WEEK 5 CIS Football Previews

Photo credit Yves Longpré, Sherbrooke

Click here for complete webcast and radio schedules.

Click here for season previews of all CIS football teams.

Click here for player profiles featuring one player from each CIS football team.

September 30

19:00 ET Queen’s (2-2) at Toronto (2-2), SSN webcast

Source: Toronto Sports Info

It’ll be a night to remember as the Varsity Blues football team hosts the Queen’s Gaels for the 174th time since 1887 under Friday night lights at Varsity Centre.

The Blues introduce the first of many Hall of Fame games and who better to do that with than one of their oldest opponents in the Gaels. U of T will honour two of the best OUA quarterbacks in history, Toronto’s Dan Feraday (1976-78, 1980-81) and Queen’s pivot Tom Denison (2001-03), in a special halftime ceremony.

NFL Canada will also be on hand to add a spectacular modern-day touch.  There will be Madden PS3 stations, interactive games and a chance to win a Bills in Toronto prize pack, including tickets to the Bills vs. Redskins game on Oct. 30 at the Rogers Centre. All this and much more getting underway when gates open at 6 p.m. on Friday!

The game will be streamed live on SSN Canada through varsityblues.ca. Advance tickets are on sale: click here or call 416-946-3811.

Toronto, who narrowly leads the head-to-head series with an 88-82-4 record, is home and ready to rebound after a road loss to the Ottawa Gee-Gees last Saturday. The Gaels on the other hand will look to continue their success in Toronto after a lopsided 63-3 victory over the York Lions in Week 3 action.  Both teams are 2-2 on the season and tied for fifth place in the OUA standings.

Fourth-year linebacker Wilkerson DeSouza of Mississauga, Ont., will be a key contributor in stopping a hot Queen’s offence that posted 625 yards versus York. DeSouza ranks seventh in the CIS with 25 solo tackles in four games.

Quarterback and Toronto native Andrew Gillis is hungry for his third win of the season.  The fifth-year pivot has thrown for 818 yards so far in 2011 and looks to be the sixth Blues quarterback to reach over 4,000 career passing yards.

The Gaels are led by second-year quarterback Billy McPhee.  The Burlington, Ont., native ranks third among OUA quarterbacks, averaging 263 passing yards per game.

Justin Chapdelaine has been McPhee’s favourite target with 17 catches for 301 yards, while Ryan Granberg is tied for second with 366 rushing yards on the season.

POINTS OF INTEREST:

Until 1981, Feraday was the only CIS quarterback to throw for over 7,000 career yards…Feraday still holds the Varsity Blues records for most passing yards in 8-of-10 categories…He held the OUA record for single-season passing yardage until 2002… Denison was the first quarterback to surpass Feraday’s OUA record for single-season passing yardage…Feraday attended that game at Queen’s and helped to honour Denison in a halftime ceremony…Denison was the first CIS quarterback to break the 3,000-yard passing mark in a single season.

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit www.varsityblues.ca. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Facebook for the latest and greatest in Varsity Blues intercollegiate athletics.

19:00 ET Bishop’s (1-3) at McGill (0-4), SSN webcast

Source: Bishop's Sports Info

Click here for the full game notes

THIS WEEK: The Bishop’s Gaiters (1-3) hit the road for their only trip to Montreal this season, as they visit the winless McGill Redmen (0-4).

NOTHING BUT NET: Friday’s game will be webcast live on SSN Canada at http://www.ssncanada.ca.

FOLLOW LIVE: Score updates will be available at www.gaiters.ca and at @BishopsGaiters on Twitter.

CHAT LIVE: This week, the Gaiters will once again host an in-game live chat. Follow the links at www.gaiters.ca to join in.

THE RECORDS: The Gaiters head into the contest with a 1-3 record, with their sole win coming at Mount Allison two weeks ago. McGill is 0-4, and currently on a 16-game losing streak. McGill’s last win was on Oct. 3, 2009—a 21-19 win over the Gaiters at Coulter Field.

