Huskies playoff upset of T-Birds a monumental one

Sean Stenger (#23) hit the OT playoff winning field goal.

    Sean Stenger made the kick that was heard around the U Sports football world.

    On Saturday at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver B.C., the fifth-year kicker and all-time leading scorer for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team booted a 38-yard field goal in overtime to give his squad a 31-28 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a Canada West Conference semifinal playoff match.

    Stenger’s kick before 738 spectators gave the Huskies their first post-season victory since November 7, 2009, when they downed the University of Regina Rams 53-23 at Griffiths Stadium in a Canada West semifinal match. In the process, the Huskies ended a playoff losing streak that had spanned eight games.

    Before Saturday’s game, the Huskies were 1-11 in their previous 12 post-season contests.

    Both the Huskies and the Thunderbirds posted 5-3 regular season records heading into their playoff clash. UBC earned second place in the conference and home field advantage for the post-season encounter due to beating the Huskies 20-10 in the lone regular season encounter between the two sides on October 12 in Vancouver.

    While the two sides had identical records, this was a game the Huskies, who failed to make the post-season last year, weren’t supposed to win.

Jesse Kuntz caught the TD pass that forced overtime.

    Their playoff struggles since last making the Vanier Cup and falling to the Universite Laval Rouge et Or 13-8 at Griffiths Stadium on November 25, 2006 have been well publicized.
    The playoff stumbles weren’t the only thing standing in the Huskies way.

    They were heading on the road to play a Thunderbirds team that has Blake Nill as head coach. Nill’s teams had made the Canada West title game – the Hardy Cup – for the last 10 straight years and claimed victory on seven of those occasions.

    That run included seven straight appearances with the University of Calgary Dinos from 2008 to 2014 and three straight appearances the past three years with the Thunderbirds.

    Going into the playoffs this season, the Thunderbirds had won their last three straight games. Despite their early struggles, it appeared UBC had righted the ship.

    Teams coached by Nill just don’t lose at this point in the U Sports playoffs. Playing at home and riding a hot streak, it was supposed to be impossible to see an opponent come out with a victory.

    The Huskies were expected to put in a good effort and proceed to bow out into the off-season with the fifth-year grads crying tears of sadness.
    The Dogs defied all odds and came away winning a post-season classic that the Huskies players will remember for the rest of their lives.
    After falling behind 10-0, the Huskies stormed back to take a 20-10 lead in the third quarter. UBC forced a 20-20 tie early in the fourth quarter, but the Huskies went in front by a single point 21-20 on a 46-yard punt single by Stenger.

Kyle Siemens delivered a TD toss that forced overtime.

    It appeared that would be the last U of S lead on the day.

    The Thunderbirds mounted an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with star fourth-year quarterback Michael O’Connor hitting standout receiver Trivel Pinto with a four-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. The two connected on a pass for a two-point convert to give the Thunderbirds a 28-21 advantage.

    On the ensuing Huskies possession, Thunderbirds defensive back Stavros Katsantonis intercepted fifth-year Huskies star quarterback Kyle Siemens at the UBC 33 yard line with 75 seconds remaining in the frame.

    Thanks to having a couple of timeouts to use, the Huskies forced the Thunderbirds to punt after two running plays. On the punt, a no yards penalty and an unnecessary roughness facemask penalty on the Thunderbirds allowed the Huskies to start a march at the UBC 47 yard-line with 51 seconds remaining on the clock.

    Siemens drove the Huskies offence that distance in four plays and connected with receiver Jesse Kuntz on a 14-yard touchdown reception with 21 seconds to play in the stanza to tie things up at 28-28 and force overtime.
    In the shootout style overtime format, the Thunderbirds had the first possession. UBC kicker Greg Hutchins missed a 33-yard field goal and Huskies running back/receiver Colton Klassen ran the ball out of the end zone to ensure the score remained tied at 28-28.

Tyler Chow ran in two major scores for the Huskies.

    Stenger hit his winning field goal on the Huskies ensuing possession.

    This was a win where the Huskies found a way to get it done.

    O’Connor completed 28-of-41 passes for 435 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Besides throwing a touchdown toss to Pinto, O’Connor threw major scores to Ben Cummings from 25 yards out and Blake Whiteley from 24 yards out.

