Game Notes

DATE: Saturday, Sept. 28
TIME: 1:00 pm CDT (12:00 p.m. Saskatchewan)
LOCATION: Winnipeg, Man.
VENUE: Investors Group Stadium
RADIO: 620 CKRM
VIDEO FEED: www.canadawest.tv (no audio commentary)

It's only Week 5, but it's as close to a must-win midseason game as it can possibly get for the Rams as they travel to Winnipeg for a Saturday game at No. 10 Manitoba (1:00 CDT). While a win would put the U of R into fourth place in the Canada West standings, a loss to the Bisons would be catastrophic for the Rams' chances of qualifying for the postseason as this is the only meeting between these two teams during the conference schedule. 620 CKRM (Michael Ball, Chad Ehman) will have the game live on the dial, while canadawest.tv will provide a video feed with in-stadium announcing but no audio commentary.

AGAINST MANITOBA: Manitoba holds a 13-10 all-time advantage in Canada West games and has won three of the four postseason games between the two teams, though the Rams have won seven consecutive conference games over Manitoba in a string that dates back to the final game of the 2008 Canada West schedule. The Rams and the Bisons met in a non-conference game in August, with the Rams pulling out a late 30-25 victory thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback sparked by rookie quarterback Noah Picton – who hasn't dressed since, as he's expected to redshirt this season for the U of R.

LAST WEEK: The Rams led by four points heading into the fourth quarter last week at home against UBC, but couldn't hang on as the Thunderbirds outscored the U of R by a 21-7 margin in the final period and won 37-27. Cayman Shutter had more impressive numbers as the Rams almost completely relied on the passing game, ending up with 34 completions for 459 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

NEXT WEEK: The Rams are back at home next weekend with a Week 6 game on Saturday against Alberta. It'll be the first of two afternoon kickoffs for the Rams this season, as game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.

McCONKEY CHASING HISTORY: Mark McConkey had his best game of the season last week, catching seven passes for 65 yards. He passed former UBC receiver Brad Coutts for second on the conference's all-time list and can overtake former teammate Chad Goldie as the conference's all-time leader with five more catches. The CIS career record is held by former McGill University receiver Charles-Antoine Sinotte (251).

RANKINGS: For the fifth time in five polls this year, three Canada West teams are ranked in this week's edition of the CIS Top Ten. Calgary stayed at No. 5 after thumping Manitoba at home, while Saskatchewan stayed at No. 7 with a win over Alberta and the Bisons dropped two spots to No. 10 courtesy of the 24-point road loss to the Dinos.

GRAND CAYMAN: In his first year with the Rams and in his first year as a starting quarterback since leading Punahou School to a Hawaii state high school championship in 2008, Cayman Shutter has had a seamless transition to the Canadian game. Shutter is the Canada West leader with 1666 passing yards and leads the entire CIS with an average of 416.5 passing yards per game. He is on pace to threaten the conference's single-season record of 2823 yards, which was set by Calgary's Greg Vavra in 1983.

RETURNING FIRE: Second-year DB Tevaughn Campbell not only starts for the Rams on the defensive side of the ball, but has also been among the top returners in the CIS this season. He has 260 yards on 18 punt returns for an average of 14.4 yards per return - the most of any CIS player with at least 10 returns this year. At the midpoint of the conference schedule, Campbell needs just 43 punt return yards to shatter the school's single-season record of 302 set by Chris Ashman in 2002. Also a member of the U of R's track & field team, Campbell won a Canada West gold medal in the 60-metre dash in 2012.

RICHARDS TAKES RECEIVING LEAD: Addison Richards caught nine passes for 72 yards in last week's game against UBC. The third-year wide receiver now leads the entire CIS with 35 receptions through the first four games of the season. He also leads Canada West with 404 receiving yards and ranks second in the CIS with an average of 101 receiving yards per game. He's been remarkably consistent this year, hauling in nine passes in three of the team's four games and collecting eight receptions in the other.

