Complete Game Notes

KICKOFF: Saturday, Oct. 18 (2:00 p.m. PDT / 3:00 p.m. Saskatchewan)
SITE: Thunderbird Stadium (Vancouver, B.C.)
CAPACITY: 3500
RANKINGS: Regina NR, UBC NR
TELEVISION: Canada West Football on Shaw (Jim Mullin/PxP, Jesse Lumsden/CC) - live on Access7
RADIO: 620 CKRM (Mitchell Blair/PxP, Marco Ricci/CC)
LIVE VIDEO: www.canadawest.tv
 
Highlights
• The Rams are expected to make a change under centre this week, with fifth-year QB Cayman Shutter likely to return after missing two games to injury
• With the conference looking like it could produce its first three-win postseason team since 2010, both teams will be desperate for a win on Saturday to climb back into the playoff hunt
• The two teams met back in Week 1 in Regina, with the Rams emerging with a 33-23 win over then-No. 7 UBC

THROUGH THE AIR: Noah Picton and Cayman Shutter have essentially split the season under centre for the Rams, but the result has been the same - an offence heavily reliant on the passing game, with the Rams averaging a CIS-leading 376 yards per game through the air. In terms of total offence, the Rams average 456 yards per game - a total which ranks ninth in the country.
 
THE RICHARDS REPORT: Addison Richards again went over 100 receiving yards in Week 5 at Calgary, finishing in triple digits for the fourth time in five Canada West games this year. Richards now has 664 receiving yards this season, already the seventh most in University of Regina single-season history. He's still on pace to join Don Blair (Calgary) and Brian Fryer (Alberta) as the only players in Canada West history to register 1000 in a year. Blair actually accomplished the feat twice, collecting 1033 in 1994 and setting the conference record with 1112 the following season.
 
JANOTTA WATCH: Jared Janotta caught five passes for 83 yards last week at Calgary and now ranks third in Canada West in both receptions (32) and receiving yards (472). With 171 career receptions the fifth-year SB is within striking range of the conference's all-time record, as he trails only former U of R receivers Mark McConkey (180) and Chad Goldie (173) in the category. Janotta passed Jason Clermont during the Calgary game for second on the U of R's all-time list with 2225 receiving yards and needs 234 to overtake Chad Goldie for the school's lead.
 
RAMS IN THE PROS: The Rams currently boast three former players in the NFL, including P Jon Ryan (Seattle), DL Akiem Hicks (New Orleans), and DL Stefan Charles (Buffalo). Four University of Regina products are currently on CFL active rosters, including OL Brett Jones with Calgary and SB Chris Getzlaf and OL Brendon LaBatte with Saskatchewan. FB Neal Hughes was placed on Saskatchewan's six-game injured list in late July and was expected to be activated for Sunday's game before suffering a setback in practice on Friday. DL Micheal Dadzie (Ottawa), OL Chris Mercer (Edmonton), and DL Ryan Wellman (Saskatchewan) remain on practice rosters.
 
FAMILY TIES: OL Aaron Picton and SB Mitchell Picton are brothers, and their cousins QB Noah Picton and RB Blake Anaka are both in their first seasons of CIS eligibility with the U of R. There's also a pair of Wilsons, as Riley is a third-year slotback with the Rams and his younger brother Luke is a rookie defensive back. Defensive coordinator Paul Dawson has a son (RB Dillon Dawson) and a nephew (LB Danny Nesbitt) on the team, while head coach Frank McCrystal's son Charlie McCrystal is on the staff as a defensive backs coach. If that isn't enough, QB Cayman Shutter is a first cousin of starting WR Mitch Thompson.
 
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Richards leads Canada West in two major receiving categories including receptions (37) and yards (664), while his 85-yard touchdown reception from Noah Picton late in the Alberta game is the longest play from scrimmage in a conference game this season. Kicker Andrew Fabian is 9-for-10 on field goal attempts for the year to lead the conference with a 90% success rate, while defensive end Tyler Perkins is the only Canada West player with multiple fumble recoveries this season.

QUARTERBACKS
• After missing the Saskatchewan and Calgary games due to an injury suffered in Week 3 at Alberta, Cayman Shutter will likely return as the team's starting QB on Saturday
• Shutter will make his fourth start of the season and is 54-for-93 (58.1%) this year with 688 yards and two TD passes
• First-year QB Noah Picton started both games in Shutter's absence - combined with plenty of playing time in Week 2 and Week 3, he's completed 61.7% of his passes this season for 1194 yards and 7 TDs
• Frankie Gray is third on the depth chart at QB, while fourth-year SB Landon Buch often serves as the team's quarterback in short-yardage situations
 
RUNNING BACKS
• Dillon Dawson has started all five Canada West games for the Rams, but is out for the UBC game due to an injury suffered at Calgary - either Atlee Simon or Jens Johnson will get their first start of the season at RB
• Simon has 21 carries for 144 yards this season and has also handled kickoff duties for the Rams in all five games this season, averaging 49.3 yards per kickoff
• Johnson has 22 rushes this season for 127 yards, including his first career TD in Week 3
• With Dawson out, expect either Josh Koshman or Parker Scott - both rookies - to dress for their first career Canada West games for the Rams
 