    Siemens, who has thrown the second most passing yards in the history of the Huskies program, had a more pedestrian day hitting on 19-of-31 passes for 222 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

    Fifth-year running back Tyler Chow grinded out 89 yards rushing on 21 carries and ran home touchdowns from one and 16 yards out. He hauled in six passes for 54 yards to go along with his efforts on the ground.

    Hutchins hit field goals from 12 and 21 yards out to round out UBC’s scoring.

    Stenger hit field goals from 33 and 37 yards out in regulation for the Huskies.

    Defensively, Bowan Lewis had 10.5 total tackles for the Huskies, while linebackers and brothers Thomas and Ben Whiting had nine and seven total tackles respectively.

Thomas Whiting had nine tackles for the Huskies.

    Under second-year head coach Scott Flory, this playoff victory by the Huskies was monumental and a big step forward for the football program.
    The Huskies showed they can finally win again in the U Sports football post-season, and they knocked off a team guided by a head coach in Nill, who continually guides teams on long playoff runs.

    Now, the Huskies get to travel to Calgary, Alta., to face the Dinos, who are a combined 9-0 in the regular season and post-season, in the Hardy Cup final to determine the Canada West champion this coming Saturday at McMahon Stadium at 1 p.m. Calgary time.

    The Dinos took the other Canada West semifinal 37-13 last Saturday in Calgary against the University of Manitoba Bisons. U of C will be appearing in the Hardy Cup final for the 11^th straight year.

    U of S is once against faced with the task of manufacturing another monumental upset.

    Still, it appears you can’t count these football Huskies out. The belief is there that anything is possible.

Here's your game-winning kick from Sean Stenger 🔥#HuskiePride #WinTheWest pic.twitter.com/B6a7NntrSb

— Huskie Football (@skhuskies) November 4, 2018

Hilltops to face Rams in Canadian Bowl

Congratulations to the @LangleyRams on advancing to the 2018 Canadian Bowl with a 39-14 victory over the @CanesFootball63 in the #CJFL National Semi-Final pic.twitter.com/3GxYgY4Kw6

— CJFL News (@CJFLnews) November 4, 2018

    The Jevon Cottoy show powered the Langley Rams into the Canadian Bowl.

    On Saturday in Langley, B.C., the 22-year-old receiver hauled in nine passes for 190 yards and scored three touchdowns, ran in a major from a yard out and kicked a 54-yard punt single to power the Rams to a 39-14 romp over the Hamilton Hurricanes in a Canadian Junior Football League national semifinal contest. Quarterback Duncan Little hit Cottoy with the three touchdown tosses in the semifinal game at McLeod Stadium in Langley, B.C.

    With the win, the Rams, who improved to 10-3 overall, advance to the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – to face the four time defending champion Saskatoon Hilltops on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. The Hilltops are 10-0 overall on the campaign and trying to complete their fourth perfect season in team history and first since 2003.

    The Hurricanes finished the 2018 campaign with a 10-1 overall record.

    The Hilltops and Rams are familiar foes in the Canadian Bowl as they will meet in the CJFL title game for the third time in seven years.

    The previous two encounters were both held in McLeod Stadium.

    In 2012, the Hilltops claimed one of the all-time classic CJFL title encounters downing the Rams 23-21. In 2014, the Hilltops ran away with a 39-14 victory, which started their current run of winning four straight CJFL championships.

    The Hilltops will be trying to win their 21^st CJFL title in their upcoming Canadian Bowl clash with the Rams.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Huskies victory wiped out

Penalty nullifies Braun TD catch with 4.8 seconds to play

Receiver Chad Braun thought he had the winning TD here for the Huskies.

    Some Higher Power up there owes Chad Braun a mulligan.

    The veteran receiver, who is in his fifth-year of eligibility, looked like he was going to be the hero for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team during a U Sports regular season clash on Saturday night at Griffiths Stadium against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.
    With the Thunderbirds holding a slim 29-25 lead, Braun hauled in a pass on a sideline out route and zipped into the end zone for a 33-yard touchdown reception with 4.8 seconds to play.