LAST TIME OUT: A pair of late first-half touchdowns led the No. 4-ranked Montreal Carabins to a 36-22 win over the Bishop's Gaiters on Saturday, September 24 at Coulter Field. The Homecoming crowd of 2,165 saw the Carabins turn a 10-6 deficit into a 20-10 halftime lead with two touchdowns in the last minute of the second quarter. Rotrand Sené scored twice for Montreal, while Alexandre Fortier-Labonté had the other Montreal touchdown. Pierre-Paul Gélinas kicked four field goals for the winners, and a safety touch and a single rounded out the Montreal scoring. For Bishop's Shane McDonald, David Haddrall and Alexander Fox all scored touchdowns, while Mathieu Paquette added a field goal and a conversion. For Bishop's, Jordan Heather went 22-for-43 for 233 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Defensively, the Gaiters were led by O'Shane Daley, who made 6.5 tackles, intercepted a pass and knocked down another. Dan West finished with 6.5 tackles, while Jermaine-Lewis-Parris had five.

THE SERIES: The Gaiters lead the all-time series 40-37-1. The Gaiters-Redmen series is the longest-running series for Bishop’s, with the first meeting occurring back in 1885. However, the teams did not begin playing each other regularly until 1971, when both teams joined the Quebec Universities Athletic Association. The Gaiters have won five of the past eight games in the series, dating back to 2006. The Gaiters have won the past three meetings at Molson Stadium, a 45-21 win in 2008, a 25-20 victory in 2009 and a 26-19 (2 OT) win last year. Last year's game was the first overtime game in the series.

LAST MEETING: A 10-yard catch by Quincy Van De Cruize in the second period of overtime lifted the Gaiters to a 26-19 victory over the McGill Redmen at Molson Stadium on Sept. 10, 2011. Van De Cruize caught a screen pass from Jesse Andrews and dove into the left corner of the end zone to put the Gaiters in front. The Gaiters’ defence held on the next three plays to preserve the victory. Andrews went 18-for-35 for 213 yards with no interceptions and one touchdown. He was also the Gaiters’ leading rusher, with ten carries for 70 yards. Coventry, making his first career start, led Bishop's receivers with four catches for 58 yards, while Van De Cruize finished with 91 all-purpose yards. Defensively, Elie Ngoyi led the Gaiters with eight tackles, including a 14-yard sack in the fourth quarter.

PASSING FANCY: The Gaiters possess the top-rated pass offence in Canada, with an average of 340.5 yards per game. Gaiter quarterbacks have combined to go 95-for-165 for 1362 yards with nine touchdowns this year. Last week’s loss to Montreal was the first time the Gaiters did not reach the 300-yard plateau, and Bishop’s is one of only seven teams in Canada to average over 300 passing yards per game. The Gaiters are on pace to break their team record for single-season passing yards, which is currently believed to be 2,378, set in 1995. (NOTE: research on this record is ongoing.)

THOU SHALL NOT PASS: Conversely, the Gaiters also have the top-rated pass defence in Quebec. The Gaiters have allowed only 223.8 passing yards per game, and have made nine interceptions. Defensive backs Marcus Lam-Peters and Ryland Smith have led the Gaiters' pass defence this year. Lam-Peters has three knockdowns and an interception, while Smith has picked off three passes and knocked down two others. Linebacker Tyler Jutras also has a pair of interceptions.

THE HEATHER REPORT: Third-year quarterback Jordan Heather has posted an efficiency rating of over 100 in each of his four games, and is currently third in Canada with 308 yards per game. The Oromocto, N.B., native is also third nationally in completions (90) and attempts (155). His eight touchdown passes are fourth in the country. Heather is also the Gaiters’ leading rusher, with 86 yards on eight carries, and leads Quebec in total offence (rushing + passing yards) with 329.5 yards per game.

FOX ON THE RUN: Second-year receiver Alexander Fox picked up his fourth touchdown of the season last week, putting him in second place in Quebec (behind only Simon Charbonneau-Campeau of Sherbrooke, who has seven). Fox leads the conference with a total of 630 all-purpose yards. Fox has two 100-yard receiving games this year, as well as two 100-yard return games (combining punt and kickoff returns). Last week, he led the Gaiters with 172 all-purpose yards, including 67 receiving yards, 78 on kickoff returns, and 27 on punt returns.

