CWUAA PREVIEWS (3X): #DinosKICKOFF opens new eras, Bisons begin season on the road & Golden Bears visit Regina

#DinosKICKOFF opens new eras in Calgary, UBC

CALGARY – The start of a new season always brings with it a new outlook and a fresh slate – but for the two teams set to suit up Friday night at McMahon Stadium, this season-opener won’t exactly be typical.

The 10th edition of KICKOFF, which wraps up the University of Calgary’s annual Orientation Week, pits the host No. 4 Dinos against the No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds in one of the marquee match-ups across CIS football this week. Both programs underwent significant changes in the off-season, with Wayne Harris taking over as the Dinos’ head coach in place of Blake Nill, who now patrols the sidelines for the Thunderbirds.

KICKOFF marks its 10th year as a marquee event on the University of Calgary calendar, with 5,000-plus students expected to be in attendance to mark the end of Orientation Week. The Students’ Union-sponsored tailgate begins at 3:30 p.m. in the east parking lot, with free Spolumbo’s sausages and veggie burgers for the first 2,000 fans along with carnival games and activities. Inside McMahon, the game will kick off just after 5:30 p.m.

DETAILS

• Date: Friday, Sept. 4
• Kickoff time: 5:30 p.m. MT
• Venue: McMahon Stadium, Calgary
• Broadcast: CanadaWest.tv (pay-per-view)

HEADLINES

• First conference game as head coach for Dinos bench boss Wayne Harris, Jr., who took over the position in February; he’s joined by Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Ryan Sheahan, who moved to Calgary from Queen’s University in the spring
• Blake Nill makes his return to McMahon Stadium after leaving the Dinos in December for UBC, where he hopes to lead a resurgence in the program
• Calgary has won the last 14 straight games over UBC (including a 2011 UBC forfeit), winning 59-11 and 67-6 in their two meetings last season
• Calgary was ranked No. 1 in the Canada West pre-season coaches’ poll, with UBC at No. 4. Nationally, voters placed UBC as the second-best team in the conference with their No. 7 CIS ranking.
• Both teams come into Week 1 after big wins in exhibition play. Calgary handled Regina 25-9 in Medicine Hat, Alta. last Wednesday, while UBC put up an impressive 41-16 win at Laval on Saturday.

No. 4 CALGARY DINOS (0-0)

Last week: defeated Regina 25-9

Next week: at Manitoba

• 19 of 24 starters return from the 2014 team that went 6-2, including 10 All-Canadians
• OL Sukh Chungh and R Jake Harty are the only non-returnees on offence, while LB Thomas Spoletini and Adam Konar left the defence. All four were CFL draft picks, and Chugh, Harty, and Konar are currently in the CFL while Spoletini is coaching with the Dinos this season.
• Hec Crighton-winning quarterback Andrew Buckley is back for a fifth and final year after spending part of the summer in training camp with the Calgary Stampeders
• Linebackers Doctor Cassama and Tanner Doll both return to the Dinos for their fifth year of eligibility. Doll was selected in the 4th round (28th overall) by Ottawa in the 2015 CFL Draft
• Other 2015 Dinos draftees returning include OL Sean McEwen (3rd overall, Toronto) and Buckley (62nd overall, Calgary). K Johnny Mark (Saskatchewan) and TE Mac Sarro (Montreal) were 2014 picks
• In addition to Harris and Sheahan, the Dinos coaching staff welcomes former CFL All-Star Dimitri Tsoumpas to the offensive line, while former offensive coordinator Greg Vavra (QB) along with Rohn Meyer (OL) return to the coaching staff
• Since starting the 2007 season with two losses at home, the Dinos have won 43 of the 47 games home games they have played (.915). In that time, they have lost just one regular season game on the field at McMahon Stadium: the season-opener in 2010 against Saskatchewan.
• Calgary travels to Manitoba next Friday night to take on the Bisons in a rematch of the 2014 Hardy Cup – a Manitoba victory. The Bisons were the only team to beat the Dinos on the field last season, pulling the feat twice in three weeks.

No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds (0-0)

Last week: defeated Laval 41-16

Next week: home to Regina

• QB Michael O’Connor is the marquee recruit for Nill at UBC, joining the T-Birds after a redshirt year at Penn State. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 292 yards and two TDs.
• Brandon Deschamps is the feature tailback. He ran for 77 yards on 9 carries against Laval.
• 2014 Canada West rookie of the year Marcus Davis returns and is a threat in the return game. He recorded an 85-yard punt return TD against Laval
• The defence was key to the victory over Laval last week, picking off Rouge et Or quarterbacks four times and holding Laval’s running game to less than 100 yards
• In addition to Nill, UBC’s coaching staff includes former Dinos coaches Steve Buratto and Greg DeLaval
• UBC’s last win in Calgary came all the way back in 2000 by a 17-9 score
• The Thunderbirds open their home schedule next week when they host Regina in Vancouver.

