RAMS FALL 27-26 AT BISONS
WINNIPEG – Matt Riley’s 39-yard field goal on the last play of the game split the uprights to give the Manitoba Bisons a 27-26 victory over the Regina Rams on Saturday afternoon at Investors Group Field.
The Rams led for the entire fourth quarter after Josh Donnelly and Daniel Scraper connected for a 15-yard touchdown late in the third, but missed a golden opportunity to push a slim one-point lead to a four-point advantage when an attempt at a 35-yard field goal was pulled left and they had to settle for a single.
And those two missed points turned out to be the difference. Brandon Brooks came up with a huge interception in the end zone with just a minute to go and Manitoba threatening to score, but on the ensuing possession the Rams went two and out and the Bisons needed just one play after the punt return to get into field goal position for Riley.
The Rams fall to 1-4 after the heartbreaking loss and now sit two wins out of a playoff spot with just three weeks to go.
YARDSTICKS AT A GLANCE
The two teams were as evenly matched statistically as the score indicated. The Rams held a 181-167 advantage in rushing yards and a 254-242 edge in passing yards, and time of possession was nearly equal as the Bisons had the ball for 30:14 and the Rams for 29:46.
DEFENCE FINISHES STRONG
The Rams defence conceded lengthy touchdown drives on Manitoba’s first two possessions, but allowed just one other touchdown in the final 51 minutes of play – and that came after a Manitoba interception gave the Bisons the ball with a short field. The Bisons scored just six second-half points, all of which came on two Riley field goals in the fourth quarter. Ryder Varga led the Rams with 9.5 tackles, while Varga and Travis Semenok both had sacks.
GANDIRE ON THE SPOT
Defensive back Brandon Gandire became the first Rams player in nearly six years to recover two fumbles in the same game. His first one was for a second-quarter touchdown, as Jaxon Ford blocked a punt and Gandire scooped it up in the end zone to score the U of R’s first fumble return major since the 2015 campaign. Gandire recovered his second fumble later in the quarter after knocking the ball out of bounds after Manitoba fumbled on a rush up the middle.
RIGHT OFF THE BAT
The Rams scored an 85-yard touchdown on the game’s first play from scrimmage when Donnelly found Kyle Moortgat streaking up the left sideline. It was the longest completion of Donnelly’s career, the longest reception of Moortgat’s career, and the longest Rams play since Noah Picton and Khalid Kornegay connected for an 85-yard touchdown in the 2016 season opener.
GORDON LEADS BISONS D
Gordon had a big game for the Manitoba defence. The second-year linebacker had a fumble recovery with a 12-yard return, an interception with a 32-yard return, a two-yard tackle for loss, and five solo tackles.
OFFENSIVE NUMBERS
Moortgat finished as the game’s leading receiver, catching six passes for 140 yards. Donnelly completed 16 of his 27 pass attempts for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also finishing with seven scrambles for 49 yards. Semba Mbasela had six carries for 64 yards, while Odun Ogidan had nine rushes for 53 yards.
BISONS NUMBERS
Des Catellier was 17-for-31 and finished with 242 yards for Manitoba, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to Trysten Dyce in the second quarter. Dyce and Riley Harrison were his top targets, as Dyce caught five passes for 68 yards and Harrison had 63 yards on four catches. Logan Fischer and Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette both had rushing touchdowns for Manitoba.
NEXT UP
After two straight games away from home, the Rams will host UBC next Friday night at Mosaic Stadium. After the Canada West bye week, the Rams will close out conference play with a Week 7 game at Alberta (Oct. 19) and a Week 8 game against Manitoba at Leibel Field (Oct. 25).
(Braden Konschuh, UofR Athletics/Photo: Tom Hallick)
