Game Notes

After winning 26-24 over Simon Fraser last Friday thanks to a last-minute field goal from Perri Scarcelli, the University of Regina Rams have a chance to clinch a playoff berth on Saturday afternoon against the Alberta Golden Bears.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Foote Field on the University of Alberta campus. The game can be heard live with Michael Ball and Chad Ehman on 620 CKRM in Regina or online at www.620ckrm.com.

Regina has won five consecutive games over Alberta and hasn't lost to the Golden Bears since 2005, but Saturday's game will be anything but easy for the visiting Rams. Alberta (2-3) still stands as the only team to beat No. 7-ranked Saskatchewan this year, as the Bears took out the Huskies by a 27-7 score at Foote Field back on Sept. 25. The Golden Bears, whose other win came against Simon Fraser, also took No. 3-ranked Calgary right down to the wire, losing 34-31 to the Dinos.

Regina and Alberta will have the same opposition to finish out their conference schedules following Saturday's game. The Rams will play in Calgary on Oct. 24 and will host Saskatchewan on Oct. 30. Saskatchewan hosts the Golden Bears next Friday and Alberta will complete its conference schedule against Calgary at home on Oct. 31.

Regina Rams (3-2)
Last Week: Defeated Simon Fraser 26-24
Next Week: at Calgary (Oct. 24)

The Rams are coming off an exciting 26-24 win over Simon Fraser on Friday night, thanks to a second-half comeback capped by Perri Scarcelli's game-winning field goal in the final minute of the game.

The win put the Rams into the driver's seat in the Canada West playoff race, as they sit in sole possession of third place in the conference. They'll be aiming for their third consecutive win on Saturday, and a win over the Golden Bears will punch their ticket to the Canada West playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

The Rams' pass-oriented offence is controlled by third-year quarterback Marc Mueller, who is still on pace for a 2000-yard season. Mueller has thrown for 1253 yards and five touchdowns and has a 53.6% completion rate. His top receivers are Jordan Sisco (25 catches for 292 yards), Mark McConkey (21 catches for 279 yards), and Brenden Owens (15 catches for 295 yards). On the ground, the Rams have split their carries between Graham Mosiondz and Cale Inglis.

Linebacker Brandon Ganne leads the Rams with 29½ total tackles this season, while Bruce Anderson has 29 total tackles and a team-leading five tackles for loss. The defensive backfield has been led by second-year cornerback Jamir Walker, who leads the team in both interceptions (4) and pass breakups (6).

Alberta Golden Bears (2-3)
Last Week: Bye
Next Week: at Saskatchewan (Oct. 23)

Alberta was last in action on Oct. 13, when the Golden Bears' two-game winning streak was snapped following a 20-13 road loss to Manitoba.

The Golden Bears will be approaching Saturday's game as a must-win situation, as a loss would force Alberta to win at least one of their two remaining games against the top two teams in the conference and get help from teams playing Manitoba in order to qualify for the postseason.

Alberta is currently ranked No. 2 in the conference in average points scored per game (24.6). The Golden Bears offence is led by running back Tendayi Jozzy, who ranks third in Canada West with 103.8 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Quade Armstrong's main target is Laine Rogers, who leads Alberta in both catches (20) and receiving yards (308). David Court, Jess Valleau, and Mike Wasylyniuk both have over 200 yards receiving this season.

Linebacker Jean-Marc Jones leads the Alberta defence with 33½ tackles, while defensive end Craig Gerbrandt has recorded a Canada West-leading five sacks. The Golden Bears defence has allowed 102 points over its first five games, equalling Regina's numbers to this point of the season. Safety Jason Hetherington leads all Canada West players with six interceptions.

It's All About Perri
There's been plenty of talk about Rams fifth-year kicker Perri Scarcelli lately, and why not? All he's done so far this year is set the U of R's single-season record with 15 field goals made, lead the conference with 54 points scored, and move up to No. 3 on the Canada West all-time list in career points (277). He's also been named the Canada West Special Teams Player of the Week following both of his last two games, and was also named CIS Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday thanks to his last-minute field goal against Simon Fraser.

Scarcelli also ranks fifth on the Canada West list in career field goals made (51) and needs three to move into fourth place. He's ranked No. 1 in the conference record book in both career punts (313) and field goals attempted (82) and is No. 4 in field goal percentage (62.2%).

Former Rams in the Pros
The impressive list of former University of Regina players now toiling in the professional ranks is led by the Seattle Seahawks' Jon Ryan, who currently ranks No. 2 in the NFL with an average of 50.8 yards per punt. Nine former University of Regina Rams are now in the CFL, including Chris Bauman (Hamilton), Jason Clermont (Saskatchewan), Tamon George (Saskatchewan), Chris Getzlaf (Saskatchewan), Neal Hughes (Saskatchewan), Nick Hutchins (Saskatchewan), Brendon LaBatte (Winnipeg), Joel Lipinski (Saskatchewan), and Stan Van Sichem (Montreal). Randy Srochenski, who suited up for the Rams during their days as a junior program, is with the Toronto Argonauts.

Sisco Climbing up the Charts
Fourth-year wide receiver Jordan Sisco is starting to etch his way into the University of Regina record book. Sisco, a prospect for the 2010 CFL Draft, is ranked No. 4 on the Rams' all-time list with 114 receptions. He'll likely move up that list during Saturday's game, as Jason Clermont ranks No. 3 with 115 career catches and Sisco has had at least two receptions in 21 consecutive games. Sisco is also ranked No. 5 on the U of R list with 1643 receiving yards and will jump into the top five in career touchdown receptions with his next TD catch.