Sept. 18, 2016

Rams come back to defeat UBC 20-10

Written by Bill Situ

Two Thunderbirds pile onto Regina Ram slotback Riley Wilson.

There were 7,834 spectators packed into the Thunderbird Stadium, but there was no joy for the home crowd as the UBC football team dropped a 20-10 decision to the Regina Rams.

“I came to UBC because I want to play in front of big crowds,” said Blake Nill, UBC head coach. “I appreciate all the work that the Athletic Department and people did and I feel like I let them down today.”

The first frame was a scoreless affair right until the final second. As the Rams were in punt formation, the T-Birds were able to mount the pressure and force a fumble. Linebacker Colton Zayshley then picked up the ball and found the touchdown zone, giving UBC a 7-0 lead.

A little under five minutes into the second intermission, Regina got onto the scoreboard with a field goal to narrow UBC’s lead to 7-3. The ’Birds responded with a strong offensive drive until Regina’s defence forced a third-and-goal situation at the 11-yard line. Greg Hutchins restored the seven-point lead for the T-Birds on the field goal attempt.

As the second frame winded down to the final two minutes, the ’Birds had another scoring opportunity as they neared the end zone, but the Rams took the opportunity away as they caught an interception on quarterback Michael O’Connor’s pass.

“What’s disappointing is we’re in a position to win the game again and we didn’t make the plays at the right time,” said Nill, who attributes the plays to the “inconsistencies of the young kids that [the Thunderbirds] have.”

With UBC leading 10-3 at halftime, Regina equalized the game three minutes into the second half with their first touchdown of the game.

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On the ensuing UBC possession, the T-Birds again managed to successfully advance deep into the Rams’ zone, but again ran into a third-and-goal situation. This time, the ’Birds failed to put points onto the board.

Having trailed throughout the first half, Regina managed to take the lead for the first time with a little under five minutes remaining in the third frame on its second touchdown of the game. UBC had a 41-yard field goal opportunity on the next possession, but Hutchins’ kick went wide.

The final quarter was again a stalemate between the two teams. The only points came from another field goal by Regina that secured the 20-10 win.

Despite the comeback victory for the Rams, Nill believes that the T-Birds' defence was solid overall.

“The defence continues to play better and so there are positives out there, but we have to win some games,” said Nill.

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UBC will be on the road next week and will take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Saturday September 24 .

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