COMPLETE GAME NOTES [pdf]

THE GAME (SATURDAY • 7:00 p.m. • MOSAIC STADIUM)
After consecutive wins over Alberta and Manitoba to put them back in the Canada West postseason race, the University of Regina Rams suffered a 23-16 road loss to the UBC Thunderbirds last Saturday and dropped to fifth place in the conference standings. This weekend, the Rams will square off with provincial rival Saskatchewan as the Huskies, Rams, and Manitoba jockey for the final two playoff positions in Canada West.

THE HEADLINES
• The game is the Shaw TV Game of the Week and will be aired live by Access7 in Regina and by Shaw in the remainder of Western Canada
• Depending on the results of the last two weeks of the Canada West schedule, Regina can finish anywhere from third place to fifth place in the Canada West standings and Saskatchewan could finish anywhere from second to fifth
• The two teams met in Saskatoon earlier this season, with Saskatchewan recording a 33-10 victory in Week 2
• Saskatchewan will clinch a playoff spot with a victory, while a Rams win on Saturday would ensure that a Week 8 win over Manitoba would put Regina into the playoffs
• A Saskatchewan win combined with an upset road win by Manitoba over No. 2-ranked Calgary would mathematically eliminate the Rams from the postseason
• Regina's Chris Bodnar remains the CIS leader with an average of 45.0 yards per punt, while Adrian Charles ranks second in the nation with 126 rushing yards per game
• Charles leads Canada West with 756 rushing yards and remains on pace to become the first University of Regina player to break the 1000-yard barrier in a single season

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA RAMS (2-4)
The bad news for the Rams is that last week's 23-16 loss to UBC dropped them to fifth place in the Canada West standings.

The good news? The Rams still have control of their own destiny this season, as their final two games on the conference schedule are against Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the two teams they could still catch in the standings.

Converted slotback Zach Oleynik will get his fourth consecutive start at quarterback for the Rams, while their ground game will continue to be led by fifth-year running back Adrian Charles. Charles remains on pace to break his own school single-season rushing record (set at 972 yards last season) and become the U of R's first 1000-yard rusher.

Oleynik's top target is second-year slotback Jared Janotta, who leads the Rams in both receptions (30) and receiving yards (427) and is tied with Brenden Owens for the team lead with three touchdown catches.

Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks ranks second on the team (behind safety Kirby Kezama) with 27½ tackles and has 3½ sacks, while Logan Brooks' four sacks ties the third-year third-year lineman for third in the conference. Jamir Walker is tied for the Canada West lead with three interceptions this season.

The Rams finish off the Canada West schedule next Saturday at Manitoba.

UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (3-3)
It's been a season of ups and downs for Saskatchewan, as the Huskies started out with wins over Alberta and Regina in their first two games but have lost three of four since then.

Like the Rams, Saskatchewan has seen some volatility at the quarterback position this season. Second-year quarterback Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren started the first four games for the Huskies, but Trent Peterson has gotten the start in both of the previous two games with Gilbert-Knorren coming off the bench later in the contest.

Ben Coakwell, Gilbert-Knorren, and Dexter Janke all have over 200 rushing yards for the Huskies this season, while Rory Kolhert leads Saskatchewan in receptions (20) and receiving yards (301).

Linebacker Tony Michalchuk leads Saskatchewan and ranks second in Canada West with 38 tackles, while defensive end Jon DeWitt has a team-high three sacks. Halfback Seamus Neary and safety Bryce McCall both have two interceptions and four pass breakups.

Saskatchewan, which holds a 16-5 all-time advantage in conference games against Regina, will travel to Edmonton next weekend to finish off the Canada West schedule at Alberta.