing 49-13 at UBC on Sat. Sept. 27. The Bears snapped a 25 game losing streak, dating back to 2010 season, when they won 44-42 over Regina at home on Sat. Sept. 20. Alberta lost 42-41 in overtime to Saskatchewan at home on Sat., Sept. 13 and began the season with a 71-3 road loss at Calgary on Fri., Sept. 5 – which was overturned after Calgary dressed an ineligible player and Alberta officially won 1-0.

Last season, the two teams played twice with Manitoba earning wins in both games as they met twice in the regular season (Aug. 30/13 in the first ever CIS game at Investors Group Field: W 65-41 at Man. and Oct. 26/13: W 60-18 at Alb.). Overall, head coach Brian Dobie has a 12-12-1 regular season record during his 18 seasons at the helm and the Herd enters the contest on a five game conference winning streak against the Bears dating back to the 2010 season.

In the conference standings, Manitoba is now third with a 2-2 record with Alberta (Alberta wins because of Calgary’s ineligible player in week one game). This is the last game before the conference bye during the Thanksgiving weekend (Oct. 10-12).

In early 2014 conference regular season team stats, Manitoba is third in offence with 31.8 points average per game while Alberta is fifth at 25.2 points per game. In offence yards per game, the Bears are fourth with 439.0 while the Bisons are fifth at 438.5. On defence, Manitoba is second with 28.5 points allowed per game and third with 428.2 yards allowed per game while Alberta is last in points allowed at 51.0 and yards allowed at 636.5.

Photo credit:  Shawn Coates

(Source:  Chris Zuk, Manitoba Bisons Sports Information)

Game Date: Saturday, October 1, 2014, 7pm
Game Location: Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park

Live TV Broadcast: Shaw

Live Radio Broadcast: CK 750,www.ck750.com

Live Stats/ Live Webcast: canadawest.tv 

THE GAME
Looking to stay at the top of the standings entering bye week, the No. 7 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies will host the UBC Thunderbirds Saturday for Blackout in the first of two meetings between the teams in 2014.

BROADCAST INFO
Kickoff is 7 p.m. local time on Friday. The game can be watched live on Shaw Cable. It is also available live on CK750 or www.ck750.com or via webcast at canadawest.tv.

THE HEADLINES

• Saskatchewan (No. 7) is one of three Canada West teams to hold a spot in the CIS Top 10. Calgary (No. 2) and Manitoba (No. 10) join the Huskies in the national rankings.
• The Huskies are now tied for first-place in the Canada West after the Calgary Dinos forfeited a win due to an academically ineligible player in a win over the Alberta Golden Bears.
• This is the final game of the first half of the Canada West football season. All teams will have a league-wide bye over the Thanksgiving weekend. Saskatchewan returns to the field on October 17 in Manitoba.
• Third-year starting quarterback Drew Burko is steadily moving up the Huskies’ all-time career lists in yards, pass completion and touchdowns (see media notes page 8).
• The historic Vanier Cup trophy is set to make a stop in Saskatoon during the 50th Vanier Cup Celebration tour this week. Given to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport football champion, the Vanier Cup is on a 15 stop country-wide campus tour to help celebrate the 50^thanniversary of the trophy. The tour will end at the milestone CIS football championship game in Montreal. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies has deep roots with the Vanier Cup. Not only have the Huskies participated in the championship final nine times, but have been crowned champions three times – 1990, 1996 and 1998. The U of S were also proud hosts of the Vanier Cup in 2006. It was the first time the event was held outside of Ontario. The Cup will visit:
  • Friday, October 3rd – Huddle Up With BT, 12pm-1pm, Saskatoon Club
  • Saturday, October 4th – On display 11am – 2pm; Autograph Session, 1-2pm, Huskie Store, Centre Mall
• • • 31-year head coach Brian Towriss, as well as two-time Vanier Cup champion and three-time Grey Cup champion Scott Flory will be at the store signing autographs for fans from 1 to 2pm. The trophy will be on display at the store beginning at 11am.
  • Saturday, October 4th – Photo Session, 5:30pm – 6:45pm, Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park
    • Don’t miss your opportunity to have your photo taken with the Vanier Cup by Huskie Athletics official photographer Josh Schaefer. All photos will be made available to fans for free.

THUNDERBIRDS/HUSKIES SERIES
Since 1998, the Huskies are 20-4 against the Thunderbirds in conference games. Saskatchewan won the lone conference meeting in 2013 17-12 in Vancouver. The Huskies also won a non-conference meeting between the two in 2013 – 25-8 in Saskatoon.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (1-3)
After opening the season with three straight losses, the UBC Thunderbirds found a stride defeating the Alberta Golden Bears 49-13 in Week 4.

UBC used a big second half to secure the victory. Leading 10-6 at halftime, the T-Birds tallied just under 400 yards of total offence in the second half. Rookie slotback and returner Marcus Davis was a big part of the surge recording 253 all-purpose yards, a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown. He also had a 98 yard punt return. On the run game, the T-Birds picked up 241 yards on 31 carriers after having just 25 rushing yards at halftime.

Quarterback Carson Williams finished the game 21-for-31 for 302 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 7 UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (3-1)
Rebounding in Week 4 with a comeback 21-16 win on the road over the Regina Rams, the Huskies will look to remain in the win column entering bye week.

In the final few minutes of the game, quarterback Drew Burko engineered an eight-play, 74-yard drive that was capped by a five-yard touchdown pass to Shane Buchanan to give the team a five-point lead. Saskatchewan’s defence was able to stop a game-winning touchdown attempt with a tip and interception by Keegen Arnyek.

Burko finished the game in impressive fashion once again going 30-for-46 for 343 yards and two touchdowns. John Trumpy was his main target catching nine balls for 111 yards, while 2012 All-Canadian Kit Hillis finished with six receptions for 85 yards.

Saskatchewan’s defence continued to force turnovers. The group has three fumble recoveries, eight interceptions – three in last week’s win – and six sacks.

Photo credit:  Josh Schaefer

(Source:  Saskatchewan Huskies Sports Information)

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