September 11, 2015
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CWUAA PREVIEWS: Hardy Cup matchup sets early season tilt, Rams off to Vancouver

Hardy Cup rematch sets up early season tilt

CALGARY – It’s just week two of the Canada West football season, but thanks to a twist on the schedule, every game matters more than usual at this time of year.

Each team in Canada West plays three of the other five teams twice each, with one game against each of the other two opponents each year making up the eight-game regular season. In 2015, those single games – which hold the key to tiebreakers at the end of the year – are being played right off the bat rather than in the meat of the schedule as has been past practice. So, after an emotional 49-16 win over the UBC Thunderbirds to open the season last week, the second-ranked University of Calgary Dinos are set for another important contest as they take on Manitoba Friday night (Shaw TV, CanadaWest.tv).

It’s the second-straight Top-10 match-up for both teams as the No. 2 Dinos face the No. 6 Bisons at Investors Group Field, and there should be no shortage of motivation for Calgary. The Dinos lost two games on the field in 2014: both to Manitoba, both in the last three weeks of the season, and one of which ended Calgary’s streak of six straight conference titles. It’s a rematch of the 78th Hardy Cup, where the Bisons stormed into McMahon Stadium last November and emerged with the hardware after a stifling defensive performance in a 27-15 win.

Kickoff goes at 7 p.m. CT (6 p.m. MT) at Investors Group Field, live on Shaw TV and CanadaWest.tv.

HEADLINES

  • CIS Top 10 battle as No. 2 Calgary faces No. 6 Manitoba in a rematch of the 2014 Hardy Cup won by the Bisons
  • The only time the Dinos and Bisons will face off in the regular season schedule this year
  • Calgary is winless at Investors Group Field, having lost their only previous game at Winnipeg’s sparkling new stadium, 50-31 in Week 8 last season
  • It’s an early-season battle for first place as both teams come in at 1-0 after wins last week. Calgary was the only one of the three home teams to win with its 49-16 victory over UBC, while Manitoba knocked off Saskatchewan 34-28 in Saskatoon last Friday night
  • The Dinos have won nine of the last 10 regular season games between the teams, with the only blemish coming last year in the final game of conference play
  • Both teams remain home next weekend with Calgary hosting Alberta while Manitoba welcomes UBC

No. 2 CALGARY DINOS (1-0)

Last week: defeated UBC 49-16

Next week: host Alberta

  • The Dinos overcame a slow start – and a 102-yard TD pass on the first play – to wear down UBC en route to a 49-16 win last week
  • RB Mercer Timmis became the Dinos’ all-time TD leader with his 35th and 36th career majors against the Thunderbirds
  • K Johnny Mark is just 14 points away from the all-time CIS career scoring mark after putting up 17 in week 1
  • R / RET Michael Klukas had the most electrifying play on specials in the country last week, going goal-line-to-goal-line for a 110-yard punt return TD – the longest in more than 40 years for the Dinos
  • Calgary’s defence allowed just 35 rushing yards against UBC last week, and the lion’s share of the Thunderbirds’ 265 passing yards came on two plays: the 102-yard TD to open the game, and a 51-yard bomb in the second quarter.

No. 6 Manitoba Bisons (1-0)

Last week: defeated Saskatchewan 34-28

Next week: home to Alberta

  • The Bisons lost plenty of offensive weapons in the off-season in QB Jordan Yantz, RB Keenan LaFrance, and R Nic Demski, but they seem to have found replacements who showed well against Saskatchewan. Sophomore QB Theo Deezar tossed for 218 yards and a pair of TDs against the Huskies, while freshman tailback Jamel Lyles picked up 155 rushing and 250 all-purpose yards
  • Lyles was named CIS offensive player of the week for his efforts
  • Deezar was at the controls in Manitoba’s 50-31 win over the Dinos to end the regular season last year
  • Manitoba’s defence picked off four passes against Saskatchewan last week and allowed just 107 rushing yards. They’ll have a key test against a Calgary run game that racked up 279 yards on the ground against UBC
  • The Bisons are 2-0 in home openers since moving to IGF in 2013

Source: Ben Matchett, Calgary Dinos Sports Information

Rams vs UBC preview

Rams off to Vancouver for Week 2 clash at No. 10 UBC
GAME DATE: Saturday, Sept. 12
KICKOFF: 6:00 p.m. (PDT)
LOCATION: Thunderbird Stadium (Vancouver, B.C.)
REGINA RADIO: RM2 – 620ckrm.com (Mitchell Blair, Braden Konschuh)
VANCOUVER RADIO: CiTR 101.9 FM (C.J. Pentland, Brent Calvert)
VIDEO WEBCAST ($): www.canadawest.tv
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
• It’ll be a pivotal game for both teams, as Regina and UBC are coming off losses in Week 1 of the Canada West schedule
• Saturday will mark the lone meeting of the Canada West schedule between the two teams
• The Rams are looking to leave Thunderbird Stadium with a victory for the first time since the 2010 season – UBC has won three in a row in Vancouver, though their 2011 victory was eventually forfeited to the U of R due to an ineligible player
• This is the first of two consecutive road games for the Rams – they’re also on the road next weekend for a Friday night game at Saskatchewan (Sept. 18)
ALL-TIME SERIES: Regina and UBC have played it close in each of their last four meetings, with three of them decided by a touchdown or less and the other by 10 points. The teams split last year, with the Rams winning 33-23 over UBC in Regina and the Thunderbirds replying with a 33-32 win in Week 6 in Vancouver. The Rams hold a 13-10 advantage in the 23 games played between the two teams.
SIMON TAKES RUSHING LEAD: RB Atlee Simon took the early Canada West rushing lead after Week 1. He had a career-high 189 rushing yards against Alberta, the highest single-game total by a CIS player this season and the most registered in one game by a Rams player since 2011. He’s also starting to climb the U of R career charts, as he enters the game No. 8 on the school’s all-time list with 713 rushing yards but needs only nine to pass Mark Anderson for seventh, 88 to surpass Derek Belvedere for sixth, 114 to pass Luke Derkson for fifth, and 169 to surpass Michael Kiapway for fourth.
4-FOR-4: Simon has now started four Canada West games for the Rams, including last week and the last three conference games of 2014. He’s rushed for at least 100 yards in all four of them, collecting a total of 569 yards during that span.
B.C. CONNECTION: Four players on the Rams’ 2015 roster hail from British Columbia, and interestingly enough all four of them are from Vancouver Island. One is a major contributor, as veteran DL Tyler Perkins is a starter at defensive end. But he’ll sit out this week after being injured in Week 1, so the only one of the four expected to make the trip home to UBC will be fullback Sam Varao. Varao, who hails from Victoria, redshirted last season with the Rams and will dress for his first Canada West game this Saturday.
DRAWING THE LINE: With Perkins out, the Rams will dress what will be almost certainly the youngest defensive line in the conference. Bryce McKinnon and Eric Wicijowski will start inside, with rookies David Jule and Grey McKen on the ends. It’ll be the first career start for McKen, who joined Wicijowski on Canada’s U19 team at the International Bowl held earlier this year in Texas.
RAMS IN THE PROS: The Rams currently boast three former players in the NFL, including DL Stefan Charles (Buffalo), DL Akiem Hicks (New Orleans), and P Jon Ryan (Seattle). OL Brett Jones was making a push for the New York Giants’ 53-man roster, but suffered a suspected MCL sprain in their final preseason game and was put on injured reserve. 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 practice roster.
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

 

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