Source: Ben Matchett, Calgary Dinos Sports Information

Weekly Preview: September 1 – 6, 2015

Golden Bears Football (0-0 Conference, 0-0 Overall)
Conference
Friday, September 4
Alberta @ Regina Rams (0-0), Mosaic Stadium, 7:00 p.m. MT (Listen Live on TSN 1260)
Story Lines:

 

·         Season opener

·         Regina eliminated Bears from playoffs last season

·         First-year Ben Kopczynski, former Team Alberta starter, has won the starting QB job for the Bears.

 

Golden Bears Hockey (0-0 Conference, 0-0 Overall)
Conference
Friday, September 3
Alberta @ Augustana Vikings (0-0), Encana Arena, Camrose, AB, 7:00 p.m. MT
Story Lines:

 

·         First pre-season game for the two-time defending champs

·         First game behind the bench for new head coach Serge Lajoie

·         The Bears have won 25 of the previous 27 games between the two teams, but Augustana defeated the Bears 6-0 last season

Source: University of Alberta Golden Bears Sports Information

Rams, Alberta open Canada West schedule Friday

The University of Regina Rams play host to the Alberta Golden Bears this Friday at Mosaic Stadium as both teams open up the 2015 Canada West schedule.

GAME DATE: Friday, Sept. 4
KICKOFF: 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Mosaic Stadium (Regina, Sask.)
TICKETS: Available at door (U of R/SIAST students free, adults $20, high school students $10, ages 4-12 $5)
TV: Access7 (Mitchell Blair, B.K. Woldu)
RADIO: 620 CKRM (Michael Ball, Luc Mullinder)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
• It’s the start of a new era for the Rams, as they play their first Canada West game under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Gibson
• The two teams played twice in each of the last three seasons, but Friday’s meeting will be the only Canada West game between Alberta and Regina this year
• This will be only the second time in history that Alberta and Regina have opened up the season against each other – the only other time was in 2004
• After this game, the Rams will be on the road two straight weeks for games at UBC (Sept. 12) and Saskatchewan (Sept. 18)

BENCH BOSS: Friday will be the first meaningful game for the Rams under first-year
head coach Mike Gibson. Gibson coached in the Canadian Football League as an assistant
for a decade prior to taking the Rams post in December, including most recently
as the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ offensive coordinator. Though he has a litany of experience
at the professional and NCAA levels, Gibson says it’ll actually be his first game as a head
coach since leading the freshman team at Cornell in the early 1980s.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Both of last year’s games between the Rams and Alberta were
settled by less than a touchdown. Alberta won 44-42 on Sept. 20 in Edmonton, but the
Rams replied with a 35-31 win on Nov. 1 in Regina that qualified them for the postseason.
The Rams hold an 18-6 all-time edge in the series and have won 12 of 14 meetings
since 2006.

THE TARGETS: You’d think that with the Rams losing Landon Buch, Jared Janotta,
and Addison Richards from last year, the receiving corps might be a question mark this
season. But the coaching staff certainly doesn’t think so, with Mitch Thompson and Riley
Wilson both returning and a number of players graduating to prime-time roles after
being in the program for multiple years. That group is likely to include WR Andrew Bennett,
WR Richard Sindani, SB Davin Johnston, and SB Mitchell Picton.

MAKING THEIR DEBUTS: No less than 14 Rams are likely to dress in their first
meaningful game on Friday, including five that were in high school just a few short
months ago – DB Polis Koko, DL Matt Moore, WR Adam Rask, SB Ryan Schienbein, and
DL Ajai Washington. OL Roe Borgmann, SB Kyle Moortgat, and DB Luke Wilson should all
play in their first game after redshirting with the Rams last year, while QB Tyler Vieira
and RB Michael Webber come to the U of R from CJFL programs. QB Ben Bucholz, DB
Preston Paulson, and RB Jayde Rowe are all transfers, while OL Braydon Johnson didn’t
play last season after graduating from high school in 2014.

YOUTHFUL IMPACT: The Rams have one player in his first season of CIS eligibility
projected to start in Week 1 – and that’s rush end David Julé, who redshirted with
the Rams last year. Julé got the start in the non-conference game against Calgary and
picked up a pair of assisted tackles against the Dinos.

RAMS IN THE PROS: The Rams currently boast four former players in the NFL, including
DL Stefan Charles (Buffalo), DL Akiem Hicks (New Orleans), OL Brett Jones (NY
Giants), and P Jon Ryan (Seattle). Five former Rams are currently in the CFL, including
LS Jorgen Hus and OL Brendon LaBatte who are both on Saskatchewan’s active roster.
WR Addison Richards is on Winnipeg’s 1-game injured list, while SB Chris Getzlaf is on
Saskatchewan’s 6-game injured list and CB Tevaughn Campbell is on Calgary’s PR.

RAMS FAMILY TIES:
• OL Aaron Picton and SB Mitchell Picton – brothers
• DB Luke Wilson and SB Riley Wilson – brothers
• OL Aaron Picton/SB Mitchell Picton, QB Noah Picton, RB Blake Anaka – cousins
• Defensive line coach Greg Nesbitt and LB Danny Nesbitt – father/son
• Greg Nesbitt and defensive coordinator Paul Dawson – brothers-in-law

Source: Braden Konschuh, Regina Rams Sports Information