• The Rams finished in second place in the Canada West standings with a 6-2 record, tying for the best conference record in program history. They'll host third-place Manitoba in a Canada West semifinal on Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium as the two teams meet in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year.

• Canada West's other semifinal sees Saskatchewan host UBC on Saturday afternoon with a 2:00 PM kickoff. The two winners advance to the 88th BioSteel Hardy Cup, to be hosted next weekend by the highest remaining seed.

• For the second consecutive season, Canada West is scheduled to host the Mitchell Bowl. One of two national semifinal games, the Mitchell Bowl will feature the Canada West champion against the OUA champion with the winner advancing to the Vanier Cup in Regina.
 

ALL-TIME SERIES: Saturday's semifinal will mark the sixth time that the Rams and the Bisons have met in the postseason, but the first time that the teams have played a playoff game in Regina. The Rams are 2-3 against Manitoba in the postseason, including last year's thrilling 28-25 victory in Winnipeg which started the team's run to the Canada West title. 

AGAINST THE BISONS THIS YEAR: The teams met just once during the Canada West schedule, with the Rams pulling off a 30-8 victory over the Bisons during a Week 8 game at Mosaic Stadium back on Sept. 27. They also matched up in an exhibition game to start the season, with the Rams using a late touchdown to take a 31-28 win over Manitoba in Winnipeg.

LOOKING TO ADVANCE: A win would send the Rams to the BioSteel Hardy Cup for the seventh time in program history. The team also made the conference championship in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2024. The Rams won Canada West titles in both 2000 and 2024.

HISTORIC SEASON: RB Marshall Erichsen had 16 rushes for 88 yards last week against UBC, not only giving him the U of R's all-time single-season rushing record but also the first player in school history to break the 1000-yard mark for rushing yards in a single season. He finished the Canada West schedule with 1026 rushing yards and a school-record 11 touchdown runs, with both totals leading Canada West and second in all of U SPORTS. Erichsen also caught a touchdown pass to give him a total of 12 touchdowns scored, second in U of R history only to Jason Clermont's total of 14 back in 2001. The third-year Ram also has 2004 career rushing yards, joining Atlee Simon (3295) and Neal Hughes (2934) as the only players in U of R history to go over the 2000 mark in their career.

SIRLEAF LEADS RECEIVERS: WR Nicholas Sirleaf's 55 receptions this season are tied for third on the U of R's single-season list and mark the most ever by a Rams player in their second year of U SPORTS eligibility. He also finished with 710 receiving yards and 3 touchdown catches, leading the Rams in both of those categories as well. Sirleaf ranked second in Canada West in both receptions and receiving yards, and placed fifth in U SPORTS in receptions and seventh in receiving yards.

SACK ADVANTAGE: The Rams held a 13-1 edge in sacks in conference play, with the only sack conceded by the offensive line coming in the Week 7 win at Alberta. LB Liam LaBelle had a team-leading 3.5 sacks for the Rams while LB Kaeden Brennan, DL Anthony Montas Leipert, and LB Owen Zimmer each had a pair of sacks.

LEADING THE DEFENCE: The Rams surrendered 172 points this season, the second lowest total by a Canada West team. LB Brandon Wong had a team-leading three fumble recoveries while DB Liam Platt and DB Carson Sombach tied for the team lead with two interceptions apiece. Sombach also had a team-high seven pass breakups, giving him nine passes defended for the season.

SPLITTING THE UPRIGHTS: Rookie K Ty Gorniak had a brilliant first season for the Rams. His team-leading 78 points was second in U of R history, trailing only Jason Clermont's 84 points that he scored off his record 14 touchdowns in 2001. He finished the season 17-for-23 on field goals, with his success rate of 73.9% ranking fifth in the school's single-season record book. Gorniak's 17 made field goals ties for second in U of R history behind only Perri Scarcelli's record total of 20 in 2009.

UNDER CENTRE: QB Owen Sieben has started the last two games for the Rams and has performed well, completing 61 of his 83 passes on the season for a 73.5% completion rate. Sieben finished the Canada West schedule with 657 passing yards and a pair of touchdown passes, with his 78.8% completion rate last week against UBC tying for the second best in a game in U of R history.

MATCHING THEIR BEST: The Rams had a chance to set a program record for wins in a Canada West season last weekend, but settled for a 6-2 mark after UBC's improbable comeback gave the Thunderbirds the win. The 6-2 record is tied for the best in team history, matching the win total put up by the 2007, 2012, and 2016 squads.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: The Rams have had six Canada West BioSteel Player of the Week nods this year. after K RB Marshall Erichsen won Canada West Offensive Player of the Week honours following both Week 1 and Week 3, while DB Carson Sombach (Week 2), LB Liam LaBelle (Week 3), and LB Brandon Wong (Week 5) have all earned Canada West Defensive Player of the Week recognition. K Ty Gorniak was the Canada West Special Teams Player of the Week following the Week 6 win.

DRAFT REPORT: OL Connor Klassen was a fourth-round selection by BC earlier this year but was injured at Lions training camp. He returned to the U of R for his fifth season of U SPORTS eligibility, but has yet to suit up for the Rams this season. Looking ahead, the Rams had four players — OL Ethan Graham, LB Colin McKellar, OL Riley Schick, and DB Carson Sombach — participate in the 2025 U SPORTS East-West Bowl, which showcased players eligible for the 2026 CFL Draft.

RAMS TERRITORY: This year's roster features 105 players, with 71 of those players hailing from Saskatchewan. The squad also has 17 players from Alberta, 12 from British Columbia, 2 from Manitoba, and 1 each from Ontario, Arizona, and Washington.