CFL GAITERS UPDATE: Former Gaiter Justin Conn got a rare chance to play in his home province last week—his first game in New Brunswick since the Gaiters travelled to Mount Allison in 2006. Conn’s Calgary Stampeders fell 55-36 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Touchdown Atlantic, and Conn did not record a tackle. Conn is one of nine Gaiters currently active in the CFL, and a record ten ex-Gaiters have played in the league this year. The current crop of CFL Gaiters hit the scoreboard on Sept. 17, as Tim Cronk ran a blocked punt in 31 yards for a touchdown. He is the first ex-Gaiter to score a touchdown in the CFL since Gilles Colon in 2006. Cronk is one of nine Gaiters currently active in the CFL. Among the other Lions-Gaiters, Shawn Gore is in third place among Canadian receivers with 45 catches for 626 yards, while Jamall Lee (10) and James Yurichuk (9) are among the team’s leaders in Special Teams Tackles. Elsewhere in the league, the Stampeders’ Junior Turner has 17 tackles on the season, while Saskatchewan’s Mathieu Boulay made his first career tackle on Aug. 30 against Winnipeg, and is currently on the one-game injured list, as is Kyle Jones, who is now with Hamilton.

TODAY IN GAITERS HISTORY: On September 30, 1989, six different players scored touchdowns for the Gaiters as they rolled to a 51-6 win over the Carleton Ravens in Ottawa. Gaiter quarterback Silvio Martel was quite efficient, as while he only threw seven completions, three went for major scores, to David Quig, Pat Gregory and Keith Kelly. The other Gaiter scores came on a 70-yard punt return by Steve Zatylny, a one-yard run by Mike Hollingsworth and a 35-yard interception return by Tait Kisby, giving the Gaiters touchdowns on offence, defence and special teams, a feat that they did not repeat until October 8, 2010. Simon Restall rounded out the Gaiter scoring with three field goals and six conversions.

UP NEXT: The Gaiters’ three-game road trip continues next week as they visit the Sherbrooke Vert & Or in the annual Mayor’s Cup game. Kickoff at the Sherbrooke university stadium is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 8.

19:00 CT Manitoba (2-2) at Regina (1-3), CanadaWest.tv webcast

Source: Regina Sports Info

(Complete game notes)

THE GAME
 After a tumultuous 0-3 start, the University of Regina Rams are now right back in the Canada West playoff picture thanks to a big 38-14 road win over Alberta last Friday. A win for the Rams over Manitoba on Friday puts Regina into a tie for fourth place in the conference standings with just three games remaining on the Canada West slate. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium and will be broadcast live on Access7, on the dial at 620ckrm.com, and via webcast at www.canadawest.tv.
 
THE HEADLINES
 • Regina and Manitoba will also meet on Oct. 29 in Winnipeg, meaning that not only the outcome but also the point spread will be critical on Friday
 • The Rams have won four consecutive games over the Bisons dating back to Oct. 24, 2008
 • Converted slotback Zach Oleynik got the call for the Rams at quarterback last Saturday, becoming the fourth player in as many games to start at QB for Regina this season — Oleynik is expected to get the start at pivot for the Rams on Friday
 • Regina's Chris Bodnar remains the CIS leader with an average of 45.2 yards per punt
 • After rushing for 165 yards against the Golden Bears, Rams running back Adrian Charles ranks second in both Canada West and the CIS with 503 rushing yards this season and is on pace to become the first player in Rams history to hit the 1000-yard barrier in a single season
 • Manitoba quarterback Khaleal Williams ranks second in Canada West with 1160 passing yards this season (just 13 behind UBC's Billy Greene), while receiver Tyson Takasaki is third in the conference in both receptions (18) and receiving yards (299)
 
UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (1-3)
 After a painful 0-3 start, the mood around the Rams' clubhouse has dramatically improved this week following a big 38-14 road win over the Alberta Golden Bears last Saturday.
 
The win was crucial for so many reasons — not only did a Rams offence that had sputtered through the first three weeks of the season finally get going in a big way, but the victory put the Rams just one win back of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the Canada West standings.
 
Zach Oleynik will get the start at quarterback for the Rams again after a sparkling debut against Alberta. Running back Adrian Charles is ranked second in both Canada West and the CIS (behind Calgary's Steven Lumbala) in rushing yards, while slotback Jared Janotta is tied for third in the conference in receptions (18) and touchdown catches (3).
 
Defensively, Jamir Walker is tied for the Canada West lead with two interceptions (both of which came last week at Alberta) and leads the conference outright with five passes defended. Logan Brooks is tied for the Canada West lead with four sacks and is just two short of tying Sean Brimacombe's Rams single-season record of six (2005).
 
The Rams will have a week off before returning to action with a critical matchup at UBC on Oct. 15.
 
UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA BISONS (2-2)
 The Manitoba Bisons are no stranger to close games this season, as three of their four contests have been settled by a touchdown or less and the other featured only a 10-point victory margin.
 
Manitoba is coming off a close 29-23 loss to UBC in which a last-minute Bisons drive was snuffed out deep in Thunderbirds territory after a Khaleal Williams pass fell incomplete on third down. The loss puts Manitoba into a tie for third place in the Canada West standings with Saskatchewan, but the Bisons currently hold the tiebreaker due to their 26-16 win over the Huskies in Week 3.
 
Williams' 1160 passing yards this season ranks second in Canada West, while he ranks third in the conference in both touchdown passes (6) and pass efficiency (140.0). Williams' top target this season has been Tyson Takasaki, who is third in Canada West in receptions (18) and receiving yards (299). Running back Anthony Coombs averages 65.3 rushing yards per game, but also handles return duties for the Bisons and leads Canada West with 671 all-purpose yards despite missing a game to injury.
 
Thomas Hall and Lauren Kroeker both have two sacks on the season for Manitoba, while Hall, Grayson Wells, and Brett MacFarlane are among several players tied for second in Canada West with four passes defended.
 
Manitoba, which fell out of this week's rankings after the loss to UBC, returns to action two weeks from Saturday with a home game against Alberta. 

19:00 CT No. 8 UBC (3-1) at No. 9 Saskatchewan (2-2)

Source: Saskatchewan Sports Info

SASKATOON - After losing two straight games, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies will look to stop the high-flying UBC Thunderbirds Friday night at Saskatoon’s Griffiths Stadium in PotashCorp Park.

Saskatchewan enters Friday’s match with a 2-2 record after two straight road losses, while UBC, whose only blip came in a last minute 30-25 loss to the Calgary Dinos, sits in second place in the Canada West at 3-1. The Huskies have been caught this season with a young inexperienced offence averaging a conference second worst 339.2 yards per game. UBC, who has surprised this season, has the best in the league with 492 yards per game 1221 yards on the pass.

Since 1998, the Huskies are 16-4 against the T-Birds, including a 31-12 loss to the T-Birds last year in Griffiths Stadium. All four UBC victories over the Huskies in that time span have been in Saskatoon - 44-21 in 2000, 30-24 in 1999 and 13-11 in 1998.

Young second-year Huskie quarterbacks Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren and Trent Peterson have combined to complete 60-of-117 passes with five touchdowns, averaging 204.2 yards per game. Fifth-year receiver Rory Kohlert has been the main target tallying 202 yards on 14 receptions. Gilbert-Knorren has pulled down the ball 25 times to take off compiling 165 rushing yards. First-year running back Dexter Janke has 198 yards on 44 attempts.

Saskatchewan’s defence has been instrumental in keeping them in the games. Not only have defensive plays scored or led to six touchdowns but they have snared eight interceptions, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and one blocked punt. Fifth-year linebacker Tony Michalchuk leads his team with 26.5 tackles, followed by safety Bryce McCall with 18.5 tackles.

The Huskie loss last week also meant that head coach Brian Towriss would have to wait at least one more week to become the all-time winningest coach in CIS history, moving ahead of Western Ontario coaching legend Larry Haylor’s mark of 169. In his 28th season as head coach of the Huskies, Towriss will shoot for No. 170 Friday night.

T-Birds quarterback Billy Greene leads the Canada West with 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jordan Grieve has been his main target with 444 yards on 19 catches. Michael Theil has also pulled down 16 catches for 236 yards.  Greene is also a threat to run with 315 yards on 29 attempts. He can also look to Dave Boyd in the backfield, who has tallied 363 yards on 61 attempts.

Defensively, Devin Kavanagh and Levar Hayden have led the team in tackles with 24 and 23 each respectively. Connor Flyn and Serge Kaminsky have been a pain for opponent’s quarterbacks with seven sacks between them.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 306-966-1111.

Game Notes: Friday’s game is Homecoming for the University of Saskatchewan. President Peter MacKinnon, USSU President Scott Hitchings, as well as President of the Alumni Association Jason Aebig will be on hand for a ceremonial coin toss. University residence students will also participate in the annual running of the togas at halftime. The College of Kinesiology, the College of Arts & Science and the College of Engineering will compete in the annual College Relay at halftime.

