Box Score

Perri Scarcelli's 36-yard field goal into a frigid northwest wind gave the Regina Rams a 26-24 win over the Simon Fraser Clan on Friday night in a Canada West game at Mosaic Stadium.

Trailing by one point after SFU's Bernd Dittrich scampered in for a major from six yards out, Rams quarterback Marc Mueller countered with the game-winning drive. With the ball on his own 35-yard line, Mueller drove the Rams down to the SFU 29 in just 69 seconds, setting up Scarcelli's field goal with 44 seconds left on the game clock.

The fourth quarter featured three lead changes, as the Clan held a 17-13 lead heading into the final period before Rams cornerback Mike Kerr picked up a fumble and returned it 43 yards for a major. On the ensuing possession, Regina's Steve Famulak tore the ball away from Clan running back Brandon Halverson and ran it all the way back to SFU's 10-yard line, setting the stage for a short Scarcelli field goal which put the Rams up 23-17. The Rams held the lead until Dittrich's touchdown the Clan a 24-23 advantage.

Statistically, Simon Fraser dominated Friday's affair. The Clan had a 28-16 advantage over the Rams in first downs and collected 457 yards of total offence compared to Regina's 269. SFU did the majority of its damage on the ground, collecting 280 total rushing yards. Gabriel Ephard led the Clan with 128 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Dittrich ran for 91 yards and two majors.

Mueller, who came into the game with just one interception on the season, served up three picks to SFU defensive back Anthony DesLauriers alone and threw five interceptions total. Mueller completed 15 of his 33 attemps for 183 yards, including a 43-yard pass to Brenden Owens for a touchdown early in the third quarter. Jordan Sisco hauled in five passes for 61 yards, while Owens ended up with three catches for 69 yards.

The Rams were led defensively by Brandon Ganne, who had six solo tackles, 12 assisted tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Matt Yausie, Bruce Anderson, and Jamir Walker all collected interceptions for the Rams, while Anderson also had a critical punt block early in the third quarter.

Besides his three interceptions, which ties a CIS-era single-game record for Simon Fraser, DesLauriers recorded a team-leading six total tackles. Aeron Kawakami and Nigel Palma also recorded interceptions for the Clan, while Scott Puffer had the lone sack of the game.

The loss drops Simon Fraser's record to 2-4 on the season. The Clan will host UBC (1-5) next Saturday.

The win moves Regina (3-2) into sole possession of third place in the conference, though Manitoba could also move to 3-2 tomorrow with a win at Canada West-leading Calgary. The Rams will travel to Edmonton next weekend for a Saturday afternoon game against Alberta (2-3).

NOTES: Scarcelli moved into third place on the Canada West all-time list with 275 points ... he trails Jamie Boreham (357) and Dominic Zagari (296) in career points scored ... the game temperature was -5 with light snow driven by a wind that gusted at up to 50 km/h at times.