2017 Rams Football Game Notes
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REGINA 2017 RAMS FOOTBALL GAME NOTES 2017 SCHEDULE 7UBC FRIDAY, SEPT. 1 (0-0) 7UBC (0-0) THUNDERBIRDS REGINA, SK • 7:00 PM 5REGINA FRIDAY, SEPT. 8 (0-0) 4CALGARY (0-0) DINOS CALGARY, AB • 5:30 PM WHAT TO WATCH FOR SETTING THE SCENE • The Rams open up the 2017 season on KICKOFF: Friday, Sept. 1 (7:00 PM) Friday the same way the 2016 campaign SATURDAY, SEPT. 16 ended - at home against UBC. The Rams SITE: Mosaic Stadium (Regina, Sask.) ALBERTA (0-0) will be looking for revenge after a 40-34 CAPACITY: 33,000 GOLDEN BEARS loss to UBC in last year’s semifinal game. REGINA, SK • 2:00 PM RANKINGS: UBC #7, Regina #5 • The Rams/UBC game is the only contest TELEVISION: Canada West Football in the nation this week that features Showcase on SaskTel maxTV & TELUS Op- SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 a battle between two teams currently tik TV (Dan Plaster/PxP, Jason Clermont/ ranked in the U SPORTS Top Ten. 10MANITOBA (0-0) CC, Darren Dupont/host) BISONS • RB Atlee Simon is poised to break a REGINA, SK • 2:00 PM major school record. He enters the season REGINA RADIO: 620 CKRM tied with Neal Hughes for the U of R’s all- (Michael Ball/PxP, Marco Ricci/CC) time lead with 17 career rushing touch- LIVE VIDEO: www.canadawest.tv ($) FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 downs, and needs just one more to pull SASKATCHEWAN (0-0) into sole possession of first place. HUSKIES SASKATOON, SK • 7:00 PM 2016 RAMS STATISTICAL LEADERS SATURDAY, OCT. 14 ALBERTA (0-0) GOLDEN BEARS EDMONTON, AB • 1:00 PM SATURDAY, OCT. 21 4CALGARY (0-0) DINOS PASSING RUSHING RECEIVING ALL-PURPOSE NOAH PICTON ATLEE SIMON MITCHELL PICTON RYAN SCHIENBEIN REGINA, SK • 2:00 PM 3186 yds • 25 TDs 567 yds • 4 TDs 58 rec • 834 yds • 11 TDs 1045 yds SATURDAY, OCT. 28 7UBC (0-0) THUNDERBIRDS VANCOUVER, BC • 1:00 PM PDT TACKLES PASSES DEFENDED SACKS FORCED FUMBLES DANNY NESBITT J. DWYER / K. BRANNING NICHOLAS DHEILLY J. DWYER / D. NESBITT 52 tackles (34/36) 6 PD 4 sacks (34 yds) 2 FFs 2017 RAMS FOOTBALL - OFFICIAL GAME NOTES ENCORE: What can QB Noah Picton do for an encore? Last year he became the first Rams player QUICK NOTES to receive the Hec Crighton Trophy as the U SPORTS Player of the Year after setting a new national UNIVERSITY OF REGINA record with 3186 passing yards. He also led all of Canadian university football in completion rate Location ................................................... Regina, Sask. (69.3%) and touchdown passes (25) and was Canada West’s leader with 224 completions. Picton, who was a three-time recipient of U SPORTS Offensive Player of the Week honours, returns his Enrollment ............................................................ 12,612 top two receivers from last year (Mitchell Picton and Ryan Schienbein) as well as Mitch Thompson, Founded (Regina College) ................................... 1911 who was among the team’s leading receivers in 2015 but missed last year due to injury. Founded (University of Regina) .........................1974 Conference ..............................................Canada West SERIES NOTES: Friday’s game will mark the 27th time that the two teams have played a Canada Colours ....................................Green and Vegas Gold West game, but the first where both teams are ranked – the Rams checked in at No. 5 in the first President ....................................Dr. Vianne Timmons poll of the season released on Tuesday, while UBC was No. 7. Last season’s three contests were Athletic Director ................................. Lisa Robertson thrilling – the Rams won 20-10 on the road in Week 3 and followed that up with a 35-33 home vic- tory in Week 7, but UBC exacted revenge with a 40-34 win in the Canada West semifinals. RAMS HISTORY REVAMPED LINE: Though the vast majority of the core of the 2016 team returns, the offensive First Season (CJFL) ................................................1954 line was hit hard. The list of departures includes Nathan Cugnet, Andre Smith, Jamie Wandell, and First Season (U SPORTS) .................................... 1999 Jeremy Zver, while Matt Degelman is still recovering from the injury that ended his 2016 campaign All-Time Canada West Record .................66-77-1OTL and will miss this year as well. Andrew Becker is the only returning starter from last season and All-Time Postseason Record ...............................7-13 he’s likely to start at right guard, with newcomers Michele Vecchio (Okanagan Sun) and Theren Canada West Championships ..................... 1 (2000) Churchill (Edmonton Huskies) at centre and right tackle, respectively. Bryan Robinson was mainly COACHING STAFF a backup last year but is expected to step into a starting role this year at left tackle, while first-year Head Coach .....................Steve Bryce (2nd season) lineman Bowen Pisula could start at left guard after missing the entire 2016 season to injury. Canada West Record .............................................. 