Rams host UBC in home opener on Friday

Game Date: Friday, Sept. 7 (7:00 p.m.)
Game Location: Mosaic Stadium (Regina, Sask.)
Live Broadcast: Access7/ShawTV, 620 CKRM, www.canadawest.tv

BROADCAST INFO

Kickoff is 7:00 p.m. on Friday night. The game will be live in Regina on radio (620 CKRM) and television (Access7) and across Western Canada on ShawTV. It’ll also be webcast at www.canadawest.tv.

THE HEADLINES

• Though it’s still early in the season, Friday’s game features the conference’s No. 1-ranked rushing offence (UBC) and the No. 1-ranked passing offence (Regina)
• Both teams are coming off Week 1 losses but still received votes in this week’s CIS Top Ten
• Friday’s game marks the first of two conference meetings between the two teams this season, as they’ll also play on Saturday, Oct. 13 in Vancouver – the only time during the 2012 conference schedule that the Rams will play out of their own time zone
• The Rams have a 6-6-1 record in home openers in their CIS history
• The Rams technically have a six-game winning streak over the Thunderbirds dating back to the 2008 season, but that includes two games from last year that were originally UBC victories and later forfeited due to UBC’s use of an ineligible player
• Regina also played host to UBC in its home opener in both 2002 and 2011 – the Rams scored a 15-10 win back in ‘02 and a forfeit victory last season due to the ineligible player

REGINA RAMS (0-1)

The Rams opened up last week against four-time defending Canada West champion Calgary. Regina trailed by just seven at the half, but a big third quarter powered the Dinos to a 37-21 victory over the U of R.
Despite the loss, there were positives to take away from the season opener. The U of R’s vaunted passing game was effective, as quarterback Marc Mueller tied his career high with 32 completions and threw for 344 yards including a 10-yard touchdown to Mark McConkey. That reception by McConkey was just one of his 12 for the game, as the fifth-year wideout ended up with a game-high 109 receiving yards.
On defence, Stefan Charles had sacks on back-to-back plays during Calgary’s first offensive possession to hold the Dinos to a field goal attempt, while Alex Meldrum led the Rams with nine tackles and registered a sack and a forced fumble. Both Kirby Kezama and Jamir Walker had interceptions for Regina’s defence.
The Rams received some positive news on the injury front, as long snapper Jorgen Hus – who missed the Week 1 game – returned to full speed at practice this week. Wide receivers Addison Richards and Kolten Solomon also missed last week’s opener and remain questionable for Friday due to injuries suffered in camp.
After this weekend, the Rams will prepare for a matchup with the Alberta Golden Bears (0-1) on Friday, Sept. 14 in Edmonton.

UBC THUNDERBIRDS (0-1)

UBC opened up at #7 in the first CIS Top Ten of the season, but fell out of this week’s poll after being edged 31-24 at home by previously unranked Manitoba last Saturday.
The Thunderbirds should have had one more shot to tie the game last week after their defence forced a two-and-out following a late UBC touchdown, but disaster ensued on the Manitoba punt. Matt Walker fumbled on the return and instead of UBC taking over near their own 40-yard line with well over a minute left, Manitoba recovered and the Bisons were able to collect a first down and run out the clock to deal the Thunderbirds a loss.
UBC’s run game was effective against the Bisons, as the Thunderbirds had three players over 75 rushing yards and ran for a total of 291 yards in the loss. Brandon Deschamps led the way with 13 rushes for 97 yards, while quarterback Billy Greene scrambled eight times for 90 yards and Lucas Spagnuolo had 79 yards on just four rushes. The UBC defence was led by Vivie Bojilov, who had a team-high seven tackles and dinged the Bisons for a 20-yard loss with the Thunderbirds’ lone sack of the game.
UBC is back in action next week with a home game against No. 8 Saskatchewan (1-0).

RAMS/THUNDERBIRDS SERIES

Since the Rams ascended to the CIS prior to the 1999 season, Regina and UBC have played a total of 18 games against each other. All of these meetings have been during the Canada West schedule, as the two teams have never met in the postseason. The Rams have an 11-7 advantage in the all-time series and are 6-2 against UBC in Regina. The U of R also has a six-game winning streak against the Thunderbirds, though that includes two UBC victories from last season (21-10 in Regina on Sept. 2 and 23-16 in Vancouver on Oct. 15) that were later changed to forfeit wins for the Rams due to UBC’s use of an ineligible player.

RAMS RECORD WATCH

• QB Marc Mueller is within striking range of a pair of milestones this week, as he needs 484 passing yards to move past Mark Anderson for No. 2 on the U of R’s all-time list and four touchdown passes to tie Darryl Leason for No. 3 in school history
• WR Mark McConkey needs just five receiving yards to pass Michael Thomas for fifth in University of Regina career history
• After a 12-catch performance last Saturday against Calgary, McConkey now needs just 17 receptions to overtake former teammate Chad Goldie as Canada West’s all-time leader
• After a pair of sacks in Week 1, DT Stefan Charles is now tied with DE Logan Brooks for third on the U of R’s all-time list with 9½ career sacks – both players need just two sacks to overtake Sean Brimacombe for No. 2 on the list and four to pass Stan Van Sichem as the school’s career leader
• Already the U of R’s all-time leader in picks, CB Jamir Walker registered his 14th career interception in Week 1 and now needs just one more to break into the conference’s top ten

by U of Regina Sports Information
U of R Athletics