October 1

13:00 ET Waterloo (0-4) at No. 6 McMaster (3-1), Cable 14 / McMaster webcast

13:00 ET No. 10 Ottawa (3-1) at Laurier (2-2), The Score

Source: Laurier Sports Info

WATERLOO, Ont. (September 28, 2011) Coming off a week in which they played their best game of the season but ultimately lost their third straight decision, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football team (1-3) prepares for their biggest game of the season as they host the No. 10 Ottawa Gee-Gees (3-1) on Saturday afternoon at University Stadium.

Kickoff is schedule for 1:07 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on theScore.

Not only is the game important for Laurier in returning to the win column but it is also being played as a part of 100th Homecoming weekend for Wilfrid Laurier University. With special events planned throughout the course of the game, including a chance for one lucky fan to win $10,000, the Hawks will undoubtedly have home field advantage over the Gee-Gees.

Fans are reminded that in order to qualify for the opportunity to win $10,000, they must be inside the stadium by 12:30 p.m.

Laurier will also have revenge on their minds when they face Ottawa on Saturday as it was the Gee-Gees who eliminated the Golden Hawks by a narrow 32-31 scoreline in the OUA Semifinals a season ago. Combine these factors together and the Hawks should have plenty of reason to end their losing streak on Saturday.

To do this, Laurier will need to continue to click on offence and they will look to fifth year receiver Dillon Heap of Waterloo, Ont., to continue his strong play as of late. Heap has recorded 100 or more receiving yards in each of his last two games while adding 102 punt return yards and a touchdown against Western last week. That return left Heap just 15 yards shy of the all-time OUA record, a record he will most likely break Saturday.

One area on offence that the Hawks need to improve on is limiting turnovers and more specifically, interceptions. While quarterback Shane Kelly of Basking Ridge, N.J., continues to find himself near or at the top of most passing categories in the CIS, including completions, yards and touchdowns, he has also thrown the most interceptions in the country thanks to eight in the last two contests. If Laurier is to knock off Ottawa, they will need Kelly to do a better job of managing the football.

Defensively, the Hawks returned to form against the Mustangs last week. The team effectively limited Westerns run game, holding each of their rushers under 100 yards, including rookie sensation Tyler Varga, how had just 88 against Laurier. The team also forced the Mustangs to turn the ball over three times on downs, which set up excellent field position for the offence.

The purple and gold will have to do a similar job against the Gee-Gees on Saturday as Brendan Gillanders of Orleans, Ont., is one of only five players in the CIS this season to be averaging more than 100 yards rushing per game.

Although the pre-game tickets have been sold out, there will be 500 walk-up tickets available on game day which can be purchased at the stadium box office.

13:00 ET York (1-3) at No. 2 Western (4-0), Rogers TV (Cable 13) / SSN webcast

13:00 ET No. 4 Montreal (3-1) at No. 5 Sherbrooke (3-1), Radio-Canada

14:00 AT Acadia (3-0) at No. 7 Saint Mary’s (2-1), EastLink

14:00 AT Mount Allison (0-3) at StFX (0-3), SSN webcast

19:00 ET Guelph (1-3) at Windsor (3-1)

October 2

13:00 ET Concordia (2-2) at No. 1 Laval (4-0)

13:00 MT Alberta (0-4) at No. 3 Calgary (4-0), Shaw TV

Source: Calgary Sports Info

CALGARY – With the Vanier Cup in attendance, the No. 3-ranked University of Calgary Dinos hope to check the first thing off their list on the road to the national championship this weekend: clinch a playoff spot.

The sole remaining undefeated team in Canada West after four weeks, the Dinos would improve to 5-0 with a victory over the Alberta Golden Bears, maintain sole possession of first place in the conference, and clinch a playoff spot for the fifth consecutive year – a first in school history. A 5-0 record would put them in the driver's seat for a home playoff game and send them into the bye with an unblemished record as they get set for the stretch drive.

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

They meet the Alberta Golden Bears who, after a Cinderella season was dashed by the Dinos in the Hardy Cup last year, have struggled to a 0-4 start under interim head coach Jeff Stead. A pre-season exhibition game in Lacombe, Alta. notwithstanding, this is the first consequential game between the provincial rivals since that conference championship game in 2010, a 56-3 Dinos win en route to their second straight Vanier Cup appearance.

