CALGARY – Football season is upon us, and it gets going for real Friday night in Regina when the No. 10 Rams host the fifth-ranked University of Calgary Dinos in the 2018 Canada West season-opener for both teams.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, with live coverage on TELUS Optik TV (Ch. 997/998) and streaming on CanadaWest.tv.
GAME NOTES (.pdf)
If history and last week's non-conference games are any indication, the veteran offences on both sides could put on a show. The teams averaged a combined 493.2 yards per game last year, and both are led by veteran quarterbacks: Regina's Noah Picton, the 2016 Hec Crighton Trophy winner, and Calgary's
Adam Sinagra, who went 3-for-3 for 138 yards and two touchdowns in an efficient performance against the Alberta Golden Bears last week in Red Deer, Alta.
"Regina is always well-coached, they play tough at home, and they will be well-prepared by their staff," said
Wayne Harris, who has lost just three conference games in his first three seasons as the Dinos' head coach. "They have some changes on defence, but Picton can distribute the ball around well and hurt the defence if you don't stay disciplined. Atlee Simon is a premier running back in Canada West.
"We're preparing to play a tough football game and making sure our guys are ready to go."
HEADLINES
- First of two meetings between the teams in 2018, with the return tilt Oct. 19 in Calgary
- Calgary won both meetings in 2017 by 46-26 (home) and 42-30 (away) scores
- Regina was ranked No. 3 behind UBC and Calgary in the preseason CW coaches' poll, while the Dinos received the conference's top billing in the first national Top 10 of the year at No. 5 with the Rams at No. 10
No. 5 CALGARY DINOS (0-0)
Last week: defeated Alberta 50-38 (non-conference)
Next week: host UBC
- The Dinos have won their last seven season-openers, dating back to the 2010 season (one result was later overturned due to an eligibility violation)
- It's a challenging start to the schedule for the Dinos, with three of their first four games against ranked opponents. UBC comes to Calgary for KICKOFF, the Dinos' home opener, next weekend, and then just two weeks later the Dinos head to Vancouver for a rematch
- The offence exploded for 33 points in the first quarter of the exhibition game against Alberta, with Sinagra hitting Hunter Karl for an 85-yard touchdown on the first drive and a 43-yard strike on the second. The Dinos scored on their first six possessions of that game en route to a 50-38 win over the Bears
- A total of seven rookies directly from high school will play for the Dinos in Week 1 on the road, a sign of the youth movement underway at McMahon Stadium. They include: DB Jacob Biggs; R Jalen Philpot; R Tyson Philpot; RB Zach Newman; LB Sammy Sidhu; OL Nicolas Auvigne; and DL Tyrece Viner-Cox
No. 10 REGINA RAMS (0-0)
Last week: defeated Manitoba 32-27 (non-conference)
Next week: at Alberta
- The Rams hung on to edge Manitoba 32-27 in non-conference play last week, fending off a heave into the end zone on the game's final play. The Bisons actually got on the board first, but an efficient outing from Picton put the Rams up 18-7 when he left early in the second quarter.
- Picton became the all-time leading passer in Canada West history against the Dinos in Week 7 of the 2017 season and needs just 160 more to reach the 10,000-yard plateau, a level just five other quarterbacks in U SPORTS history have reached. He will need to average slightly more than 200 yards per game this season to break the all-time career record of 11,477 held by Sherbrooke's Jérémi Roch (2011-15).
- The Rams defence has some holes to fill with the departure of linebacker Nick Cross and defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly to the junior ranks, along with the loss of senior linebacker Zack McEachern and DL Bryce McKinnon.
- Regina welcomes NCAA Division I transfer Brandon Brooks (Nevada) in the secondary and defensive lineman Kyle Forde (St. FX), with both expected to make an immediate impact.
- The Rams head on the road to face Alberta in Week 2 next week.
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