(Complete game notes available here)

THE GAME
The University of Regina Rams (2-1) meet the UBC Thunderbirds (1-2) on Friday night in the Shaw TV Game of the Week at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. The Thunderbirds will be looking to get back up to the .500 level after being dumped by Manitoba last week, while the Rams will be looking to keep the momentum going after a win over Saskatchewan.

THE HEADLINES
– The Rams are up three spots No. 6 in this week's FRC-CIS Top Ten, while UBC is not ranked
– The teams will be playing in Vancouver for the third consecutive game - the teams have not played in Regina since the 2007 season
– The Rams hold a three-game winning streak and an 8-7 all-time advantage over UBC
– UBC has won five of the eight contests played between the two teams in Vancouver
– The teams are ranked one-two in the conference in yards of total offence per game, with UBC first (460.7) and Regina second (440.0)
– The Rams are the Canada West leaders in both interceptions (5) and sacks (10) and have only conceded three first-quarter points in the first three games of the year
– The Rams have allowed a Canada West-low average of 366.3 yards per total offence against per contest
– Regina boasts Canada West's top running back (Adrian Charles, 370 rush yds), the top quarterback (Marc Mueller, 883 pass yds), and the top receiver (Brenden Owens, 286 rec. yds)
– UBC quarterback Billy Greene ranks fifth in the conference with 269 rushing yards
– UBC kicker Billy Pavlopoulos leads Canada West with 26 points scored

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (2-1)
The Rams are coming off a 37-26 win over then-No. 6 Saskatchewan, which put them into a three-way tie for first place in the Canada West standings.

Both the offence and the defence played well for Regina in the win, as the team piled up 493 yards of total offence and conceded just one offensive touchdown to Saskatchewan.

Mark McConkey was named this week's Canada West and CIS Offensive Player of the Week after recording 13 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown against the Huskies, while quarterback Marc Mueller was 25-for-33 and had 353 passing yards and two touchdown passes.

Fourth-year slotback Brenden Owens had three receptions for 72 yards against the Huskies and enters Week 4 as the Canada West leader with 286 receiving yards on the season. Running back Adrian Charles had another solid game on the ground for the Rams, rushing 25 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns.

Safety Matt Yausie led the team in tackles (7½) for the second consecutive game, while cornerback Jamir Walker returned a third-quarter interception 87 yards for a touchdown and broke up an additional three passes. The Rams had four sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery against Saskatchewan.

After Friday's game against UBC, the Rams will prepare for a home game against the Alberta Golden Bears on Saturday, Oct. 2.

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA THUNDERBIRDS (1-2)
UBC has had somewhat of a roller-coaster beginning to the 2010 season under first-year head coach Shawn Olson. After losing 36-28 at home to Alberta in Week 1, the Thunderbirds surprised everyone with a convincing 31-12 road win over then-No. 2 Saskatchewan.

After the win over the Huskies, it was thought that UBC would keep the momentum going and cruise to a victory over winless Manitoba. Not so, as the Bisons completely shut out the Thunderbirds in the second half and scored a 40-17 win over UBC.

Dual-threat quarterback Billy Greene has been outstanding for UBC this season, as he's tied for the conference lead with six touchdown passes, ranks second in Canada West with 827 passing yards, and ranks fifth in the conference with 269 rushing yards.

Spencer Betts, a third-year receiver out of Holy Cross HS in Surrey, has been Greene's top target. Betts has 15 receptions, ranks second in the conference with 277 receiving yards, and is Canada West's outright leader with four touchdown catches. Also UBC's return man, Betts leads the conference with 575 all-purpose yards.

Running back Dave Boyd has rushed for 170 yards on 35 carries this season, but was injured during the third quarter last week against Manitoba and is questionable for Friday night. Expect Tibiriu Banica - who comes into the game with one career rush in his two seasons at UBC - to get the start if Boyd is unable to go.

McCONKEY TAKES HONOURS FROM CANADA WEST, CIS
Mark McConkey was named the Canada West and CIS Offensive Player of the Week after recording career highs in both receptions (13) and receiving yards (154) against the Huskies. McConkey, who caught over half of quarterback Marc Mueller's 25 completions, also hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams the lead early in the second quarter. McConkey, who now leads Canada West with 19 receptions on the season, is the first University of Regina player to be named the CIS Offensive Player of the Week since former quarterback Teale Orban earned the award on Oct. 22, 2008.

RECORDS REWRITTEN AGAINST HUSKIES
Two school records were broken last week in the win over Saskatchewan. Cornerback Jamir Walker's 87-yard pick six in the third quarter is the longest interception return in U of R history, breaking the record of 83 yards set by Sheldon Gray on Oct. 28, 2000. Marc Mueller also etched his name into the record book with a 75.8% completion rate, topping the old record of 73.3% set by Darryl Leason back on Oct. 21, 2000.

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 ranked No. 8 in the NFL last season with an average of 46.2 yards per punt. Seven former University of Regina Rams are now in the CFL, including Chris Bauman (Hamilton), Jason Clermont (Saskatchewan), Chris Getzlaf (Saskatchewan), Neal Hughes (Saskatchewan), Nick Hutchins (Saskatchewan), Brendon LaBatte (Winnipeg), and Jordan Sisco (Saskatchewan).

(Complete game notes available here)