Game Notes

KICKOFF: Saturday, Oct. 4 (2:00 p.m.)
SITE: McMahon Stadium (Calgary, Alta.)
CAPACITY: 37,317
RANKINGS: Regina NR, Calgary #2
RADIO: 620 CKRM (Michael Ball/PxP, Marco Ricci/CC)
LIVE VIDEO: www.canadawest.tv
 
Highlights
• This will be a battle of two of the top offences in the country, as Calgary is ranked No. 2 in the CIS in total offence and Regina is seventh
• The Rams come into Week 5 in fifth place in the conference, but are just one win behind Alberta (2-2) for the fourth and final postseason berth
• The Rams have dropped three straight to the Dinos, with their last win over Calgary coming in a 12-9 home win in 2012 - as they are this week, the Dinos were ranked No. 2 in the CIS at the time

THROUGH THE AIR: The Rams boast the nation's No. 1-ranked aerial attack this season with an average of 401.2 passing yards per game - they're the only team in the CIS to average over 400 per game and one of only seven schools over 300 per game. In terms of total offensive yards, the Rams rank seventh in the CIS with 522.8 per game.
 
THE RICHARDS REPORT: Addison Richards went over 100 receiving yards for the third time in four games this year in last week's loss to Saskatchewan, ending up with 10 catches for 108 yards. The fourth-year WR now has 555 receiving yards at the halfway point of the Canada West schedule, which puts him on pace to become the first University of Regina player to hit 1000 in a single season. The 1000-yard barrier has been broken three times in Canada West history - two of which were by former Calgary standout Don Blair, who set the conference record with 1112 yards during the 1995 campaign. Alberta's Brian Fryer - one of just two Canada West players ever to be drafted into the NFL, with the other being the U of R's Akiem Hicks - is the only other player in conference history to collect at least 1000 receiving yards in one year.
 
JANOTTA WATCH: Jared Janotta caught five passes for 86 yards last week against Saskatchewan and now ranks second in Canada West in receptions (27) and third in receiving yards (389). With 166 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 is also third on the U of R's all-time list with 2142 receiving yards, needing 28 to pass Jason Clermont for second and 317 to overtake Goldie for first in school history.
 
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 but may return to practice soon, while 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.
 
TOUGH LOSSES: With a 44-42 loss at Alberta two weeks ago and a 21-16 setback last week against No. 7 Saskatchewan, the Rams have lost their last two games by a total of just seven points - the lowest aggregate margin of defeat in back-to-back losses in program history. In both the Alberta (705-459) and Saskatchewan (412-366) games, the Rams actually held the edge in yards of total offence despite ending up on the wrong side of the final score.
 
QUARTERBACKS
• Noah Picton got his first career start last week against Saskatchewan, completing 26 of 45 passes for 355 yards and a TD
• Picton started in place of Cayman Shutter, whose status remains up in the air after suffering an injury at Alberta two weeks ago - Shutter started throwing this week, but is considered questionable for Saturday
• Picton now has 917 passing yards this year - the Rams record for most in a season by a first-year QB is held by Mike Wong, who had 1678 in 1999
• 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
• The trio of Dillon Dawson, Jens Johnson, and rookie Atlee Simon will all likely see significant playing time again on Saturday
• Dawson has started all four Canada West games at RB for the Rams and leads the team in both rushes (27) and yards (150)
• Simon has handled kickoff duties for the Rams in all four games so far and has also seen an increased role in the team's offence - he now has 15 rushes for 109 yards after last Saturday's game
• Johnson is second on the team with 21 rushes for 126 yards and a TD
 
