Complete Game Notes

THE GAME
The Alberta Golden Bears (2-2) will pay a visit to the No. 6-ranked University of Regina Rams (3-1) on Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium. The Rams, who come into the game tied for first place in the conference, will be looking to go into the bye week three games above .500, while a win for the Golden Bears would pull Alberta even with Regina in the standings.

THE HEADLINES
– The Rams stayed steady at No. 6 in the FRC-CIS Top Ten after their win over UBC last week
– The Golden Bears dropped out of the rankings this week after Friday's loss to Saskatchewan
– Alberta beat the Rams 33-22 last season in Edmonton, but the Rams were victorious in each of the previous five games between the two teams
– The Rams have an 11-5 advantage in the all-time series and are 5-2 against the Golden Bears at Mosaic Stadium
– Regina's offence leads Canada West in points scored (144) and ranks second in total yards
– Regina's defence leads Canada West in least points allowed (67), total yards allowed per game (353.5), rushing yards allowed per game (118.2), interceptions (9), and sacks (12)
– Alberta leads the league in net punting average (35.2) and least sacks allowed (2)
– Regina's Adrian Charles leads Canada West in rushing yards (563) and touchdowns (6) and is on pace to become the school's first 1000-yard rusher
– Regina cornerback Jamir Walker is in a four-way tie for first in the conference in interceptions (6) and leads Canada West with eight passes defended
– Alberta running back Matthew Jarvis ranks third in Canada West with 361 rushing yards

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (3-1)
Regina rolled to a 41-6 road victory last week at UBC, a win which featured standout performances from the Rams in all aspects of the game.

Chris Bodnar was named the Canada West and CIS Special Teams Player of the Week, while Bruce Anderson was the Canada West Defensive Player of the Week (more below).

Had it not been for Saskatchewan QB Laurence Nixon's superb performance in the Huskies' win over Alberta, the Rams might have had a clean sweep in the weekly conference awards. Adrian Charles had a spectacular night for Regina, rushing for 193 yards and recording two touchdown runs for the third consecutive game. One of his touchdowns was a 90-yard major, which stands as the second longest in U of R history.

The passing game has been as effective as the running game this season, as Marc Mueller's 65.1% completion rate is the best in Canada West and the highest ever in a single season by a Rams quarterback. Mark McConkey leads the conference with 24 receptions and has 253 receiving yards, but Brenden Owens missed last game due to injury and is listed as questionable for this week. Jason Price, who started in place of Owens last week, has filled in admirably with five catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the last two games.

The defence has been spectacular all season for the Rams. Matt Yausie is the team's leader with 26½ tackles, while Jamir Walker leads the way with three interceptions and Steve Famulak has a team-leading 3½ sacks. The Rams lead Canada West in most major defensive categories this season (see Page 1).

Regina will enjoy the bye week before returning to action at Manitoba on Oct. 16. The Rams will meet Calgary and Saskatchewan after that to finish off the Canada West schedule.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (2-2)
Alberta, which enjoyed sole possession of first place in the Canada West standings after Week 2, has slipped in the previous two weeks and are now back to the .500 mark. The Bears started out the season with road wins over UBC and Manitoba, but followed that up with home losses to both Calgary and Saskatchewan to drop out of the FRC-CIS Top Ten.

Quarterback Julian Marchand controls the Alberta offence and has 909 passing yards and six touchdown passes on the season. His top two receivers are Jess Valleau (16 catches, 302 receiving yards) and Laine Rogers (16 catches for 200 yards). On the ground, the Golden Bears' Matthew Jarvis ranks third in Canada West with 361 rushing yards.

Jason Hetherington - last year's Canada West interceptions leader - is again among the conference leaders, as he's tied for the lead with three picks this season. He's also recovered a team-high two fumbles, while rookie linebacker Tyler Greenslade leads the Golden Bears with 28½ tackles.

Hugh O'Neill ranks second in Canada West in average yards per punt (39.2) and is 5-for-8 in field goals this season, with his longest coming from 32 yards out.

After the bye week, Alberta will return to action on Oct. 16 at home against the UBC Thunderbirds. The Golden Bears will finish out the 2010 campaign with contests against Manitoba and Calgary.

BODNAR, ANDERSON EARN WEEKLY ACCOLADES
Rams punter/kicker Chris Bodnar earned Canada West and CIS Special Teams Player of the Week honours for his performance in the team's win over UBC last week. He was successful on four of his five field goal attempts – hitting from 37, 20, 32, and 20 yards out – and was also solid on his punts, averaging 44 yards on his six punts including a season-long boot of 62 yards in the third quarter. Bodnar also had a 16-yard rush for a first down on a field goal and threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Matt Yausie on a play originally called as a punt.

Rams linebacker Bruce Anderson was named the Canada West Defensive Player of the Week after recording a fumble recovery, an interception, a pass breakup, and 3½ total tackles for a Rams defence that didn't allow UBC to reach the end zone during the contest.

CHASING CHARLES: ADRIAN RUSHING INTO RAMS RECORD BOOK
In what will be his only season with the Rams, Adrian Charles is doing his best to leave his mark on the school's record book.

Most notably, Charles is on pace to become the school's first 1000-yard rusher. He could also become the first player in University of Regina history to break into double digits in rushing touchdowns in a single season.

Charles had 193 rushing yards last week at UBC - the sixth-highest single-game total by a Ram - and added two rushing touchdowns for the third consecutive game. One of his majors came on a 90-yard touchdown run, which is the second longest rush in Rams history.

(Complete game notes available here)