VANCOUVER--The University of Regina Rams are on the west coast with hopes of boldly going some place Friday night they have not gone in nearly a quarter-century: A 3-0 start for the first time since 2002.
The 2-0 Rams line up with the 1-1 UBC Thunderbirds, who are fresh off a 51-14 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies. Still, Regina quarterback Noah Pelletier says the focus all week has been on solving UBC's star defensive line, including 2024 rookie fo the year pass rusher Deacon Sterna, and not on historical records.
"It's definitely something you think about," Pelletier said. "But it's a talented UBC team and you've got to earn wins in Canada West and UBC is definitely a new challenge for us. We're excited to play them and hopefully we can get to that 3-0 spot and keep going from there."
With the top rushing attack in Canada West, led by their two-headed monster of Marshall Erichsen and Christian Katende piled up 298 yards along the ground in their week two win over Alberta, it's no secret the Rams love to run the football and they're going up against a T-Bird run defence who was shellacked for 217 yards last week in Saskatoon and another 418 yards through the air.
The Huskies are a tough out, especially at home, and it's unlikely they got UBC's best effort which makes Friday night's game all the more unpredictable. There is already excitement mounting in Regina and Saskatoon over the thought of a first ever Huskies-Rams combined 6-0 start that could spark an epic early season clash next week if both sides can take care of business this week.
The Rams have lost four straight to the Thunderbirds including a playoff game in 2022 and narrowly dropped a heart-breaking 14-12 decision in week 3 of last season that also was a chance to get to 3-0 and Pelletier says nobody back in Regina needs to worry about the Rams getting ahead of themselves.
"I think we do a pretty good job of focusing on what's in front of us. We've done a really good job just focusing in on the team we have that week. We get back from the game, we watch the film and we get on to the next week."
Turnovers were a problem for the Rams last week, coughing up three fumbles in the first half alone, before blowing out the Golden Bears. But ball security is sure to be a focus for this week's ,atch.
Friday night's game from the UBC campus right next to the Pacific Ocean will be heard live on 620 CKRM radio, starting with the pregame show at 6:45 Saskatchewan time and kickoff at 7:00.
