It’s extremely difficult for any team to go undefeated through the Canada West regular season, even clubs that go all the way to the Vanier Cup.
So when the University of Regina Rams suffered their first loss of the season to the UBC Thunderbirds last weekend, the team looked at it more as a learning experience than the most disappointing of outcomes — especially now that they’re among four teams currently tied for first place in the conference.
Rams coach Mark McConkey joined the SportsCage on Thursday afternoon to talk about the 25-20 loss in B.C. and the big rivalry game ahead against the U of S Huskies.
“We just didn't play well. Pretty simple,” McConkey said of last weekend. “I know we had a lead, 20-10 at half, but we didn't play well, and it really showed in the third quarter. We just weren't very efficient on second down, couldn't get off the field, and it just kind of snowballed into it. It's a good learning moment, a good reset week for us.”
The biggest factor in the loss was the 223 yards rushing the Thunderbirds were able to put up, something that generally just doesn’t happen against the Rams in recent years.
“That's one thing we pride ourselves on on defence, our ability to stop the run,” McConkey said. “Usually, we're the team doing that to other people, but we didn't run the ball very well. We just didn't really establish the game, the run game, and just couldn't convert second downs to stay on the field. It was a tough one, but we'll move on.”
McConkey added that the loss just shows how close Canada West football is this year. Regina, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and UBC all sit with 2-1 records and have wins over other first place teams, which could be a sign of things to come in the future.
“This game showed us that Canada West is still a thing,” McConkey said. “Anyone can win any given day, and we've got to play a full 60 minutes. It was a good lesson there, and lots of positives that we did in the first half that we've got to translate to a full game.”
The Rams’ attention has since turned to the Huskies and their showdown on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
It’ll once again be a first-place battle between the intra-provincial archrivals, and one that McConkey feels has the potential to become a barn burner. Saskatchewan is coming off one of its highest scoring games in team history after putting up a 65-12 win over Alberta last Saturday.
“They're a good football team,” McConkey said. “They do what they do, and they do it really well. That's kind of their MO. They'll always throw a few new wrinkles in for the rivalry game. That's always something they hold out for us, and it's the same both ways. We're just excited to go compete again against one of the top teams.”
Kickoff is at 2 p.m. from Mosaic Stadium.