With the Vanier Cup in Vancouver during Grey Cup week next month, the host committee is sending the trophy around – and fans will be able to take photos with the Vanier Cup, along with the Mitchell Bowl and the Hardy Cup, on the McMahon Stadium concourse Sunday afternoon.

It's an extremely rare Sunday afternoon home game for the Dinos, with Sunday tilts taking place just a handful of times over the past 30 years. It's also the only contest between the Dinos and Bears this year.

In that non-conference game in Lacombe, Calgary emerged victorious with a 49-14 victory. Matt Walter, Steven Lumbala, and Chris Dobko had two touchdowns apiece in that game as Calgary put up 38 points in the opening half.

Here's a look at the two teams:

No. 3 Calgary Dinos (4-0)
Last week: defeated Saskatchewan (38-24)
Next week: Bye

The Dinos lifted a giant monkey off their collective backs last week, finally beating Saskatchewan at home for the first time since the 2000 season with a dominant 38-24 win and a score that flattered the Huskies. But for a pair of big special teams plays, the Huskies were held at bay for most of the night, recording just 177 yards total offence and 90 passing yards.

Calgary, meanwhile, posted another 500-yard offensive night with Chris Dobko (11 catches, 121 yards, 2 TDs) and Steven Lumbala (9 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD) leading the way. Eric Dzwilewski had his best outing of the year, completing 20 of 29 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

The Dinos' run offence remains the class of Canada West and just keeps churning up the yards. On the whole Calgary averaged 7.6 yards per play offensively and put up 285 yards along the ground in a solid effort. The defence held fast for most of the night, limiting Saskatchewan to just 18 first downs on the night. Defensive lineman Linden Gaydosh tied a school record with four sacks in the game and was named defensive player of the week.

Special teams play has been the Dinos' biggest weakness this season and an area the coaching staff will aim to clean up in time for Sunday's game against the Bears. Two punt blocks have been recorded, along with a perfectly-executed onside kick by the Huskies last week that led directly to a touchdown and made the score closer than it probably should have been. The kicking game with rookie Johnny Mark has been consistent, however, as he has converted all seven of his field goal tries through four games in 2011.

Senior running back Matt Walter returned from injury last week and looked impressive, running for 69 yards and adding a 61-yard touchdown reception, the longest receiving play of his career. It improved his own program record to 31 career majors and was his first score of the season.

He continues to inch toward Elio Geremia's school record of 3,784 career rushing yards, entering Sunday's contest with 3,610 – just 174 yards in arrears of Geremia. With four games remaining, Walter still has a legitimate shot at becoming just the ninth player in CIS history to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark in career rushing.

Like all Canada West teams, the Dinos enjoy a bye over Thanksgiving next weekend. They return to action Friday, Oct. 14 when they visit the Saskatchewan Huskies, followed by their last regular season home game on Oct. 22 vs. Manitoba.

Alberta Golden Bears (0-4)
Last week: lost to Regina (38-14)
Next week: Bye

The Golden Bears have yet to regain the form that saw them advance to the conference final last season and have been outscored 138-71 through four games so far in 2011.

Running back KK Sonuga has put up 340 yards in his first four games as a starter in Canada West, recording three 100-plus yard games to sit fourth on the Canada West rushing list at the midway point of the season. Quarterback Julian Marchand, the former Dino, is also fourth in the conference, having recorded 618 passing yards on the season. Marchand has thrown seven interceptions against just one touchdown for the Bears, but Alberta sits in second spot in the conference in the giveaway-takeaway category with seven interceptions and six fumble recoveries (+2).

Outside the turnovers, however, the Bears have given up yardage by the truckload – averaging nearly 493 per game against – as they get set to face a Dinos team that is averaging 478 offensive yards.

Rookie Dillon Prince, the younger brother of former Dino K.C., was a bright spot for the Bears last week in the 38-14 loss to the Rams at Foote Field in Edmonton. He was named the Canada West special teams player of the week for his efforts after picking up 182 yards on six kickoff returns. The return unit has been a strength for the Bears so far this season – Jess Valleau had a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown Week 2 against Manitoba in a tight 22-20 loss, the Bears' closest game of the season.

Their playoff hopes are dim but not dashed, and that makes the Bears a dangerous opponent for the Dinos this weekend. The teams have split their last 10 conference games, though Calgary has won the last four straight, and the Bears traditionally play tough at McMahon Stadium.

After the bye, Alberta closes the season with a trip to Manitoba followed by home games against UBC and Saskatchewan.