By Howard Tsumura
Varsity Letters
VANCOUVER — If central casting was looking for someone to play the part of a hard-working ranch hand to star in its latest neo-Western TV series, it could do a lot worse than writing Jack Pasloski into its leading role.
In the days leading up to the UBC Thunderbirds’ key Canada West home clash against the Calgary Dinos, there was the ‘Birds starting outside linebacker, resplendent in blue-and-gold and wearing a trademark wide-brimmed white rancher’s hat as part of the athletic department’s social media build-up for what the school was billing as Country Night.
And in a case of (promotional) art imitating life, it’s no stretch to say that the guy who had played more of a supporting role over his first three seasons on the Point Grey campus had now solidified his status as a headliner, hanging his hat on a performance that helped the UBC defence script yet another winning performance. The Thunderbirds gave out those same white hats to the first 500 fans to pass through the gates on Friday.
Showing the best side of its unyielding nature, UBC (4-2) was decisive in a 34-18 triumph over the Dinos (2-4), in the process keeping home-field advantage in the opening of the Hardy Cup playoffs within their control with two more weekends of conference play still remaining
It was the perfect kind of high-stakes environment for Pasloski, a Calgary native and fourth-year mathematics major to bring his equation for success to the fore, highlighted by a pair of key defensive plays which put the exclamation mark on a night in which UBC’s defence held the Dinos’ offence out of the end zone on what wound up being a game-ending stretch of 57 minutes and 50 seconds.
UBC came out after the opening kick-off as if shot out of a cannon when running back Marvin Larozar caught a short lateral from quarterback drew Viotto and then proceeded to hit receiver Trey Montour for a 90-yard touchdown strike on the game’s opening snap.
Calgary quickly replied when quarterback David Jordan capped a five-play drive with a 38-yard touchdown strike to receiver Saboor Zeeshan to eventually tie the score 7-7.
Yet from that point forward, the Dinos’ offence was kept out of the end zone behind the efforts of a UBC defence, which heading into play Saturday, sat seventh nationally (second in Canada West behind Regina) at 20.0 points-allowed per game.
TURNING ON A DEFENSIVE DIME
Isolating a game’s most impactful play is so often times up for debate, yet Friday’s winner, one which went a long ways towards keeping UBC a perfect 3-0 at home this season, unfolded with two minutes left in the first half and ultimately helped UBC cap its run of 21 unanswered points to the break.
Pasloski came from his spot on the outside, quickly finding an in-line seam created when tackle Thierry Moro successfully took on two 300-pound-plus Dinos linemen in Nikolas Oliveira-Forster and Chris Onunkwor.
With his rookie teammate Derek Durand also looping around from the top side edge, Pasloski was able to lay the critical hit on Dinos’ quarterback David Jordan, one that not only went down in the books as a sack but as a forced fumble.
Rookie defensive tackle Alex Longo, another Calgary native, scooped up the ball and advanced it to opposition 39-yard line. From there, Larozar capped a seven-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run and a 28-7 halftime lead.
Later, with under four minutes remaining in the game and the Dinos scrambling to find any way to ignite its offence, Pasloski once again got into the opposition backfield with a sack of Dinos’ backup quarterback Jet Zakrzewski.
With Calgary trailing 34-14 and facing a third-and-17 with three minutes remaining, Pasloski’s second sack of the game seemed to make the final outcome all but official.
“It’s a team game, even the blitz we had called there,” Pasloski said afterwards of the late sack, one which he split with fellow linebacker Derek Durand, the rookie from Ottawa whose own complimentary push and pressure in the pocket proved pivotal on the play.
“It’s my teammates that do the work that gives me that,” continued Pasloski who finished the game with two sacks, six tackles and a forced fumble. “I just happened to be the guy that’s playing at the position that gets it. There’s three guys that could have had that play. It’s a team game. I don’t look at it as individuals on defence. We’re just a defence. That was a (team) sack.”
Just that figurative rancher putting on his white hat and doing his thing?
That’s precisely what UBC head coach Blake Nill saw when he looked out on the field Friday to watch Pasloski at work.
“He’s not the most athletic kid,” said Nill. “He’s just a hard worker. Heart. Blue collar. He’s a blue collar-type guy, right? And you need those guys. We’ve got elite, elite athletes but you’re only effective if you’ve got foundational-type discipline and work ethic. And Jack’s an example of that.”
Make no mistake, UBC’s defence is loaded with the kind of talent, all of whom on a given night are page-turning plot points unto themselves.
