THUNDERBIRDS 27 RAMS 20

The University of Regina Rams couldn’t complete a spirited second-half comeback as they trailed 24-1 at the half to the hometown UBC Thunderbirds, but ended up on the losing end of a close 27-20 score Saturday night at Thunderbird Stadium..

Not only did the Rams (0-2) trail by 23 at the half, but they also lost starting quarterback Noah Picton in the second quarter after he absorbed a hit following a completed pass.

Though Picton was out, the second-half comeback was sparked by the play of backup pivot Tyler Vieira and a pair of huge special teams calls that saw the Rams recover short kickoffs not once, but twice in the third quarter.

Atlee Simon (pictured) had another outstanding game for the Rams, rushing for a career-high 207 yards to become the first U of R player to go over 200 since Adrian Charles had 222 in a game at Manitoba during the 2010 season. Vieira finished 17-for-31 with 286 passing yards, while Thompson had seven catches for a game-high 127 yards. Mitchell Picton led all players with eight catches and finished with a career-high 109 receiving yards.

The Rams, who held a massive 562-328 advantage in offence yards in the game, will now turn their attention to next weekend as they’ll head to Saskatoon for a Friday game against the University of Saskatchewan in a battle of 0-2 teams.