• The Rams are coming off a 31-20 loss to UBC, a game which they led by two touchdowns in the second quarter before the Thunderbirds were able to pull off the second-half comeback for the victory.

• Saskatchewan is still playing for a home playoff spot. The No. 8-ranked Huskies have a chance to move up to second place in the Canada West standings, but will not only need a win over the Rams on Saturday but also an Alberta win over UBC. That Golden Bears/Thunderbirds game, which will decide first place in the Canada West standings, kicks off in Edmonton at the exact same time as the Rams/Huskies clash starts.

U-PRAIRIE CHALLENGE: Kicked off in 2022, the U-Prairie Challenge presented by SaskMilk is an all-sports battle between the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan featuring the 11 varsity sports the two schools both compete in. The Rams and the Huskies clash in football, women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's hockey, women's volleyball, and men's and women's track & field. Each sport is worth a total of four points, so two points went to Saskatchewan for the Huskies' Week 2 win over Regina with the other two to be awarded to the winner of Saturday's game at Mosaic.

HONOURING THE FIFTH YEARS: The Rams will honour seven fifth-year players prior to Saturday's Week 8 game as OL Maguire Abell, DL Cody Ellingson, K Aldo Galvan, OL Matthew Hajewich, SB Bennett Stusek, LB Brayden Wagg, and LB Josh White will all suit up for their final U SPORTS game. The team will also recognize DB Gowrishan Aravinthan, OL Zach Eltom, LB Cameron Mah, QB Bryden O'Flaherty, and OL Connor Taylor, who all have U SPORTS eligibility remaining but are expected to graduate and move on from the program.

ERICHSEN SETS ROOKIE RUSHING RECORD: RB Marshall Erichsen's big performance at UBC last week helped him break a school record which had stood since 2005. His 130-yard outburst against the Thunderbirds brought him up to 529 rushing yards for the year, which breaks the U of R record held by Graham Mosiondz for most rushing yards by a player in his first season of U SPORTS eligibility. Mosiondz had 527 yards back during the 2005 campaign, a record which barely survived Atlee Simon's 524-yard rookie season in 2014 but finally falls to Erichsen after 18 years.

MORE ON MARSHALL: Erichsen's total of 529 rushing yards is the most by a Rams player since Kyle Borsa had 613 yards in 2018, and his average of 75.6 rushing yards per game ranks third in Canada West and 10th in all of U SPORTS.

UNDER CENTRE: QB Owen Sieben had another efficient game at UBC, completing 22 of his 32 pass attempts to 8 different receivers for a total of 217 yards. The rookie pivot right out of Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam, B.C. is ranked second in Canada West and ninth in U SPORTS in completion percentage (65.6%). That impressive completion percentage, by the way, is also the highest in U of R single-season history by a quarterback not named Marc Mueller or Noah Picton.

SACK ATTACK: The Rams broke through for four sacks last week at UBC. Brad Rodin and Brayden Wagg both had solo sacks while Cameron Mah shared one sack with Garret Hatchard and another with Colin McKellar. Regina now has 13 sacks on the season, a total which ranks second behind only Saskatchewan in Canada West.

DOLANI AMONG LEADERS: In his first year with the Rams and a mainstay at the boundary corner position, DB Dolani Robinson is tied for the Canada West lead with six pass breakups on the season. The Westshore Rebels product is also tied for third in the nation in that category.

STUSEK BACK: Stusek is probable to return on Saturday for his final U SPORTS game. The fifth-year slotback ranks ninth in U of R history in both career receiving yards (1796) and career receptions (124). He's chasing former Rams receiver Brenden Owens (2007-11) for eighth in both categories, needing 7 catches and 107 yards to match Owens' career totals.

DRAFT REPORT: SB D'Sean Mimbs, Mah, and DB Jackson Sombach all participated in the U SPORTS East-West Bowl earlier this year, a showcase which features (for the most part) players available for selection in the 2024 CFL Draft. Aravinthan, Galvan, Hajewich, and O'Flaherty are also eligible.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The Rams have 99 players on this year's roster, including 70 who call Saskatchewan home. The team also has 15 players from Alberta, 9 from British Columbia, 2 from Manitoba, 1 from Ontario (Robinson), 1 from Quebec (Olivier Savard), and 1 from Mexico (Galvan).