6-2 CROSS TO START: One of the most heralded recruits the Rams have landed in recent years, first- Postseason Record ................................................. 0-1 year LB Nick Cross (LeBoldus) has been as good as advertised in camp and is expected to get the Offensive Coordinator ................... Mark McConkey start at sam linebacker on Friday. That would make Cross the first rookie directly out of high school Defensive Coordinator .........................Sheldon Gray to start a season opener for the Rams in nearly a decade – the last time that happened was back when Cross was in Grade 4, and Jamir Walker came out of Sheldon-Williams Collegiate to start at 2016 CANADA WEST STANDINGS cornerback in the Rams’ first game of the 2008 season. W-L PF PA Regina 6-2 277 218 SOME MORE ROOKIES: Besides Cross, the Rams are expected to dress two other rookies right out Calgary 6-2 294 167 of high school in their opener – RB Kyle Borsa (Riffel) and SB Zachary Shalley (Sheldon-Williams). Both played big roles in last week’s exhibition win over Calgary, with Shalley ending up as the Saskatchewan 5-3 261 205 game’s top receiver (eight catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns) and Borsa finishing with UBC 3-5 250 245 three rushes for 22 yards as well as returning a total of three kicks. Manitoba 3-5 276 323 Alberta 1-7 155 355 U SPORTS DEBUTS: A total of 13 players will play in their first U SPORTS game on Friday. Besides Borsa and Shalley, OL Theren Churchill (Edmonton Huskies), OL Matthew Couch (Citrus College), U SPORTS TOP TEN OL Michele Vecchio (Okanagan Sun) are all in their first season with the Rams. OL Jesse Ens, OL 1) Laval (1-0 RSEQ) .....................................(18) 180 Bowen Pisula, and FB Scott Jones are all in their second season with the program, but were red- 2) Montreal (1-0 RSEQ) .......................................156 shirts last year and didn’t get into a game. On the defensive side of the ball, Cross will be joined by 3) Western (1-0 OUA) ...........................................128 four others playing their first U SPORTS game – LB Cole Benkic (Saskatoon Hilltops), LB Layne Hull 4) Calgary (0-0 Canada West) ........................... 115 (Okanagan Sun), DB Jack Louisdort (St-Lazare Stallions), and DB Taylor Mayer (Regina Thunder). 5) Regina (0-0 Canada West) .............................101 THUNDER BUDDIES: DB Polis Koko and DL Ryan Warner both come back to the Rams after origi- 6) Wilfrid Laurier (1-0 OUA) .................................87 nally starting out at the U of R out of high school, but heading crosstown to the Regina Thunder to 7) UBC (0-0 Canada West) ....................................79 play junior football. Koko played in 2015 for the Rams after graduating from LeBoldus before play- 8) McMaster (0-0 OUA).........................................28 ing for the Thunder last season, while Warner redshirted with the Rams in 2012, played in 2013, and 9) Ottawa (1-0 OUA) ..............................................28 spent three seasons with the Thunder and earned CJFL All-Canadian honours last season. 10) Manitoba (0-0 Canada West) ..........................24 Also receiving votes: Carleton (20), Mount Allison BACK FROM INJURY: WR Mitch Thompson led the Rams in both receiving yards (526) and touch- (19), Guelph (8), Saskatchewan (7), Concordia (7), down catches (5) during the 2015 season, but ending up missing the entire 2016 campaign after Saint Mary’s (1), Alberta (1), Waterloo (1). sustaining an injury in the offseason. But Thompson has recovered, and the Rams expect him to reclaim his starting position at wide receiver in the opener against UBC. START CHART Opponent QB RB LT LG C RG RT WR WR SB SB SB vs. Calgary (Medicine Hat) N.Picton Simon Robinson Pisula Vecchio Becker Churchill Thompson Wyonzek M.Picton Schienbein Eurich UBC at Calgary Alberta Manitoba at Saskatchewan at Alberta Calgary at UBC Opponent DE DT DT DE LB LB LB CB CB HB HB S vs. Calgary (Medicine Hat) Dheilly McKinnon Wicijowski McKen McEachern Hull Cross Koko Hanna Propp Mayer Delinte UBC at Calgary Alberta Manitoba at Saskatchewan at Alberta Calgary at UBC 2 2017 RAMS FOOTBALL - OFFICIAL GAME NOTES 2017 RAMS FOOTBALL - OFFICIAL GAME NOTES NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Last Team) No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Last Team) 1 Tyler Vieira QB 5-11 210 5 Winnipeg, Man. (Winnipeg Rifles) 50 Aidan Anderson LB 6-0 215 1 Fontana, Calif. (Etiwanda HS) 2 Seb Britton QB 6-4 205 1 Calgary, Alta. (Rundle College) 51 Paxton Seib DL 6-0 245 1 Regina, Sask. (Campbell Collegiate) 3 Zachary Shalley SB 6-2 190 1 Regina, Sask. (Sheldon-Williams) 52 Matt Degelman OL 6-3 270 5 Regina, Sask. (Dr. Martin LeBoldus) 4 Noah Picton QB 5-9 180 4 Regina, Sask. (Dr. Martin LeBoldus) 53 Travis Pelletier DL 6-2 220 4 Regina, Sask. (Regina Thunder) 5 Jonah Branning DB 6-1 185 1 Moose Jaw, Sask.