CALGARY – The 2019 Canada West season reaches the midpoint this weekend, and the fourth-ranked University of Calgary Dinos will look to extend their regular season win streak to 12 when they host the Regina Rams Friday night at McMahon Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT, live on the Canada West Football Showcase (TELUS Optik channel 997 in Alberta), along with CanadaWest.tv presented by Co-op.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

Injuries have been the story of the season so far for Calgary, with five of their top six receivers either out of the lineup or unable to finish the game last Saturday in rainy Vancouver. That they're 3-0 at this point in the season is a testament to the team's depth, and they'll look to start reinserting guys into the lineup as early as this week.

The Rams, meanwhile, come to Calgary smarting from a tight loss to Alberta and a blowout defeat at the hands of Saskatchewan, both of which came on home field. Like the Dinos, Regina's biggest win came at UBC – a 46-16 season-opening victory.

Regina's potent offence, second-best in Canada West with 421 yards per game, will face a Dinos squad that has allowed just 54 points in three games – the best in the league. Calgary hasn't given up an offensive touchdown in more than 138 minutes of playing time, all the way back to the third quarter in Week 1 against Alberta.

HEADLINES

• Only meeting of the season between the Dinos and Rams
• Calgary won both contests in 2018 by 49-35 and 58-6 scores, with the second extending a long record of futility in Calgary for the Rams: Regina's last win at McMahon was all the way back in October 2003
• The Dinos will look to start a season 4-0 for the third straight year. The last time that didn't happen, in 2016, it was the Rams that ended the Dinos' undefeated run with a 32-27 win in Regina.
• Calgary remains solidly in the No. 4 spot in the national rankings this week, with Western taking over No. 1 and Montreal moving up to No. 2 after defeating Laval. The Rouge et Or sit just in front of the Dinos at No. 3.
• Saskatchewan is the only other Canada West team in the national top-10 this week, sitting at No. 8, while Alberta is just on the outside in 12th spot.

No. 4 CALGARY DINOS (3-0)
Last week: defeated UBC 47-13
Next week: at Saskatchewan
 

• As the injury woes piled up for the Dinos in Vancouver, opportunities cropped up for other guys to step up. The biggest of those was Matson Tulloch, whose 7-catch, 78-yard, 2-TD performance earned him player of the game honours for the Dinos.
• Backup QB Josiah Joseph got into the act at receiver as well, making a pair of catches for 14 yards as the Dinos scored 47 unanswered points to knock off the Thunderbirds
• Calgary sits atop the leaderboard in both points scored (36.7/game) and points allowed (17.3/game)
• The Dinos' defenders have been ball hawks through the first three weeks, picking up seven interceptions. Deane Leonard has three of those, running two back for touchdowns.
• Up next on the Dinos' schedule is the highly-anticipated matchup against Saskatchewan next Friday night in Saskatoon, a rematch of last season's Hardy Cup won by the Huskies

REGINA RAMS (1-2)
Last week: lost to Saskatchewan 44-9
Next week: at Manitoba
 

• Regina QB Josh Donnelly returns to the field where he made his U SPORTS debut last year, completing 20 of 33 passes for 243 yards in the Dinos' 58-6 win. So far in 2019, Donnelly sits second in the nation with 344.7 yards passing per game – tossing for north of 300 yards in each outing so far.
• Donnelly's favourite target is Kyle Moortgat, who leads the Rams with 16 catches and a major. Riley Boersma, meanwhile, has 254 yards and one TD on just 10 receptions
• The Rams struggled against the Huskies last week, managing just a trio of field goals on 323 yards total offence
• The Rams face another road trip next week, this time east to Winnipeg as they face the Manitoba Bisons in Week 5.

-UC-