    The 24-year-old’s score was wiped out, when the officials called an illegal block penalty on Huskies receiver Yol Piok.

    On the next and last play of the game, a Hail Mary pass from Huskies quarterback Kyle Siemens was intercepted by Thunderbirds receiver/defensive back Alex Morrison at the UBC seven to preserve a 29-25 victory for the visitors.

QB Kyle Siemens made some big plays passing for the Huskies.

    The officials departed under a chorus of boos and catcalls from a large number of the 3,310 spectators that were in attendance. A miraculous comeback by the host side was not to be as the Huskies trailed 23-2 entering the fourth quarter.

    If you are part of the Huskies coaching staff headed up by Scott Flory, you initially want to watch the video of Braun’s nullified touchdown catch to see if the officials made the correct penalty call on Piok. If the officials were right, it gives you some piece of mind knowing the correct call was made.

    If the call was wrong, you can start consoling your players telling them they did indeed do the right things during the game-deciding moment. The sideline bosses also have to tell their players in this instant you just have to gut through what happened, because in life, you will encounter various situations where bad things happen to you that are out of your control.

Chad Braun had two TDs called back due to penalties.

    You can get upset at an official’s mistake for a time, but then you have to learn to let it go and move on. In a respectable fashion, you have to realize they are human too.

    The one person who will like have bad dreams about Saturday’s clash is Braun. He had two touchdowns that were called back due to penalties.

    Besides seeing his last-second touchdown catch get nullified, Braun had an 82-yard punt return touchdown late in the third quarter erased due to an offside penalty.

    Braun, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 190 pounds, came to the Huskies last season after spending five campaigns with the Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League. He helped the Toppers win CJFL titles in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 developing a reputation of having a playing style like Weston Dressler, when he played with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    On top of making electric plays on the field, Braun is one of the most likeable players in the Saskatoon football community, so you feel extra sorry for him when his big plays get taken away.

    A number of Huskies supporters will likely blame the officials for the outcome of Saturday’s game.

QB Michael O’Connor put up big numbers for UBC.

    What most in the general public don’t realize is officials these days do their best to try and get all the calls in a game right, because the most consistent ones move on to work games at higher levels. If they realize a mistake was made, they often don’t feel good about what happened.

    Resorting to jumping on them and overly criticising them just makes the situation worse, and if teams level hard criticism, the members of those clubs gamble with the prospect of coming off as pricks. At that point, you might accidentally not have some calls go your way in the future.

    In Canada, officiating in all sports is a work in progress in trying to make things better.

    In the United States, a lot more funding is put into officiating at all levels of sports, but sports in a big industry there. In Canada, sports at all levels often relies on volunteers to move forward and succeed.

    It also has to be noted for the longest time on Saturday it didn’t appear Huskies would even get in position to win the game with a possible last-second touchdown. They led 2-0 after the first quarter due to the Thunderbirds conceding a safety.

    The visitors proceeded to score 23 straight points. Morrison hauled in touchdown receptions from 25 and 35 yards out in the second quarter from Thunderbirds quarterback Michael O’Connor. O’Connor hit receiver J.J. DesLauriers on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, and the Huskies conceded a safety to conclude the surge by the visitors.

Huskies DB Payton Hall (#28) nails a Thunderbirds receiver.

    While the Thunderbirds offence scored points, the Huskies offence appeared to be stuck in the mud plagued by a number of dropped passes from receivers.

    The Huskies halted the bleeding early in the fourth quarter, when Siemens hit Samuel Baker for an eight-yard touchdown toss to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 23-9.

    O’Connor ran in a touchdown from six yards out, but the point after attempt was botched to hold UBC’s lead at 29-9.

    Siemens hit sophomore receiver Finley Easton with a 13-yard touchdown toss and Piok with a 33-yard scoring strike to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 29-23. The Thunderbirds conceded a safety with 59.3 seconds to play to cut their edge to 29-25 and give the Huskies one last drive from 75 yards out to try and win the game. That led to the dramatics at the end.

Alex Morrison (#85) makes one of his two TD catches. 

