• The Rams qualified for the Canada West postseason in electrifying fashion last Friday night over Alberta at Leibel Field, erasing a 22-4 third-quarter deficit to come all the way back for a 29-22 win. The win set up a Canada West semifinal against Manitoba in Winnipeg.

• Manitoba closed out the regular season last week with a 51-38 home win over UBC, clinching first place with a 7-1 record. The Bisons head into the postseason ranked No. 7 in the U SPORTS rankings.

• The Rams and Manitoba met once during the Canada West schedule, with the Bisons grinding out a 22-13 Week 5 win back on Sept. 28 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. The two teams also played an exhibition game on Aug. 22 in Regina, which Manitoba won by a 29-25 score.

RAMS/BISONS, PLAYOFF EDITION: The two rivals are meeting in the postseason for just the fifth time in history and for the first time since the 2007 Hardy Cup, which Manitoba won by a 48-5 score. The two teams also met in the 2000 Hardy Cup (25-22 win for Regina), the 2001 Hardy Cup (23-17 win for Manitoba), and in the 2006 Canada West semifinals (44-29 win for Manitoba).

KATENDE RUMBLES INTO HISTORY: RB Christian Katende was an easy pick as the Canada West Offensive Player of the Week after carrying the Rams into the postseason with a career-high 228 rushing yards last Friday against Alberta, the third highest rushing total in U of R single-game history. The only U of R players ever to record more in a game are Neal Hughes (295 yards against Alberta on Oct. 25, 2003) and Ronald Arnold (249 yards on just 14 carries against Saskatchewan on Sept. 23, 2000).

STATEMENT GAME FOR THE D: The Rams allowed only 7 offensive points by Alberta last game, with the Golden Bears' other 15 points coming off a blocked field goal return touchdown and a pick six. Total yards in that win were 512 to 175 in Regina's favour and time of possession was heavily slanted towards the Rams (41:45 to 18:15). The Rams finished first in Canada West in fewest points conceded (177) and fewest yards allowed per game (349.4) while tying for first in interceptions (11) and finishing second in sacks (11).

MIMBS HITS TRIPLE DIGITS: Almost overshadowed by the running game's performance was a brilliant game by SB D'Sean Mimbs, who finished with 6 catches for 101 yards with nearly all of them seeming to come in critical moments of the game. Mimbs finishes the regular season as the Rams' leader in both receptions (32) and receiving yards (375).

BIG NUMBERS FOR POLIUS: In his first year with the Rams, DL Tarick Polius finished tied for third in the conference with 3.5 sacks and was fourth in Canada West with 6.5 tackles for loss. Polius, who came to the U of R from the Okanagan Sun program, also led all Canada West defensive linemen with 26.5 tackles on the season.

BRING IN THE LEFTY: The Rams' offence showed a new wrinkle in last Friday's win over Alberta, bringing in QB Trey Jones several times. Jones, who has dressed for seven of the team's eight games this season and is expected to again back up QB Noah Pelletier on Saturday, finished 3-for-5 against the Golden Bears with his longest completion as an 11-yard pass to Mimbs in the first quarter.

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE: The Rams have 21 players on this year's roster with postseason experience from the team's Canada West semifinal against UBC in 2022, which was a 28-14 setback to the Thunderbirds. A total of 16 of those 21 players are expected to dress against Manitoba including 8 on the offensive side (TE Joe Camplin, OL Ethan Graham, OL Parker Hodel, RB Christian Katende, SB D'Sean Mimbs, QB Noah Pelletier, RB Olivier Savard, SB Emmett Steadman) and 8 on the defensive side (LB Kaeden Brennan, DB Jaxon Fuchs, LB Garret Hatchard, LB Chopper Hippe, LB Cameron Mah, DL Anthony Montas Leipert, DB Jackson Sombach, DB Joe Vogelsang).

DEBUT: The Rams expect SB Keegan Kaytor to suit up on Saturday, the first time he's broken into the gameday lineup since transferring to the U of R in 2022. On the preliminary depth chart as a depth slotback, Kaytor is thought to be the first player in U of R history to make his Rams debut in a postseason game.

TRUE FROSH: Three players have jumped right out of high school into the lineup for the Rams this year. SB Renzel Arinaza (Terry Fox Secondary), LB Liam LaBelle (Dr. Martin LeBoldus HS), and LB Owen Zimmer (Luther College HS) are all expected to be in the lineup for Saturday's semifinal.

TEAM CAPTAINS: The Rams have seven captains this season including LB Cameron Mah, LB Chopper Hippe, QB Noah Pelletier, DB Jackson Sombach, RB Christian Katende, OL Connor Klassen, OL Parker Hodel, and SB Rylan Sokul.

DRAFT REPORT: The Rams had two players selected in the 2024 CFL Draft. SB D'Sean Mimbs went in the sixth round to the Saskatchewan Roughriders with the 50th overall selection, while DB Jackson Sombach was taken in the seventh round (60th overall) by the Calgary Stampeders. Both players are back with the Rams this season. LB Chopper Hippe, OL Connor Klassen, and DB Dolani Robinson all participated in the U SPORTS East-West Bowl earlier this year. This year's East-West Bowl was a showcase which featured (for the most part) players available for selection in the 2025 CFL Draft.

RAMS TERRITORY: This year's roster features a total of 98 players, 66 of whom call Saskatchewan home. The Rams also have 15 Albertans, 9 from British Columbia, 4 from Ontario, 1 from Manitoba (DL Praise Odogun), 1 from Quebec (RB Olivier Savard), 1 from Arizona (DB Cedric McCallum), and 1 from Washington (DL Maliq Washington).