Complete game notes [pdf]

THE GAME
With a playoff spot on the line, the University of Regina Rams and the University of Manitoba Bisons will square off on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 in Winnipeg (noon Saskatchewan time). All tiebreakers are out the window - the winner gets a berth into the Canada West postseason, and the loser's season is over.

THE HEADLINES
• The Rams will finish in fourth place in the Canada West standings and will face top-ranked Calgary in the conference semifinals if they defeat the Bisons on Saturday
• With a Manitoba win and a Saskatchewan win over Alberta, the Bisons will finish in fourth place and face Calgary in the semifinals
• A Manitoba win and an Alberta win over Saskatchewan would put the Bisons in third place and send them to Vancouver to face UBC in the Canada West semifinals
• If Manitoba defeats the Rams, it would give the Bisons their first postseason appearance since their Vanier Cup-winning team in 2007
• The Rams have won five consecutive Canada West games over Manitoba, as the last time the Rams lost to the Bisons was on Aug. 30, 2008
• Regina's Chris Bodnar remains the CIS leader with an average of 45.86 yards per punt, which ranks just behind Jon Ryan's 45.93 (2003) in the U of R's single-season record book
• Rams running back Adrian Charles leads Canada West in rushing yards (818)
• Manitoba's Nic Demski is one of just two CIS players to have multiple kickoff return TDs this season, one of which came on the opening play against the Rams back on Sept. 30

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (2-5)
Fortunately for the Rams, back-to-back losses coming off the bye week haven't eliminated them from Canada West playoff contention — a win for the Rams over Manitoba this weekend would send them to Calgary to face the Dinos on the road in the conference semifinals for the second year in a row and the third time in the last four years.

The Rams are coming off a 16-15 home loss to Saskatchewan, a game in which neither offence was really able to get going. Regina lost running back Adrian Charles to an upper-body injury late in the second half, but he's expected to start this Saturday against the Bisons.

Charles leads Canada West with 818 rushing yards this season and ranks second in the nation with an average of 116.9 yards per game. Quarterback Zach Oleynik's top targets this season have been second-year slotback Jared Janotta (33 catches for 453 yards) and fourth-year wide receiver Mark McConkey (31 catches for 285 yards).

Regina's defence has been impressive, holding opponents to an average of just under 340 yards of total offence per game. Akiem Hicks leads all Canada West linemen with a team-leading 31½ tackles, while Jamir Walker is tied for the conference lead in both interceptions (3) and passes defended (8) and Austin Bates and Logan Brooks are tied with a Canada West-leading 8½ tackles for loss.

Rams punter Chris Bodnar has given the team an edge on special teams all season long, as he leads the CIS with an average of 45.9 yards per punt. His 83-yard bomb last week against Saskatchewan stands as the second longest punt in U of R history.

UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA BISONS (3-4)
Entering the last week of the Canada West schedule, Manitoba could finish as high as third or as low as fifth in the conference standings depending on the results out of Winnipeg and Edmonton.

Manitoba features a fairly balanced offence that ranks third in Canada West in yards per game. Running back Anthony Coombs is tied for the Canada West lead with seven touchdown runs and ranks third in the conference with 553 rushing yards despite missing a game earlier this season.

The aerial attack is controlled by Khaleal Williams, who has a 58% completion rate and ranks second in Canada West with 1710 passing yards. Williams spreads the ball around effectively, as Tyson Takasaki and Jared Ralko enter the game tied for the team lead with 23 receptions with Stu Schollaardt just behind with 22 on the season.

Pete Adams is tied with Regina's Walker for the Canada West lead in passes defended (8), while the Rams don't need to be reminded of Nic Demski — the 17-year-old is one of just two CIS players with multiple kickoff return touchdowns this season, one of which was a 100-yard return for a major on the first play of the game against Regina back in Week 5.

Manitoba is searching for its first postseason berth since winning the Vanier Cup in 2007.