    Siemens completed 26-of-47 passes for 310 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Huskies lost their fourth straight to fall to 2-4. O’Connor completed 37-of 51 passes for 466 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Thunderbirds, who improved to 4-2 and locked up a playoff berth. Thunderbirds receiver Trivel Pinto caught 13 passes to lead all pass catchers with 156 yards receiving.

    With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Huskies still sit fourth in the Canada West Conference and hold the conference’s final playoff berth ahead of the U of Alberta Golden Bears and U of Manitoba Bisons, who are both 1-5.

    After Saturday’s heartbreaker to the Thunderbirds, the Huskies are at a turning point. They could let that affect them to the point where they tailspin right out of the post-season picture.

    They could also show true character and rally back from that disappointment, because they can still have a memorable season.
    The Huskies would look real impressive, if they can pull off the latter.

    Their first chance to get on the upswing occurs this coming Saturday, when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Golden Bears.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Rams prove a point in sound win over Thunderbirds

The Rams defence stops the Thunderbirds on a third-and-one gamble.

    REGINA - The University of Regina Rams showed their 6-2 regular season record last year was no illusion.

    In 2016, the Rams were guided by a first-year U Sports head coach in Steve Bryce and were coming off an 0-8 campaign in 2015. U of R posted one of the greatest single season turnarounds in U Sports history in Bryce’s first season placing first in the Canada West Conference for the first time in team history.

    In the playoffs, the Rams were one and done falling 40-34 to the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in a Canada West semifinal match. Before last season, the last time the Rams posted a .500 or better record was when they went 6-2 in 2012 and lost that year’s Canada West final to the U of Calgary Dinos.

    Looking at the recent past, one might think what the Rams accomplished last season might be just a one year thing. It appears the wins are going to keep coming in 2017.

Rams receiver Mitch Thompson (#82) zips home for a major score.

    On Friday night at new Mosaic Stadium, the Rams soundly beat the Thunderbirds 36-20 before a crowd of about 3,000. At one point in the third quarter, the Rams were up 33-6.

    The Thunderbirds are guided by U Sports head coaching great Blake Nill, whose teams have won seven of the last nine Canada West titles. Nill guided the Dinos to six straight Canada West titles from 2008 to 2013 before joining the Thunderbirds in 2015. During his first year with UBC, Nill coached the Thunderbirds to a Canada West title and a Vanier Cup championship as U Sports national champions.

    Going into 2017, the Thunderbirds were ranked second in Canada West’s pre-season coaches’ poll, which means they are expected to meet the lofty bars that Nill’s teams usually do. UBC’s 3-5 regular season record from a year ago appears to have been viewed as an anomaly.

Rams LB Nick Cross sacks Thunderbirds QB Cole Meyer.

    That means the Rams, who were rated third in the pre-season Canada West coaches’ poll, pulled out a significant result in their win on Friday night.

    Besides Friday’s win over the Thunderbirds, the Rams knocked off the Dinos 39-3 in a neutral site pre-season tilt in Medicine Hat, Alta., on Aug. 23. The Dinos topped the pre-season Canada West coaches’ poll.

    Against the Thunderbirds on Friday, the Rams looked really good during a number of stretches. Like usual regular season openers, the Rams also had spots that didn’t go as smoothly shown by the fact they took 18 penalties that cost them 131 yards.

    The Thunderbirds were worse in the penalty department taking 23 infractions for 210 yards.

    Rams quarterback Noah Picton, who won the Hec Crighton Trophy last year as the most valuable player in U Sports football, was solid throughout the contest mixing up plays completing 23-of-35 passes for 335 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. One of those interceptions wasn’t his fault due to the fact one of his passes deflected off the hands of a Rams receiver into the hands of Thunderbirds defensive back Payton LaGrange.

Receiver Mitchell Picton caught six passes for 120 yards for the Rams.

  Rams receiver Mitchell Picton, who is Noah’s cousin, caught six passes for 120 yards. The Rams defence held the Thunderbirds offence to 318 yards of total offence and stopped the Thunderbirds on a key third-and-one gamble on the UBC 54 in the third quarter.

    Thunderbirds starting quarterback Michael O’Connor completed 14-of-25 passes for 155 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception before giving way to backup Cole Meyer on two occasions.

