RAMS 40 GOLDEN BEARS 28

REGINA, Sask. – The University of Regina Rams overcame an early deficit with a big second half, pulling away in the final minutes of the game for a 40-28 preseason victory over the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium.

Alberta scored the first 11 points of the game and led 25-13 at the break, but the second half was all Rams. They outscored the Golden Bears 28-3 in the final two quarters, collecting four touchdowns while a late field goal by Alberta turned out to be its only points of the half.

Mitch Thompson had a fine debut for the Rams, collecting four receptions and a game-high 134 receiving yards including an 88-yard touchdown catch from Cayman Shutter on the first play of the third quarter. Shutter also connected with Riley Wilson for a 14-yard touchdown less than four minutes later and finished the game 9-for-15 with 171 passing yards.

After the break, it was all Rams. After Shutter’s touchdown passes to Thompson and Wilson gave the U of R the lead back, rookie running back Atlee Simon scored for the first time as a Ram with a short run that finished off another long drive with Picton under centre. A late touchdown by Picton essentially put the game out of reach.

Picton ended up 9-for-13 with 139 passing yards, while John Kiesman completed five of his six pass attempts for 35 yards while scrambling twice for 24 yards. Dillon Dawson led the Rams’ ground attack with 37 yards on five carries, while Simon rushed five times for 24.

Michael Stefanovic and Zack McEachern led the U of R in tackles, while Stefanovic also registered one of the team’s five sacks on the night. Connor Ralph led the Alberta defence with five solo tackles, six assisted tackles, and a pass breakup.

The Rams are at home to open conference play, as they’ll host the UBC Thunderbirds at Mosaic Stadium on Friday (7:00 p.m.).

(Courtesy Braden Konschuh/U of R Athletics)