THE GAME
Another game, another quarterback for the University of Regina Rams as they'll have a pivot making his first career start for the second week in a row. This time around it's Frankie Gray, who started the season at No. 3 on the depth chart but finds himself as the team's starter following injuries to both Marc Mueller and Dylan Hart. The Rams and the No. 3-ranked Calgary Dinos kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in a game that will be televised live on Access7 and broadcast on the dial at 620 CKRM.

(complete game notes)

THE HEADLINES
• Statistically speaking, Friday's game features the conference's top two running backs in Calgary's Steven Lumbala (314 rushing yards) and Regina's Adrian Charles (281)
• Lumbala and Charles rank second and third in the CIS in rushing yards, as Ottawa's Brendan Gillanders leads the nation with 347
• The Rams will be attempting to put a halt to a seven-game losing skid to Calgary, as the Dinos have won every matchup between the two teams since the 2008 season - including seven-point Canada West semifinal wins in both 2008 and 2010
• Friday marks Regina's lone game against Calgary during the Canada West schedule, the first time since 2008 that the teams have only met once in conference play
• Regina's Chris Bodnar leads the CIS with 45.1 yards per punt, an average exceeded in University of Regina single-season history only by Jon Ryan's 45.9 yards per punt in 2003
• Gray will become the first University of Regina quarterback to start a game as a true first-year player since Teale Orban did so in 2004

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (0-2)
With the conference's top passer in both 2009 and 2010 returning for a final season, quarterback wasn't a position that the University of Regina's football team expected to have issues with.

Unfortunately for the Rams, that's exactly what has happened. Marc Mueller was knocked out of commission during the first offensive series of the season and backup Dylan Hart suffered a back injury last week against Saskatchewan, sending the Rams even further down the depth chart at arguably the most critical position on the field.

Enter Frankie Gray, who entered the season as the No. 3 quarterback and was expected to redshirt the season. That's all changed now, as Gray – who led Campbell Collegiate to a 4A city championship last year – will become the first Rams quarterback to make a start as a true freshman since Teale Orban in 2004.

Gray will lead a Regina offence that has been heavily reliant on the running game this season – understandable, given the quarterbacking situation and the presence of first-team All-Canadian running back Adrian Charles. Charles ranks third in the nation in rushing yards, but the Rams rank last in Canada West with 293 passing yards – an unfamiliar position for a University of Regina team that has finished in the top two in the conference in passing in each of the previous five seasons.

Middle linebacker Austin Bates has stepped up for the Rams this season, as he's tied for third on the team with nine tackles and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone in Week 2 against Saskatchewan. Defensive end Akiem Hicks and halfback Justin Edralin are tied for the team lead with 9½ tackles on the season.

The Rams will travel to Edmonton next weekend for a matchup against Alberta (0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 24.

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY DINOS (2-0)
Two last-minute victories in the first two weeks of the season have the Calgary Dinos tied with Saskatchewan atop the Canada West standings and sitting in the No. 3 position in this week's CIS-FRC Top Ten.

Last week it was running back Steven Lumbala finishing off an eight-play, 85-yard drive with a nine-yard run that gave the Dinos a five-point lead over UBC with 18 seconds to go in the contest. It was a similar story in Week 1, where the Dinos had to score 18 points – including a seven-yard touchdown catch by Chris Dobko with 22 seconds remaining – to come away with a 35-31 road win over Manitoba.

To no one's surprise, Lumbala was named the Canada West Offensive Player of the Week after ending up with 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns against UBC. Lumbala has a conference-leading 314 rushing yards and ranks second in the CIS in the category, trailing only Ottawa's Brendan Gillanders.

Second-year quarterback Eric Dzwilewski ranks fourth in the conference in both passing yards (391) and completion rate (51.7%), while Dobko is Canada West's leader with 11 catches on the season. Calgary's defence is anchored by returning Canada West all-stars Sam Hurl and Tye Noble, but first-year linebacker Cory Roboch has exploded onto to the scene and leads the conference in both fumbles forced (2) and sacks (3).

Calgary returns home next weekend for what should be a pivotal matchup against No. 4-ranked Saskatchewan (2-0) on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.

(complete game notes)