The University of Regina Rams defeated the Manitoba Bisons by a lopsided 55-21 score on Saturday night, securing a first-place finish in the Canada West standings for the first time in program history.

The win completes a worst-to-first turnaround for the Rams, who went through a winless season in 2015 but went 6-2 this year under the guidance of first-year head coach Steve Bryce. They'll now match up with the UBC Thunderbirds (3-5) next weekend in the Canada West semifinals, a game that will kick off on Saturday afternoon (3:30) at Mosaic Stadium and will mark the first time the two teams have ever met in the postseason.

"I'm very proud that we've played a role in helping turn this team in a positive direction, but by far the most important piece of the puzzle is how well our players have bonded and are playing together as a team," Bryce said. "It's never easy to beat a team three times in one season, but that's what we'll have to accomplish to get through UBC. We know we have our work cut out for us against an explosive offence and a stingy defence."

Third-year quarterback Noah Picton capped off his sensational regular season with 447 passing yards in the win. That gives him 3174 for the season as he breaks the U Sports single-season record of 3162, which was set last year by Calgary's Andrew Buckley.

"The work that Mark (McConkey) has done with the offence this year is incredible," Picton said. "Week in and week out, he's put us in a position to be successful and between that and the athletes we've got on offence, my job has been easy all season long. The guys in front of me have kept me upright through eight games and when the receivers have the ball in their hands, they've made the plays. The numbers are truly a testament to the play of the guys around me."

While Picton had yet another great passing performance as he completed 27 of his 39 pass attempts, threw three touchdowns, and ran for one more, third-year running back Atlee Simon also had a huge game for the Rams. All three of Picton's touchdowns were to Simon, and he ran for another to give him four touchdowns in a game for the second time in his career as he equals the school record also shared by Jason Clermont and Chad Goldie. Simon finished with 133 all-purpose yards, rushing 13 times for 76 yards and adding five catches for 57 yards.

Ryan Schienbein had six catches for 129 yards, while Riley Wilson caught five passes for a game-high 156 yards – 81 of which came on one play, when backup pivot Tyler Vieira found him for a long touchdown late in the third quarter. Andrew Bennett had a huge first half with five catches for 93 yards, while Simon, Kyle Moortgat, Brady Eurich, and Mitchell Picton also had multiple receptions.

The Rams defence, which forced three straight two-and-outs to start the game and didn't allow a point until a Manitoba touchdown late in the third quarter, was led in tackles by Danny Nesbitt (5 solo, 5 assisted). Nicholas Dheilly continued his stellar rookie season with two tackles for loss and his first career interception, while Zack McEachern added a late sack in the win.

Manitoba quarterback Theo Deezar was 10-for-27 with 116 yards, while running back Alex Christie had 19 rushes for 99 yards. D.J. Lalama had nine solo tackles and two assisted tackles for the Bisons, with both Jayden McKoy and Houston Rennie getting credited with two pass breakups.

The Rams hit paydirt on their first possession, with a 46-yard pass from Picton to Wilson setting up a seven-yard pass to Simon for his first major of the game. The Rams added a 30-yard field goal from William McGee a few minutes later to go up by 10, and the score remained 10-0 in favour of the Rams until midway through the second when Simon punched it in from a yard out. The Rams added a 32-yarder from McGee on the final play to take a 20-0 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, the Rams simply blew away the Bisons. They moved the ball almost at will, piling up a total of 269 offensive yards and scoring four touchdowns – Picton to Simon for 18-yard and 22-yard touchdowns on identical crossing routes, Picton on a one-yard plunge, and Wilson's big major on Vieira's only completion of the game. The Rams outscored Manitoba 28-7 in the third quarter, putting away any hopes of a Bisons comeback.

NOTES: The total of 55 points scored by the Rams is the fourth highest in school history, eclipsed only by a 59-21 win over UBC (2001), a 58-31 win over Saskatchewan (2001), and a 56-41 win over Manitoba (2014) … Noah Picton finishes the season with 224 completions (Canada West record), 3174 passing yards (U Sports record), and 25 touchdown passes … Mitchell Picton finishes the year with 58 receptions (U of R record), 834 receiving yards, and 11 touchdown catches (tied for U of R record) … Ryan Schienbein's final numbers for his breakout regular season are 54 catches for 775 yards and seven touchdowns … after next week's game against UBC, Alberta will be the only Canada West team remaining that the Rams have never played in the postseason.