RAMS IN THE NFL: The Rams have three players currently in the NFL, led by defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (New Orleans) and punter Jon Ryan (Seattle). Defensive tackle Stefan Charles is also on Tennessee's practice roster. Only eight non-NCAA Div. I schools have at least three current NFLers, led by five each from the California University of Pennsylvania and Grand Valley State. Mount Union (NCAA Div. III) and NCAA Div. II schools Midwestern State, Missouri Western, Valdosta State, and Washburn join the U of R with three players apiece.

RAMS IN THE CFL: In addition to their three NFL players, the Rams also have seven players currently on CFL rosters. That list is highlighted by Chris Getzlaf and Brendon LaBatte – who both play key roles for the 8-2 Saskatchewan Roughriders – and Brett Jones, who's starting at centre for the Calgary Stampeders as a rookie. The list of 10 players doesn't include long snapper Jorgen Hus, who attended camp with the St. Louis Rams but was waived following the preseason.

JANOTTA MOVING UP THE CHARTS: With a full season of CIS eligibility remaining after this year, fourth-year slotback Jared Janotta is moving up the U of R's all-time lists in several receiving categories. Janotta is sixth on the U of R's career list with 118 receptions and ninth with 1537 receiving yards. He's only 87 yards from moving up to No. 8 on the all-time receiving yards list and also needs just one more touchdown catch for 11 in his career, which would pull him into a tie with Chris Getzlaf and Jordan Sisco for sixth.

STEFANOVIC AMONG LEADERS: Despite being only in his first season of CIS eligibility after redshirting in 2012, linebacker Michael Stefanovic has piled up some impressive statistics through the first four weeks of the season. He collected three solo tackles, 10 assisted tackles, and recovered a fumble last week against UBC. He's been in on 37 tackles this season, second in Canada West only to Alberta linebacker Connor Ralph. Stefanovic is tied for second in the conference with three sacks on the year and remains Canada West's outright leader with six tackles for loss.

SACK WATCH: The Rams might have former defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Stefan Charles in the NFL right now, but it's Logan Brooks that has a chance to take over as the school's career sacks leader. Brooks has 12 sacks in his five seasons with the Rams and needs just one more to tie Stan Van Sichem for the University of Regina's all-time lead.

SMITH MAKES CIS DEBUT: The U of R landed heralded defensive tackle Calvin Smith in the offseason, bolstering a defensive line that has been extremely strong for the Rams over the past few seasons. Smith missed much of the Week 1 game after being injured, but has collected six solo tackles, eight assisted tackles, and a pair of sacks for the Rams since. This is his first action since 2010, when he played at the NCAA Div. I level with the University of New Mexico. Coming out of Hialeah HS in Hialeah, Fla., Smith was listed as a four-star prospect by both Rivals.com and ESPN.

SWITCHING SPORTS - TAKE 1: Followers of U of R sports might see a familiar name starting for the Rams on the offensive line, as Jeremy Zver has been a key reserve for the men's basketball team over the last two years and returns to football for the first time since starring for Balfour Collegiate in 2010. Zver has appeared in 36 Canada West hoops games in his career.

SWITCHING SPORTS - TAKE 2: Running back Jens Johnson is in his first year with the Rams after playing a Junior A career that spanned three full seasons in the SJHL. Johnson spent two years with the Weyburn Red Wings before splitting the 2012-13 season between Weyburn and Notre Dame. A defenceman, Johnson collected 48 points in 150 career regular season SJHL games and played in a total of 24 postseason games with the Red Wings and Hounds.

SWITCHING SPORTS - TAKE 3: Defensive back Jeff Propp has appeared in all three games so far for the Rams and has collected a pair of solo tackles. Propp, who was a multi-sport standout for Michael A. Riffel HS in Regina, redshirted last season with the U of R's men's basketball team and is in his first season with the Rams. He's expected to play for the Cougars again this year under new head coach Steve Burrows.

SHUTTER, STEFANOVIC EARN WEEK 3 HONOURS: Cayman Shutter was named the CIS and Canada West Offensive Player of the Week and Michael Stefanovic was the Canada West Defensive Player of the Week for their performances in the team's Week 3 win over Alberta. Shutter's 37 pass completions and 484 passing yards were the second highest totals recorded by a U of R quarterback in a game, while Stefanovic had 10 tackles and became just the second player in U of R history to collect three sacks in one contest.