And as it’s all come together under coordinator Noah Cantor this season, it’s impossible to mention — among the likes of Cesare Rednour-Bruckman, Sean Gunnip, Isaiah Cooper, Jahovany Batalonga, Isaiah Thomas, Aaron Parker — everyone responsible for the fact that UBC has kept its opposition out of the end zone in 13 of its last 20 quarters of play, a spam encompassing the entirety its last five games as it has gone a stellar 4-1 including 3-0 at home.
Yet Pasloski’s career arc from his third to now fourth season on the roster remains noteworthy because of what it reveals about the trove of talent which lies bubbling just beneath the starting group, that core of players which has invested itself fully in the developmental cycle yet has struggled to enjoy a breakthrough within an environment that each season continues to bring in another group of student-athletes with the billing to push them further down the depth chart.
Once again, from Nill’s perspective, comes affirmation that nothing is ever static and that you’re truly only as good as your last practice.
“Jack’s just ramping up momentum from the spring,” said Nill of Pasloski who made an instant early impression during that time of year when every team’s complete canvas is still just a blur of initial brushstrokes. “In spring football he was one of our standouts. Afterwards, I told him he had earned the right to be a starter coming in, and then during the summer I (reminded) him that ‘I’m still trying to out-recruit you.’”
It is, of course, the way of Nill and every other head coach: To let their players know there is never time to feel comfortable… that you need to always be prepared in what is and will always be the most fluid of environments.
Thus UBC’s front seven has not be immune to the kinds of injuries which demand instant answers, in the form opportunity, for those who have remained at the ready.
“He got in because of injury,” said Nill, whose overall unit up front has had to cope with losses at varying stages to the likes of stars like Deacon Sterna and Clark Leonard among others. “But this was his fourth game tonight and he’s establishing himself as an every-down player. He’s playing exceptional. And that’s how it’s supposed to work. Kids are supposed to come in and earn their spot even though the coach is trying to, you know, play someone else over them. Everything I do is to elevate the level of competition within the program.”
Remind Pasloski that his style of play evokes descriptors like ‘old-school’ and ‘blue collar’ and he both understands and appreciates the meaning of such monikers.
“It’s just about the discipline and heart and passion,” Pasloski said Friday night. “That’s the start of my game. And then after that, you play your assignments… just trust it.”
When asked where that white hat of his was amidst all of the post-game revelry, Pasloski admitted he was about to hunt it down, then give himself a brief moment to enjoy the victory.
“My parents are out here with my cowboy hat somewhere,” he laughed looking around the crowded field. “I’m going to go dancing after this one, trust me.”
GAME NOTES
RB Marvin Larozar carried 13 times for 56 yards, his lowest total since rushing five times for 11 yards in his university debut Sept. 4 at Calgary. Yet Larozar, who leads the country in rushing with 781 yards, and is third in all-purpose yards at 933, still managed to throw a 90-yard touchdown pass. If he had caught a touchdown pass, it is not known definitively who in UBC history might have been the last to rush, catch and pass for a major in the same game was… Larozar was driven into the Thunderbird Stadium turf hard by a pack of Dinos tacklers after the whistle and although shaken up returned to play later. However he began to experience cramping problems and did not play much in the second half… Blessed with depth in the offensive backfield, the ‘Birds went with veteran Riley Michaud who shone with 11 carries for 66 yards. Michaud (114) and running back/return man combined Josh Martin (107) combined for 221 all-purpose yards… UBC’s two other touchdowns came from a one-yard run from Zach Patfield and a 20-yard pass from Drew Viotto to Owen Herle, both in the first half. In the second half, UBC was held to a pair of field goals (28- and 23-yards) by Alexander Hillyard… Fuelled by his 90-yard touchdown catch to open the game, WR Trey Montour finished with 152 yards on six catches… Saskatchewan remained in first place in Canada West at 5-1 following its 39-20 win over Manitoba on Friday. One day prior, third-place Regina defeated Alberta 43-17. Standings entering Week 7 of 8: Saskatchewan 5-1, UBC 4-2, Regina and Manitoba each 3-3; Calgary at 2-4 and Alberta at 1-5 round out the standings. On Friday, in addition to UBC at Regina, Alberta plays at Saskatchewan. On Saturday, Manitoba plays at Calgary. UBC will wrap up its regular season Oct. 30 (6 p.m.) at home to Saskatchewan.
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