    Linebacker Cole Benkic, who was the 2015 Canadian Junior Football League’s defensive player of the year suiting up for the Saskatoon Hilltops, and defensive back Polis Koko both almost ran interceptions back for touchdowns for the Rams.

    U of R’s runaway win started slow before picking up steam. The Rams held a 1-0 after the first quartered ended thanks to kicker Thomas Huber scoring a single on a missed 37-yard field goal.

Rams quarterback Noah Picton throw a pass over a defender.

    Early in the second quarter, Noah Picton hit receiver Kyle Moortgat on a deep corner pattern for a 28-yard touchdown toss to put the Rams up 8-0. On the ensuing kickoff after the major, Daniel Scraper booted the ball into the end zone, and it was downed there to give the Rams another single to go up 9-0.

    Shortly before the midway point of the second quarter, Rams standout running back Atlee Simon pushed his way into the end zone from two yards out to put the hosts up 16-0.

    The Thunderbirds battled back when kicker Greg Hutchins booted a field goal from 41 yards out near the end of the second quarter and a field goal from 31 yards out early in the third quarter to cut the Rams lead to 16-6.

    The Rams restored order scoring 17 straight point to exit the third quarter with a 33-6 edge. Huber hit a field goal from 45 yards out, Mitch Thompson hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Picton and backup quarterback Tyler Vieira plunged in from a yard out to complete the surge.

RB Atlee Simon darts upfield for the Rams.

    Thunderbirds running back Shane Noel ran the ball in from a yard out early in the fourth quarter to cut the Rams edge to 33-13.

    Scraper hit a field goal from 15 yards out to put the Rams up 36-13.

    Inside of the game’s final three minutes, the Thunderbirds rounded out the scoring with a Hutchins 47-yard punt single and a 23-yard touchdown toss from Meyer to receiver Marcus Davis. The Thunderbirds failed to score on a two-point conversion try after Davis’s major to cement the final at 36-20.

    UBC returns to action on Sept. 9, when they host the U of Manitoba Bisons (1-0).

    Overall on Friday night, the Rams had an impressive performance. While they made mistakes that need to be corrected, it appears the Rams ability to pile up victories in 2016 will continue in 2017.

    Next up, they travel to Calgary to face the Dinos on Sept. 8. The Dinos flattened the U of Alberta Golden Bears 55-26 in the regular season opener for both those teams on Friday in Edmonton.

    If the Rams can beat the Dinos on their turf, U of R would cement its status as being a U Sports powerhouse.

Rams honour 2000 Vanier Cup finalist team

Members of the 2000 Rams and their family watch a video highlight reel.

    The Rams honoured their 2000 Canada West championship team that advanced to that year’s Vanier Cup during halftime of Friday’s game.

    A number of players from that team and their families marched out on to the field to be saluted by the fans. They also watched a video tribute filled with various highlights of the 2000 campaign.

    The 2000 season marked the Rams second season in the Canadian university ranks after moving from the CJFL. They finished 4-4 in the regular season before catching fire in the playoffs.

    They downed the Dinos 33-32 in a Canada West semifinal match, the Bisons 25-22 in the Canada West final and the St. Mary’s University Huskies 40-36 in the Atlantic Bowl. The Rams fell 42-39 in the Vanier Cup to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Rams fall short of final Mosaic miracle

Rams QB Noah Picton sets up in the pocket.

    REGINA - For a moment, you thought the Regina Rams would pull off one final miracle at Taylor Field/Mosaic Stadium.

    During their history as members of first the Canadian Junior Football League and then U Sports representing the University of Regina, the Rams in their glory days pulled out games that seemed lost guided by legendary head coaches Gord Currie and Frank McCrystal. Playing a Canada West semifinal game at their storied home park on Saturday against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, it appeared the Rams first place season was going to die on a whimper.

    With 12:31 to play in the fourth quarter, Thunderbirds quarterback Michael O’Connor hit receiver David Mann with an 11-yard touchdown toss to put the visitors up 39-13. The hosts trailed because they hadn’t played well. The Thunderbirds, to their credit, played good, but they weren’t great or spectacular.

    Despite the fact a crowd of 4,500 has been pretty raucous, the Rams appeared to be down and out.

