VANCOUVER — If you had been harbouring the unmistakable feeling over the first two weeks of the 2024 Canada West football season that the UBC Thunderbirds looked more like a team that had fumbled away its core identity, turns out you weren’t mistaken.
Whether it was through patience, belief or perhaps good, old-fashioned desperation, the ‘Birds finally got back to making one of their biggest ‘first things’ come first.
When crunch time rolled around in the fourth quarter on Saturday, and the winless Thunderbirds needed to dig just a few inches deeper to try and defeat the host and undefeated Regina Rams, they did.
UBC, behind its rookie bookend tackles, its decorated veteran interior linemen and, of course, its splendid do-it-all running back Isaiah Knight, wrested away the fourth quarter’s tempo from the Rams, dominating both clock and snap count while rallying for a 14-12 victory after slotback Dane Kapler returned to a familiar place in the backfield and found the end zone on a seven-yard scoring run.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell the kids,” said UBC head coach Blake Nill of the fact that the true importance of the team’s blue-collar run game seemed to have gotten lost over the first few weeks of the season.
“I don’t know why they were trying to change who we are,” added Nill, whose team returns home this Friday (6 p.m.) for its showcase Homecoming Game, knowing its best outing of the season thus far against the Saskatchewan Huskies will be mandatory if the program is to return to the .500 mark at the midway mark.
On Saturday, in a game that was never going to be an oil painting, a huge splash along the ground was going to be the key, and Knight responded in kind, carrying 14 times for 103 yards, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
And adding a more steady dose of Kapler (five carries, 19 yards, one touchdown), especially in key third-down and short-yardage scenarios, did nothing but seal UBC’s commitment to not only run the ball, but to run it at that very juncture where the game’s momentum was teetering and up for grabs.
The proof?
UBC dominated time of possession 10:18 to 4:42 in the all-important final quarter.
“UBC’s always run the ball… this isn’t internet football. It’s the real (thing). You know?” Nill said with refreshing candour.
The head coach was pleased by the play of first-year tackles Caleb Cunningham and Axel Statton, both of whom continued to grow in starting roles.
“They are playing awesome… and talk about baptism by fire,” the head coach said, adding that newly-installed O-line coach Peter Buckley “has done a really good job with them.”
The ‘Birds, in fact, went through a major coaching staff re-shuffle following the passing of offensive line coach Dan Dorazio last month.
While the team has mourned Dorazio’s passing, they have also honoured him the process as three holdovers on the staff have switched portfolios and one new coach was brought into the mix, all just weeks before the start of the conference campaign.
“People might not fully realize what the coaching staff has had to navigate but I am proud of the way we have reinvented ourselves,” said Nill who mentioned them all by name afterwards.
The ‘Birds, as they have made a habit of doing this season, started Saturday with an offensive flourish, this one a six-play, 75 yards drive capped by back-up quarterback Derek Engel’s one-yard touchdown keeper.
Knight’s 38-yard gainer, and QB Garrett Rooker’s 25-yard completion to receiver Shemar McBean were the highlights.
Yet from that point until the fourth quarter, the UBC offence struggled to maintain consistency.
Luckily for them, the other side of the ball helped give them their chance.
“The offence has won a lot of games in the past,” said Nill. “This is one time that the defensive guys were able to get it done for their buddies on offence.”
Up front there was a sack by Deacon Sterna, an active presence throughout from the secondary, including Ches Rednour-Bruckman, Braden Khunkhun and Jerrell Cummings, and in the middle of the field big plays from a linebacking group led by Jaxon Ciraolo-Brown and Mitchell Townsend.
Defensive tackle Aaron Parker, halfback Max Kennedy and Ciraolo-Brown were all in on the act when it came to forcing three Regina fumbles on the day.
“Jaxon, athletically, is at the best in the league,” said Nill when asked about Ciraolo-Brown’s performance on Saturday which also included a fumble recovery. “He’s a big play guy and today he made his share of them. I’m proud of the kid, just like I am proud of all the guys today for coming together and finding a way to do just enough to get the win.”
When Regina’s Isaac Wegner booted a 20-yard field goal with 7:19 left in the third quarter, the Rams led 12-7 and the UBC offence looked like it had no answer.
Yet on a night in which the ‘Birds were intercepted in the end zone and missed on two field goal attempts, they had just enough.
A loss and it’s an 0-3 start and sole possession of the Canada West cellar.
A win?
How about a four-way tie for third place, at 1-2, with Alberta, Calgary and Saskatchewan.
Manitoba leads at 3-0 with Regina second at 2-1.
Talk about parity.
Yet whether the corner has been turned won’t fully be known until after next Friday’s game against the Huskies.
“It huge,” said Nill. “We just need to get our swagger back and there’s no place better to do it back in town with a big rivalry game. Let’s get it on.”
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