RECEIVERS
• WR Addison Richards, a second-team All-Canadian last year, leads the nation with 555 receiving yards - Richards also leads all Canada West players in both receptions (32) and receiving TDs (5)
• WR Mitch Thompson starts opposite Richards and is third on the team in receptions (18) and fourth in receiving yards (152) while serving as the team's holder and primary return man
• Jared Janotta, Landon Buch, and Riley Wilson have all started the four Canada West games at slotback for the Rams, with Janotta (27 catches, 389 yards) the most heavily targeted of the trio
• Wilson had two catches for 59 yards last week against Saskatchewan, both coming on back-to-back plays during the final drive - he now has 16 catches for 252 yards for the season
• Buch had three catches last week and now has eight catches for 73 yards on the season
• Second-year players Mitchell Picton (two catches for 74 yards and two TDs) and Richard Sindani (three catches for 35 yards) are the only other non-RBs with receptions
 
OFFENSIVE LINE
• The Rams have gone with the same starting five on the line in each of the last three 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 15 career Canada West starts and two postseason starts
• The durable Zver will make his 13th consecutive start at left tackle for the Rams
• Degelman comes into Saturday with 11 career starts for the Rams, while Paterson has 10
• Two of Keenan Carrier, Nathan Cugnet and Brandon Williams will dress as backups - Cugnet and Williams have both played in all four games, while Carrier has played in two
• Lyndon Smith remains out after being injured in the non-conference game, but is a possibility to return following the bye week
 
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 three Canada West games, with Dean Viena at defensive end, Bryce McKinnon at nose tackle, and Tyler Perkins at rush end
• Perkins had a big game last week against Saskatchewan with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the same play, two tackles for loss including a sack, and six total tackles (five solo, two assisted)
• Viena also had a sack last game and has a team-high two on the season to go along with 10½ tackles and a pass breakup
• McKinnon has seven tackles (five solo, four assisted) and one tackle for loss this year
• Rookies Eric Wicijowski and Grey McKen are also expected to make the travel roster for this weekend's game
 
LINEBACKERS
• The Rams have gone with the same three starters in all four Canada West games this year, with Connor Ketchen at mac, Michael Stefanovic at will, and redshirt freshman Dylan Minshull at sam
• Ketchen and Minshull were teammates in high school (Neelin HS in Brandon, Man.)
• Stefanovic is the team's leading tackler (17 solo, 12 assisted), while Minshull had his first career sack last week and is tied with Perkins for the team high with three TFLs
• Ketchen has 12½ tackles this season
• Zack McEachern has three solo and three assisted tackles this year, all of which have come on kick coverage
• Cody Kezama (four tackles) and rookie Danny Nesbitt (1½ tackles) have also dressed for all four Canada West games
 
DEFENSIVE BACKS
• After going the first three games with the same six starters in the backfield, the Rams switched it up last week with Ryan Serbu getting the start at CB and Mason Rossler starting at HB
• Joey Dwyer (dimeback), Tevaughn Campbell (cornerback), Jeff Propp (halfback), and Justin Edralin (safety) have all started all four Canada West games for the Rams
• Look for the same starting six at Calgary, with three of Kahlen Branning, Kadeem Ellis, Korey Greene, and Jordy Kibamba also dressing as backups
• Serbu and MacDonald both had interceptions last week - along with Edralin, they're responsible for all three of the team's picks this season
• Dwyer and Propp are tied for second on the team in tackles (16 solo, eight assisted), while Dwyer also has the lone sack from the team's defensive backs
 
PUNTERS/KICKERS
• Former Calgary Colts kicker Andrew Fabian leads the Rams with 37 points scored this year, is 9-for-10 on field goal attempts and is averaging 37.9 yards per punt
• Rookie RB Atlee Simon has handled kickoff duties for the Rams this year and is averaging 48.7 yards per kick
 
RETURNERS
• DB Tevaughn Campbell and WR Mitch Thompson are expected to return punts, with Thompson and RB Atlee Simon likely to see kickoff return duty
• Thompson has nine punt returns for an average of 7.3 yards per return and nine kickoff returns for an average of 21.6 per return
 
HOLDER / LONG SNAPPER
• WR Mitch Thompson will hold on field goal attempts, with OL Jeremy Zver to continue to serving as long snapper on punts and FGs