    While there wasn’t much time remaining on the clock, the Rams roared back scoring three touchdowns, while the Thunderbirds replied with a rouge punt single from Greg Hutchins.

William McGee's punt is blocked by A.J. Blackwell (#35).

    The last U of R major came when star quarterback Noah Picton hit receiver Ryan Schienbein with an 11-yard scoring strike with nine seconds to play cutting the UBC lead to 40-34. Those that followed the Rams history know they once pulled out a 35-31 regular season victory at home in 2000 against the University of Alberta Golden Bears by scoring the winning points on an onside kick.

    That day, future CFL star Jason Clermont batted a ball out of the air into the arms of teammate Chris Warnecke, who ran the rest of the way for the deciding score. You wondered if something crazy like that would happen again to push the Rams into the Canada West championship game.

    However, Thunderbirds receiver Trey Kellogg hauled in the onside kick to ensure no miracle would happen on this day. The Thunderbirds held on for the 40-34 victory. They will travel to Calgary this coming Saturday to face the University of Calgary Dinos for the Canada West championship trophy – the Hardy Cup.

    With that loss, one of the great single season turnaround stories in recent U Sports history came to an end. After going 0-8 in 2015, the Rams topped the Canada West standings in 2016 with a six-win improvement going 6-2.

Atlee Simon darts through a hole to score a TD for the Rams.

    They were rated fourth in the U Sports top 10 rankings going into their clash with the Thunderbirds. It was an unthinkable development for anyone outside of the team.

    Under the one-year watch of former head coach Mike Gibson in 2015, the Rams fell into disarray. After the winless campaign in 2015, Gibson left the club for the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos to become their offensive line coach and run game coordinator.

    From there, Steve Bryce entered the picture as the Rams new head coach. He played on their offensive line from 1987 to 1991 in the team’s CJFL days and was part of a national championship winner in his rookie season. Under Bryce, the Rams started to play up to their past image from their glory days.

    Picton completed 224-of-323 passes for 3,186 yards, 25 touchdown passes and nine interceptions in the regular season. He set a new U Sports record for passing yards in a season completing an impressive 69.3 per cent of his throws. The Rams were always known as a pass-happy team, but they took that characteristic to a new exciting level this season.

The Rams defence stops Thunderbirds RB Ben Cummings.

    Against UBC, the Rams ran into one of U Sports best ever head coaches in Blake Nill, and his staff developed a game plan to neutralize their high-powered foes. The best way to keep Picton from hurting you was to make him stay on the Rams sidelines.

    Through a combination of running and a series of short passes, the Thunderbirds, who were 3-5 in the regular season, held the ball for 35 minutes and 21 seconds, which limited the Rams to 24 minutes and 39 seconds of possession time.

    The Thunderbirds also ran 22 more plays than their foes did and piled up an unheard of 42 first downs on 179 yards rushing and 397 yards passing. O’Connor accounted for all of UBC’s yards through the air connecting on 29-of-40 passes, two touchdown strikes and one interception.

Michael O'Connor piled up 397 yards passing for UBC.

    The Rams defence couldn’t get the stops their side needed.

    Adding to the frustrations for the home side, Thunderbirds defensive back A.J. Blackwell blocked a punt in the second quarter that was returned 27 yards by teammate Colton Zayshley for a major score. That play increased a 6-3 Thunderbirds edge to 13-3.

    With their limited time with the ball, the Rams still piled up solid offensive numbers. Picton completed 25-of-35 passes for 364 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. U of R also put up 106 yards rushing. Most of those yards came from running back Atlee Simon, who ran the ball 16 times for 78 yards and scored three touchdowns.

    Fifth-year Rams slotback Riley Wilson, who was playing his final university game, caught nine passes for 184 yards in a spectacular final bow.

    Still, the Rams had to ponder what might have been.

    With that in mind, the Rams will return the core of their team next season. They only loose Wilson and seven other players to graduation.

The Rams exit the Taylor Field/Mosaic Stadium tunnel for the last time.

    U of R is miles ahead of last year.
    Under Bryce’s guidance, another golden age for Rams football might be around the corner.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass on about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.