Complete Game Notes

KICKOFF: Saturday, Sept. 27 (2:00 p.m.)
SITE: Mosaic Stadium (Regina, Sask.)
CAPACITY: 33,427
RANKINGS: Saskatchewan #7, Regina NR
TELEVISION: Access7 (Mitchell Blair/PxP, Gary "Chop" Bresch/CC)
RADIO: 620 CKRM (Michael Ball/PxP, Marco Ricci/CC)
LIVE VIDEO: www.canadawest.tv
TICKET INFORMATION: www.reginarams.com
 

Highlights
• Both teams are coming off of tough Week 3 losses, with the Rams being edged 44-42 by Alberta and Saskatchewan suffering a 38-24 setback to Calgary in a game that was tied in the fourth quarter
• This will be the only meeting between the two provincial rivals during the Canada West schedule
• Saskatchewan holds a 19-6 advantage in 25 conference games played against the Rams, though the U of R has won three of five postseason games against the Huskies
 

UNDER CENTRE: QB Cayman Shutter was injured in the second quarter of last week's game at Alberta after being sandwiched between Golden Bears defenders Cole Bishop and Sean Davis following an attempt to Atlee Simon. Shutter is listed as questionable for Saturday and will likely be a game-time decision against the Huskies.
 

WHO'S THIS GUY? After Shutter went down, the Rams turned to first-year QB Noah Picton in the rookie's first real test in a Canada West game. And what a performance he had, carving up the Golden Bears for 432 passing yards and three touchdowns in two and a half quarters while completing 28 of his 37 attempts. His completion rate of 77.8% was the second highest ever in one game by a U of R quarterback, trailing only the 78.4% clip that Marc Mueller put up in a game at Saskatchewan in 2012. Picton's attempt to lead the Rams back from a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter would eventually fall short after a failed two-point conversion in the final minute. If Shutter can't go, Picton will start for the Rams.
 

THE RICHARDS REPORT: After piling up 225 receiving yards last week - the second highest single-game total in U of R history - fourth-year WR Addison Richards now has 22 catches for 447 yards and four TDs this season. Richards leads the nation in receiving yards, leads Canada West outright in TD catches, and is tied with teammate Jared Janotta for the conference lead in receptions. Though we're not yet at the halfway mark of the season, we should probably mention that the Canada West record for most receiving yards in a season is held by former Calgary receiver Don Blair with 1112 yards back in 1995 - and Richards is on pace for 1192.
 

JANOTTA WATCH: Fifth-year SB Jared Janotta enjoyed a huge game at Alberta, catching 12 balls for 154 yards and a touchdown. Janotta is now third in U of R history in both career pass receptions (161) and receiving yards (2056), needing 13 to pass Chad Goldie for second on the receptions list and 114 to overtake Jason Clermont for second on the yards list. Janotta is also only 20 receptions away from surpassing former teammate Mark McConkey for Canada West's all-time 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 remains on Saskatchewan's six-game injured list, while DL Ryan Wellman was just moved from the Roughriders' active roster to the practice roster. DL Micheal Dadzie and OL Chris Mercer remain on the practice rosters for Ottawa and Edmonton, respectively.
 

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, starting QB Cayman Shutter is a first cousin of starting WR Mitch Thompson.
 

QUARTERBACKS
• A game-time decision is expected for the starting QB after Cayman Shutter's injury sustained at Alberta last week - if he can't go, rookie Noah Picton will get his first start in a Canada West game
• Picton was on fire after replacing Shutter in the second quarter last week, ending up 28-for-36 for 432 yards and three TDs
• Frankie Gray is third on the depth chart at QB, while fourth-year SB Landon Buch also 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 three Canada West games at RB for the Rams and leads the team in both rushes (24) and yards (138)
• Johnson is second on the team with 15 rushes for 107 yards and a TD
• Simon has handled kickoff duties for the Rams in all three games so far and has also seen an increased role in the team's offence - he now has 13 rushes for 91 yards after last Saturday's game

RECEIVERS
• WR Addison Richards, a second-team All-Canadian last year, leads the nation with 447 receiving yards - Richards also leads all Canada West players with four TD catches and is tied with teammate Jared Janotta for the conference lead with 22 receptions
• WR Mitch Thompson starts opposite Richards and is fourth on the team in receptions (13) and receiving yards (193) while serving as the team's holder and primary return man
• Janotta, Landon Buch, and Riley Wilson have all started the three Canada West games at slotback for the Rams, with Janotta (22 catches, 303 yards) the most heavily targeted of the trio
• Wilson had a career-high 96 receiving yards in Week 1 and is third on the team in receptions (14) and yards (193)
• Buch has five catches for 36 yards
• Also expected to dress on Saturday are Andrew Bennett, Davin Johnston, Mitchell Picton, Catlin Schneider, and Richard Sindani
• Picton, a second-year SB, has had the most impact of the non-starters with two TD passes in Week 2 at Manitoba
• Sindani has three catches for 35 yards
 

OFFENSIVE LINE
• The Rams have gone with the same starting five on the line in both of the last two 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 14 career Canada West starts and two postseason starts
• The durable Zver will make his 12th consecutive start at left tackle for the Rams
• Degelman comes into Saturday with 10 career starts for the Rams, while Paterson has nine
• Though he hasn't started either of the last two games, Nathan Cugnet has received significant playing time in both contests at centre with Picton moving to right tackle in place of Degelman
• Keenan Carrier and Brandon Williams will dress as backups
• Lyndon Smith remains out after being injured in the non-conference game
 

DEFENSIVE LINE
• With defensive coordinator Paul Dawson moving from a 42 defence to a 33 defence, the Rams will have three DL on the field this season 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
• McKinnon was injured last week at Alberta, with both Thomas Lill and Eric Wicijowski seeing playing time in place of him - McKinnon is considered probable for Saturday
• Viena leads the linemen with eight total tackles (six solo, four assisted) and also has a sack and a pass breakup
• McKinnon has 6½ tackles, while Perkins has 5½ tackles, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery - both McKinnon and Perkins also have one tackle for loss on the season
• Wicijowski and Lill have also dressed for all three Canada West games this year, with Lill collecting 1½ tackles on the season
 

LINEBACKERS
• MLB Connor Ketchen and WLB Michael Stefanovic are both in their second year as starters for the Rams
• Starting SLB Dylan Minshull redshirted last year and is in his first season of eligibility
• Ketchen and Minshull were teammates in high school (Neelin HS in Brandon, Man.)
• After leading the conference with eight tackles for loss last season, Stefanovic is on pace to come close to that this year with two TFLs in the first three games
• Stefanovic is also the team's leader with 19 tackles, while Minshull has 13½ and Ketchen has 8½ - Minshull also has one tackle for loss
• Calgary Colts product Zack McEachern has two 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 three Canada West games
 

DEFENSIVE BACKS
• The Rams have gone with the same starting defensive backfield for all three games so far - Kahlen Branning and Tevaughn Campbell at cornerback, Patrick MacDonald and Jeff Propp at halfback, Justin Edralin at safety, and Joey Dwyer at dimeback
• The defensive backfield may see a different look on Saturday with both Korey Greene and Mason Rossler expected to return after missing the first three games with injuries
• Kadeem Ellis, Jordy Kibamba, and Ryan Serbu have all dressed as backups for the first three games, while Robbie Avram is expected to draw back into the lineup after not dressing in Week 2 and Week 3
 

PUNTERS/KICKERS
• Former Calgary Colts kicker Andrew Fabian leads the Rams with 27 points scored this year, is 6-for-7 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
• Campbell has four punt returns for a total of 30 yards (7.5 yards 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