CALGARY – Fresh off a victory, albeit a close one, over archrival Alberta, the University of Calgary Dinos hop on the bus and head to Saskatchewan for a Friday night contest, the second in three weeks, at Mosaic Stadium against the Regina Rams in a battle of 1-1 teams.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

The Dinos and Rams will face off in a home-and-home series this season for the first time since 2000 and just the second time since Regina joined Canada West in 1999. The teams split that series nine seasons ago with the home team winning both games.

The two sides have taken very similar routes to their 1-1 records heading into Friday's showdown in the Queen's City, with each winning at home and losing a one-point game on the road at Saskatchewan – most recently Regina's heartbreaking 10-9 defeat last Friday when the potential game-tying field goal in the final minute sailed wide for Rams kicker Perri Scarcelli.

While the Dinos won both contests between the teams last season – a 31-5 conference win and a 24-17 playoff victory, both at McMahon Stadium – Calgary is still searching for its first road win over the Rams since 2005. In the previous two games at Regina, including the Monsoon Bowl of 2006 played on the U of R campus when the Rolling Stones took over Mosaic, the Rams outscored Calgary by a 69-20 margin.

The game will feature a battle of the top two quarterbacks in Canada West after two games in Regina's Marc Mueller and Calgary's Erik Glavic. The two rank 1-2 in both passing yards and total offence, though one stat that stands out is Glavic's running ability – the Dinos' pivot has racked up 146 yards along the ground, compared to just nine for Mueller.

Here's a look at the match-up this weekend as the top two passing offences in the conference look to move up in the standings:

No. 4 Calgary Dinos (1-1)
Last week: won 34-31 vs. Alberta
Next week: vs. Simon Fraser, Saturday, Sept. 26, 1 p.m.

In stark contrast to their nine-game unbeaten string at home, including the two playoff games last season, the Dinos have struggled on the road, winning just three of their last 15 league and playoff contests away from McMahon Stadium. After jumping up one spot in the Top 10 rankings this week to No. 4, Calgary gets a chance to redeem its road record Friday night in Regina (web radio at www.fan960.com).

The Calgary offence has hummed along through the first two games of the year and is ranked in the top three in Canada West in every offensive category, topping the list in total offence with better than 500 yards per game. On the flip side, the Dinos defence has allowed 389 yards per game compared to the Rams' 271.

Much of the blame for the poor defensive statistical performance early in the season can be placed squarely on the final three minutes of last Saturday's home contest against Alberta, a 34-31 Dinos victory that could have been a much wider margin. After Aaron Ifield booted a field goal to put Calgary up by 18 points, the Golden Bears responded with back-to-back touchdown drives of 60 and 95 yards in the final 150 seconds to pull within a field goal, and Calgary's ability to successfully defend two onside kick attempts late may well have made the difference in the game.

Calgary's defence will have to improve against the pass, as Regina features a talented group of receivers and the number one passing offence in the conference after the first two weeks of 2009.

The trio of Erik Glavic, Matt Walter, and Anthony Parker has led the march for the Dinos offence. Parker, the leading receiver in the conference as measured by both total catches and total yards, was named the Canada West offensive player of the week after his 177-yard performance against Alberta which included a spectacular 77-yard touchdown grab. Walter, meanwhile, added 152 yards to his season total against Alberta and currently sits second in the rushing department, while Glavic is a dual threat and has quarterbacked a very balanced Dinos offence.

The Dinos will return to Calgary immediately following Friday night's game to prepare for their Hardy Cup rematch against the Simon Fraser Clan on Saturday, Sept. 26 at McMahon Stadium.

Regina Rams (1-1)
Last week: lost 10-9 @ Saskatchewan
Next week: @ UBC, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2 p.m. PT

The Rams tasted bitter defeat in Saskatoon last weekend in much the same fashion that Calgary did a week earlier. After holding the Huskies to just three points through the first 58:48 of the game, Regina gave up an eight play, 75-yard touchdown drive and then saw their hopes of overtime disappear when Scarcelli sent a 45-yard field goal attempt wide, managing just a safety on the ensuing drive to make the final 10-9 for Saskatchewan. The game was the lowest combined offensive output in U of R history.

Despite the low-scoring affair, Mueller was still able to rack up 296 yards through the air, spreading the ball out to four receivers that each had at least 49 yards on the night. Regina managed just 31 total yards along the ground in Saskatoon but held the Huskies to just 20 yards rushing as both teams took to the air.

Leading the charge among receivers are Jordan Sisco and Mark McConkey, who have identical 12-catch, 142-yard statistical lines going after the first two games of the season, while Andrew Busby is averaging 18 yards on his six catches so far this season.

The Rams feature the number one run defence in the conference largely on the back of that performance in Saskatoon and have managed to do so without a single defensive lineman in the top 50 in tackles. However, that defence should face its first real test against Calgary after playing its first two games against Manitoba, which is ranked fifth in rushing, and Saskatchewan, which rates last.

The Rams suffered a far more significant loss after the Saskatchewan game when redshirt defensive lineman Spenser Borlase, 18, was killed in a highway collision south of Prince Albert, Sask. The University of Calgary and Dinos Athletics express their most sincere condolences to the Borlase family and the entire University of Regina community.

-UC-