Box Score

A last-minute drive by the Manitoba Bisons fell short as the University of Regina Rams clinched a Canada West playoff berth with a 17-12 win on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium.

After Teale Orban's second rushing touchdown of the game gave the Rams a 17-9 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Bisons went on a 91-yard drive that spanned eight minutes and 30 seconds and resulted in a Scott Dixon field goal that cut the lead to five with 2:31 remaining. Manitoba got the ball back on its own 28-yard line with 1:27 left, but their drive fell short when John Makie's pass on 3rd-and-1 from Regina's 31-yard line fell incomplete. Two kneels from Orban ended the game.

The win clinches a playoff spot for the Rams, who finish in third place in the conference with a 5-3 record. Regina will travel to Calgary in a Canada West semifinal matchup next weekend. The loss ends Manitoba's season, as the Bisons finish in fifth place in the conference at 4-4.

Orban completed 20 of his 37 passes for 210 yards and also had a team-high 52 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Brenden Owens led the Rams with five receptions for 47 yards, while Jordan Sisco, Evan Fornwald, and Chad Goldie all had three catches.

Todd Kristoff was a demon on special teams for the Rams, recording three solo tackles and two assisted tackles and recovering a fumble on a punt return late in the third quarter. Bruce Anderson and Brandon Ganne each led the Rams with nine total tackles.

Nathan Friesen came on in relief of Bisons quarterback John Makie and completed 17 of his 29 passes for 202 yards. Makie was injured on the first play of the second quarter and didn't come back in until the second last play of the game, when Friesen went down after absorbing a hit from Rams halfback Darren Geddert. Matt Henry rushed for 91 yards for Manitoba, while Jim Jeavons led the Bisons with 7.5 tackles.

The win snaps the Rams' seven-game losing streak against the Bisons, which extended back to the first game of the 2006 season. Prior to Friday night's victory, the last time that Regina defeated Manitoba was in a 30-27 overtime win back on Oct. 8, 2005.

NOTES: Orban appeared in his 37th and final regular season game on Friday night, and ended up with 685 pass completions, 1198 pass attempts, 76 touchdown passes, and 9449 passing yards, all Canada West all-time records … Goldie didn't miss a regular season game in his five-year career and ended up with career totals of 173 receptions, 2458 receiving yards, and 21 touchdown catches … kicker Perri Scarcelli set U of R single-season records this year in field goals made (14) and field goals attempted (23).