• The first clash of the 2023-24 U-Prairie Challenge happens Friday in Saskatoon as the Rams face Saskatchewan in a Week 2 battle at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park.

• The Rams are coming off a Week 1 home setback to UBC, while Saskatchewan looked to be on its way to a resounding road loss to Manitoba last week but pulled off a second-half comeback to take the win over the Bisons.

• This will be the first of two regular season meetings between the two teams. The Rams and the Huskies will also meet on Saturday, Oct. 28 in a Week 8 battle at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

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 will be up for grabs on Friday at Griffiths with the other two football points to be decided at the Week 8 rematch in Regina.

PUNTERS ARE PEOPLE TOO: Now in his fifth season with the Rams, Aldo Galvan punted seven times for an average of 49.9 yards last week against UBC. Galvan is second in the nation in that stat, trailing only Eric Maximuik of Concordia who averaged 50.2 yards per punt in his first game with the Stingers.

SACK REPORT: The Rams collected two sacks last week against UBC, and they came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter. Chopper Hippe hauled down Garrett Rooker for a one-yard loss on first down for his second career sack. On second down, Brayden Wagg's pressure forced a Rooker fumble which was jumped on by a UBC lineman. Wagg's sack, the first of his career, was officially for a 19-yard loss and led immediately to UBC conceding a safety for the Rams' first points of the game.

BIG OPENER FOR MIMBS: D'Sean Mimbs had 6 catches for 92 yards last week against UBC. The son of three-time CFL all-star Robert Mimbs, D'Sean is ranked third in Canada West in receiving yards and eighth in U SPORTS in receiving yards per game.

STUSEK UPDATE: SB Bennett Stusek continues to climb the school's all-time charts after catching 6 passes for 53 yards in last Friday's opener. He now needs only 10 more catches and 100 more receiving yards to move into the U of R's top ten in both categories.

PASS CATCHERS: Mimbs and Stusek combined for 12 of the Rams' 22 receptions last week. Dallen Keen caught three and Rylan Sokul had two, with the other five being caught by running backs Marshall Erichsen and Christian Katende.

RUNNING BACKS: Erichsen got the start for the Rams, but as expected the ball was shared between him and Katende. Katende finished with 6 rushes for 32 yards and also had a career-long 24-yard reception, while Erichsen finished with 46 all-purpose yards. Jevon Garwood also got a carry in his first game with the Rams.

UNDER CENTRE: Noah Pelletier got the start for the Rams and finished 12-for-28 for 138 yards. The Rams went to Bryden O'Flaherty in the fourth quarter and the veteran backup responded by completing five of his first six passes and leading the Rams on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was finished off by a one-yard plunge by Pelletier. O'Flaherty completed 10 of his 16 passes for a total of 94 yards, all of which came in the final quarter.

DEBUTS: A total of 12 Rams players suited up for their first Canada West game last Friday. That group included starters OL Connor Klassen, DL Reed Rabbetz, DB Dolani Robinson, and DL Toryn Swystun-Bernes as well as SB Kenton Appel, RB Jevon Garwood, LB Colin McKellar, DL Brad Rodin, SB Rylan Sokul, WR Andrew Sweeney, DB Jacob Tkachuk, and DB Brandon Wong.

MORE ON ALDO: Galvan is climbing the school's all-time list in several kicking categories, most notably points scored and field goals. He's second all-time with 232 points scored and has a chance to reach the U of R record held by former kicker Perri Scarcelli, who collected 294 points during his five-year Rams career that spanned from 2005 to 2009. Galvan is also second in made field goals with 50, a mark which trails only Scarcelli's 56.

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, OL Matthew Hajewich, injured DB Gowrishan Aravinthan, and O'Flaherty are also eligible.