• Both teams come into Friday's game following Week 4 road setbacks. The Rams lost a tight 27-24 overtime decision at Manitoba, while Alberta lost an offensive shootout by a 54-37 margin to UBC in Vancouver.

• Alberta entered the U SPORTS national rankings at No. 9 last week and remain in that position this week despite the loss to UBC. Friday's game will be the first time the Rams have played a ranked Golden Bears team since 2006.

GRAHAM MAKES HISTORY: With seconds to go and the Rams trailing by eight, OL Ethan Graham lined up as a tight end and dove to catch a one-yard pass from short-yardage quarterback Brayden Wagg in the end zone. The touchdown not only helped push the game to overtime, but was also the first touchdown ever scored by a University of Regina offensive lineman. It was also the first catch by a Rams offensive lineman since Brenden Bennett caught a deflected three-yard pass from Teale Orban in 2008.

MIMBS AMONG LEADERS: D'Sean Mimbs led the Rams in receiving again last week at Manitoba, catching 5 passes for a total of 94 yards. Only in his third season of U SPORTS eligibility, Mimbs has now surpassed the 1000-yard mark in receiving yards for his career and ranks among Canada West and U SPORTS leaders in the major receiving categories. He's second in the conference with 331 receiving yards (trailing only UBC's Sam Davenport, who has 349) and ranks seventh in the nation with an average of 82.8 receiving yards per game.

WAGG AT IT AGAIN: LB Brayden Wagg had both a touchdown pass and a sack last week at Manitoba, becoming the first player in U of R history to have both in a career - let alone in a single game. Wagg pulled down Bisons QB Jackson Tachinski for a sack early in the second quarter before throwing the touchdown strike to Graham with 35 seconds to go.

SWEENEY STEPS UP: K Aldo Galvan was injured in warmups last week at Manitoba and didn't return to the game following a first-quarter punt. Backup WR Andrew Sweeney, who handled kicking duties in high school at Miller Comprehensive in Regina, stepped up in Galvan's absence and performed admirably with two punts in excess of 40 yards and another near-perfect boot that went 38 yards before going out of bounds at Manitoba's 3.

IN THE BACKFIELD: RB Marshall Erichsen enjoyed a breakout game against Calgary two weeks ago and has received the lion's share of the team's carries this year, but the Rams continue to utilize both RB Jevon Garwood and RB Olivier Savard throughout the game. Erichsen had 7 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown last week, while Garwood ran 3 times for 33 yards and Savard had a pair of rushes for 18 yards including a critical 15-yard carry on the team's game-tying drive. Savard also had a 14-yard reception on that drive and both him and Erichsen finished with 3 catches against the Bisons.

IN THE BACKFIELD (AGAIN): DB Dolani Robinson was credited with three pass breakups last week, including a critical late play on Manitoba's second overtime possession which helped keep the Bisons to a field goal. Robinson, in his first season with the Rams and the team's starter at boundary corner, now has five pass breakups on the season.

PUTTING ON THE PRESSURE: The Rams' defence broke out with five sacks last week against Manitoba as DL Evan Eide, LB Chopper Hippe, LB Cameron Mah, DL Brad Rodin, and LB Brayden Wagg all got into the act. It was the first U SPORTS sack for both Eide and Rodin, and the sacks by Rodin and Mah came on back-to-back plays at the end of the first half and pushed Manitoba out of field goal range. The Rams rank second in Canada West with eight sacks this season behind only Saskatchewan's 12.

UNDER CENTRE: QB Owen Sieben had another solid game at Manitoba, completing 23 of his 36 pass attempts for 299 yards including a touchdown strike to SB Rylan Sokul. Sieben ranks third in Canada West with a 64.3% completion percentage and his average of 243 passing yards per game ranks just outside of the U SPORTS top 10 as he sits 11th in that category nationally. In his first season with the Rams out of Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam, B.C., Sieben is expected to make his second consecutive start on Friday against Alberta.

TOP TEN BOUND: SB Bennett Stusek moved into the school's all-time top 10 in both receptions and receiving yards during last week's game at Manitoba. He's now ninth in U of R history with 119 career receptions and is 10th with 1737 receiving yards, but needs just 23 more to surpass Mike Thomas for ninth in that category as well.

AGAINST RANKED BEARS: It's been a while since the Rams have played Alberta while the Golden Bears have been ranked. The last time it happened was on Oct. 28, 2006 when the Rams walked into Foote Field and beat No. 10-ranked Alberta by a 36-25 margin in a game where running back Graham Mosiondz (MOZZ-inds) ran for 219 yards, a performance which still ranks fifth in the U of R's single-game record book.

RAMS/BEARS SERIES: The Rams will face Alberta just once this season for the third consecutive year. They've split the two games in the past two years, with Alberta squeaking out a home 23-22 win in 2021 and the Rams replying with a 19-14 win last October at Leibel Field in Regina. The Rams hold a 23-11 advantage in the all-time series.

DRAFT REPORT: Mimbs, LB Cameron 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. Galvan, QB Bryden O'Flaherty, OL Matthew Hajewich, and DB Gowrishan Aravinthan 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 (Dolani Robinson), 1 from Quebec (Olivier Savard), and 1 from Mexico (Galvan).