After breaking into the CIS Top Ten for the first time since the first poll of the 2011 campaign, the No. 10-ranked University of Regina Rams (1-1) travel to Edmonton this weekend to square off with Alberta (0-2).
Kickoff is 7:00 p.m. on Friday night.
RADIO - 620 CKRM (LIVE)
Broadcasters: Michael Ball, Marco Ricci
Listen live:
www.620ckrm.com
WEBCAST - CANADAWEST.TV (LIVE)
Broadcasters: Dustin Nielson, Evan Daum, Doug McLean
Watch live:
www.canadawest.tv
GAME NOTES
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THE HEADLINES
• A win for the Rams would give them their third consecutive victory over Alberta and move them into a tie for second place at 2-1 with the loser of the Calgary/Manitoba game
• Friday's game marks the first of two conference meetings between the two teams this season, as they'll also play on Friday, Oct. 26 in Regina
• The Rams have a 13-5 edge in the all-time series and have won seven of the 10 games between the two teams in Edmonton
• The Rams have had a big advantage over Alberta since the 2006 season, winning seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams in that time
• Regina boasts a pair of Canada West individual statistical leaders, as QB
Marc Mueller leads the conference in passing yards (585) and CB
Jamir Walker leads the entire CIS with three interceptions
• Hosting its home opener this weekend, Alberta is still looking for its first touchdown of the season – the Golden Bears lost 32-0 at Saskatchewan in Week 1 and 65-6 at Calgary in Week 2
UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (1-1)
After a Week 1 loss to four-time defending champion Calgary to open their season, the Rams got back up to the .500 mark with a convincing 49-20 win over UBC in their home opener last Friday.
The Rams actually trailed the Thunderbirds 13-7 at halftime, but reeled off 42 unanswered points in the second half to seize control of the contest. Second-year running back
Michael Kiapway notched the first two touchdown runs of his CIS career, while fifth-year cornerback
Jamir Walker was named the Canada West and CIS Defensive Player of the Week after recording his 15th and 16th career interceptions – the second of which he ran back 19 yards for the fourth pick six of his career.
Regina's offence has heavily relied upon the passing game thus far, as 68.1% of the team's total yards have come through the air.
Marc Mueller is the conference's leader with 585 passing yards, and
Jared Janotta has stepped up and ranks third in Canada West with 146 receiving yards.
Steve Famulak leads Regina's defence with 11½ tackles through the first quarter of the conference schedule, while
Alex Meldrum has 11 tackles including a sack and also has a forced fumble. Walker leads the entire CIS with three interceptions after two games, while
Chris Bodnar ranks second in the conference with an average of 43.3 yards per punt.
The Rams are back on the road again next week, as they'll square off with provincial rival Saskatchewan (1-1) on Friday night in Saskatoon.
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (0-2)
To say it's been a difficult start to the season for Alberta is a bit of an understatement, as the Golden Bears have failed to score a touchdown through the first eight quarters of the conference season.
Alberta opened the season with a 32-0 loss to Saskatchewan in Week 1 and suffered a 65-6 trouncing last week at Calgary, but the Golden Bears will be hoping to parlay the momentum from their home opener into a better performance against the Rams on Friday.
Curtis Dell has started both games at pivot for the Golden Bears, but Ryan Schwartz – a third-year transfer from Simon Fraser – came on in relief of Dell in both Week 1 and Week 2. Second-year running back Tyler Lewis leads the team with 66 rushing yards, while Winnipeg Rifles product Yembeh Moiba leads the team in both receptions (8) and receiving yards (62).
Cornerback Brent Krawchuk, the team's lone Canada West all-star from 2011, is the team's top returner and already has an interception to his credit. Tyler Greenslade has 12 total tackles, a pair of pass breakups, and two fumble recoveries through the first two weeks, while first-year lineman Clayton Vis has the team's lone sack this season.
Alberta is back on the road next weekend with a Saturday afternoon game at Manitoba.
RAMS MILESTONE WATCH
• QB
Marc Mueller is within striking range of a pair of milestones this week, as he needs 243 passing yards to move past Mark Anderson for No. 2 on the U of R's all-time list and just one touchdown pass to tie Darryl Leason for No. 3 in school history
• With three interceptions in the first two weeks of the Canada West schedule, CB
Jamir Walker continues to climb the conference charts – he's now tied for sixth in Canada West history with 16 career picks (see below)
• SB
Jared Janotta needs 116 receiving yards to become the 12th player in U of R history to collect 1000 career yards
• DE
Logan Brooks and DT
Stefan Charles are tied for third on the U of R's all-time list with 9½ career sacks – both players need just two sacks to overtake Sean Brimacombe for No. 2 on the list and four to pass Stan Van Sichem as the school's career leader, though Charles is sidelined indefinitely with a thumb injury