RECEIVERS
• WR Addison Richards leads Canada West in receptions and receiving yards - he's on pace for over 1000 yards, a mark which has only been surpassed three times in conference single-season history (see Page 2)
• WR Mitch Thompson starts opposite Richards and is third on the team in receptions (21) and fourth in receiving yards (176) while serving as the team's holder and primary return man
• SB Jared Janotta is second on the Rams in both receptions (32) and receiving yards (472) - see Page 2 for more as Janotta approaches school and conference records in two major receiving categories
• Like Janotta, Riley Wilson has started all five games at slotback for the Rams - he has 17 catches for 256 yards this season
• SB Mitchell Picton made his first career start last week in place of Landon Buch, who remains questionable for this weekend
• Picton had four catches for 46 yards last week and now has six receptions for 120 yards and two TDs on the year
• Second-year WR Richard Sindani is the only other non-RB with a reception this season - he has four catches for 46 yards
 
OFFENSIVE LINE
• The Rams have gone with the same starting five on the line in each of the last four games and are expected to trot out Jeremy Zver (LT), Kyle Paterson (LG), Aaron Picton (C), Tristain Hoath (RG), and Matt Degelman (RT) again on Saturday
• Picton, who will be eligible for the 2015 CFL Draft, is the team's most experienced lineman with 16 career Canada West starts and two postseason starts
• The durable Zver will make his 14th consecutive start at left tackle for the Rams
• Degelman comes into Saturday with 12 career starts, while Paterson has 11
• Nathan Cugnet and one of Keenan Carrier or Brandon Williams dress as backups - Carrier and Cugnet both dressed at Calgary
• Lyndon Smith is back practicing, but remains out after being injured in August
 
DEFENSIVE LINE
• With defensive coordinator Paul Dawson moving from a 42 defence to a 33 defence this season, the Rams will have a three-man front under most circumstances
• The Rams have gone with the same starters on the line in all five Canada West games with Dean Viena at rush end, Bryce McKinnon at nose tackle, and Tyler Perkins at defensive end
• The only player in Canada West with multiple fumble recoveries this season, Perkins also has a pass breakup and 13½ tackles including three tackles for loss and a sack
• Viena has a team-leading two sacks this year and is tied with Perkins with 13½ tackles and a pass breakup
• McKinnon has nine tackles (6 solo, 6 assisted) and one tackle for loss this year
• Eric Wicijowski will play in his sixth game of the year, while Grey McKen will also dress with Thomas Lill out indefinitely
 
LINEBACKERS
• After going with the same starters at linebacker for the first four Canada West games, Zack McEachern started at SLB last week at Calgary with Connor Ketchen (MLB) and Michael Stefanovic (WLB)
• McEachern started in place of redshirt freshman Dylan Minshull - Minshull is expected to step back in as the team's starting SLB but McEachern is expected to again see plenty of playing time
• Ketchen and Minshull were teammates in high school (Neelin HS in Brandon, Man.)
• Stefanovic is the team's leading tackler (22 solo, 12 assisted) and also has a pair of tackles for loss, while Minshull is third on the team with 23½ tackles and leads the Rams with 3½ tackles for loss
• Ketchen has 13½ tackles (10 solo, 7 assisted), while McEachern now has 11½ tackles (7 solo, 9 assisted)
• Cody Kezama (6 tackles) and rookie Danny Nesbitt (3 tackles) have also dressed for all five Canada West games
 
DEFENSIVE BACKS
• The Rams are expected to go with the same starting backfield as the Calgary game, including Tevaughn Campbell and Ryan Serbu at cornerback, Jeff Propp and Patrick MacDonald at halfback, Justin Edralin at safety, and Joey Dwyer at dimeback
• Look for three of Kahlen Branning, Kadeem Ellis, Korey Greene, and Jordy Kibamba to dress as backups - it was Ellis, Greene, and Kibamba in Week 5 at Calgary
• Edralin, MacDonald, and Serbu each have an interception this season, while MacDonald also has a team-high four pass deflections
• Dwyer is second on the team with 25½ tackles and is the only defensive back on the Rams with a sack this year (he's got 1½)
• Propp is fourth on the team with 23 tackles (19 solo, 8 assisted) while MacDonald is fifth with 20 tackles (17 solo, six assisted)
 
PUNTERS/KICKERS
• Former Calgary Colts kicker Andrew Fabian leads the conference with a 90% success rate (9-for-10) on field goal attempts - he's also averaging 38.4 yards per punt
 
RETURNERS
• WR Catlin Schneider is expected to return both punts and kickoffs for the Rams - he's averaging 5.5 yards on eight punt returns this year and has one KO return for 36 yards
• DB Tevaughn Campbell and WR Mitch Thompson - who leads the team in both punt returns and kickoff returns - will also factor into the return game for the Rams
 
HOLDER / LONG SNAPPER
• WR Mitch Thompson will hold on field goal attempts, with DB Justin Edralin to snap for punts and LB Danny Nesbitt on FG attempts