Game Notes

Looking for their second Canada West championship in program history, the No. 7 University of Regina Rams will travel to Calgary to square off with the No. 3-ranked Dinos on Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST (TSN, 620 CKRM).

QUICK NOTES
• The teams split their two meetings during the Canada West schedule, as Calgary took a 37-21 win over the Rams in Calgary back on Sept. 1 and the Rams won 12-9 over the Dinos in Regina on Oct. 19
• The Rams are looking for their second conference title since joining Canada West prior to the 1999 season – their only Canada West championship was back in 2000
• The Rams come into Saturday with a 1-3 record in Hardy Cup games, winning in 2000 (Manitoba) and losing in 2001 (Manitoba), 2002 (Saskatchewan), and 2007 (Manitoba)
• The winner of this game will travel to Ontario for the Mitchell Bowl, which will be hosted by the OUA champion (either McMaster or Guelph)
• A win for the Rams would give them their second appearance in a national bowl game – their only other appearance was in the 2000 Atlantic Bowl (defeated Saint Mary's 40-36)
• A win for the Dinos would give Calgary its fifth consecutive Canada West championship
• Regina and Calgary have met five times in the postseason, all of which have been Canada West semifinals – the Dinos hold a 3-2 edge in those five meetings, as the Rams defeated Calgary in 2000 and 2002 but lost to the Dinos in 2008, 2010, and 2011

TEAM PREVIEW: #7 REGINA (6-2 / 1-0)
The Rams qualified for their fifth Hardy Cup in program history after defeating Saskatchewan by a 31-9 margin last Friday at Mosaic Stadium in the Canada West semifinals.

Marc Mueller was named the Canada West and CIS Offensive Player of the Week after completing 21 of his 32 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns against the Huskies, but equally important was the breakout contribution from third-year slotback Landon Buch. Buch – who came into the game with two receptions in his career – caught six passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, had a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, and added a fumble recovery on special teams duty.

Mueller's targets also include slotback Jared Janotta, whose 44 receptions during the conference schedule stand as the fourth most in a single season by a University of Regina receiver. Wide receiver Kolten Solomon was second on the team in both receptions (36) and receiving yards (471) and caught a team-leading four touchdown passes during Canada West play, while slotback Jay Smith caught 27 passes for 359 yards.

Michael Kiapway led the Rams with 571 rushing yards this season, but the Rams could also plug in Dillon Dawson or Mark Coons at running back at any given time.

The Rams' defence has been spectacular in recent games, allowing no points in the past two games and just one touchdown in the last three. Leading the way against Saskatchewan was defensive end Ryan Wellman, who earned Canada West Defensive Player of the Week honours after collecting 2½ tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup in the win over the Huskies.

The U of R's defensive backfield has been among the most prolific in the nation this year, tying for the CIS lead with 16 interceptions during the conference schedule. Jamir Walker and Kirby Kezama both tied for the team lead with four picks each, while Justin Edralin ended up with three. Chris Sciog led the Rams with 42 total tackles, while Wellman had a team-high 7½ tackles for loss and tied Benton Gieni for the team lead with three sacks.

The Rams enter Saturday's game with an all-time postseason record of 6-10.

TEAM PREVIEW: #3 CALGARY (7-1 / 1-0)
Looking for their fifth consecutive conference championship and their 14th Canada West title in program history, the Calgary Dinos earned the right to host the Hardy Cup after placing first in the conference standings and defeating Manitoba in the Canada West semifinals.

After being held to its lowest offensive output in a conference game since 2008 back on Oct. 19 in a 12-9 loss to Regina, Calgary has gotten the offence rolling in the previous two weeks – which might qualify for the understatement of the year. The Dinos have scored a total of 135 points in their previous two games, which include a 78-54 win over Manitoba in Week 8 of the conference schedule and a 57-18 victory over those same Bisons last week in a Canada West semifinal.

Calgary's offence is controlled by third-year quarterback Eric Dzwilewski, who led Canada West in completions (154), completion rate (70.6%), passing yards (2290), and touchdown passes (15) during the conference schedule. Chris Dobko is Calgary's top receiver with 50 catches for 659 yards and five touchdowns, with receivers Jake Harty, Richard Snyder, Brett Blaszko, and Taylor Nill also posting fine numbers for the Dinos.

Steven Lumbala finished second in the conference in rushing ending up with 79 rushes for 636 yards and leading Canada West with eight touchdown runs.

Calgary's defence is anchored by Mike Edem, who joined Regina's Steve Famulak as the only two unanimous Canada West all-star selections on the defensive side of the ball. Edem finished second in the conference in tackles and led Canada West with 9½ tackles for loss, while cornerback Jamahl Knowles ended up third in the conference with eight passes defended.

Calgary's 12 all-star selections include Dzwilewski, Lumbala, Dobko, centre Quinn McCaughan, offensive tackle Kirby Fabien, guard Sean McEwen, Edem, Knowles, defensive tackles Josh Symons, defensive end Linden Gaydosh, halfback Tye Noble, and kicker Johnny Mark.

RAMS CLAIM 10 CANADA WEST ALL-STAR SELECTIONS
The University of Regina Rams had a program-record 10 players honoured as Canada West announced its 2012 football all-stars on Wednesday. Leading the offensive recipients is Brett Jones, who was a unanimous selection at guard and was named a Canada West all-star for the second consecutive season. Wide receiver Kolten Solomon, slotback Jared Janotta, and tackle Chris Mercer were also named Canada West all-stars.

On defence, dimeback Steve Famulak was one of two unanimous selections and one of five members of the University of Regina defence to be named Canada West all-stars. Halfback Kirby Kezama, outside linebacker Chris Sciog, cornerback Jamir Walker, and defensive end Ryan Wellman were also honoured by the conference. Punter Chris Bodnar, who finished second in the nation in average yards per punt, rounds out the U of R's list of all-stars.