Christian Katende rushed for 130 yards and
Ty Gorniak set a school record with six field goals as the No. 7-ranked University of Regina Rams opened Canada West play with a convincing 39-8 road victory over Alberta on Friday night in Edmonton.
Katende did most of his damage in the first half, running for 101 yards in the first two quarters to help the Rams build up a 26-0 lead at the break. Gorniak was automatic in the win, connecting on all six of his field goal attempts as he was successful from 30, 40, 42, 40, 42, and 41 yards out.Â
Besides the flurry of field goals by Gorniak, the Rams scoring came from two first-half touchdown passes by
Owen Sieben as the fourth-year pivot connected with both
Nicholas Sirleaf and
Renzel Arinaza for majors. Katende scored the U of R's other touchdown, running one in from 10 yards out immediately following a 60-yard return by Sirleaf off an onside kickoff attempt by Alberta.
The Rams dominated the game from the outset, rolling up 140 yards of offence and eight first downs in the opening quarter while limiting Alberta to just 35 yards and one first down. Regina led 26-0 at halftime and 32-0 through three quarters before the Golden Bears finally broke through with their lone touchdown midway through the fourth.
QUOTABLE
- "Overall, it was a good Canada West win for our group. I thought our defence played outstanding in the first half especially. We've got some room for improvement on both sides, but I was really impressed by the way Katende and the offensive line group got the job done up front. We established that run game and really leaned on it the rest of the way." - Rams head coach Mark McConkey
GORNIAK ALONE ON TOP
- Gorniak's six field goals set a new U of R single-game record, breaking the previous mark of five. He had tied that record last season with five field goals in the Rams' double-overtime semifinal win over Manitoba, matching Aldo Galvan's total from a 2021 game.
RAMS HIGHLIGHTS
- The Rams enjoyed a massive advantage on the ground, piling up 202 rushing yards compared to Alberta's 77.
- Besides Katende's 130 yards, the Rams also got 32 rushing yards from Sieben, 21 from Carter Ashman, and 19 from Kaiden Banfield.
- Sirleaf finished as Regina's leading receiver with three catches for a total of 50 yards.
- Owen Zimmer led the Rams with six solo tackles, while Carson Sombach had the team's lone tackle for loss.
- Regina did not commit a turnover in the victory.
NEXT UP
The Rams (1-0) will now prepare for their home opener scheduled for next Friday night against Manitoba.
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