FB | Week 2 Preview

Road teams reigned supreme in the opening week of the Canada West football season, with Saskatchewan, Alberta and UBC all picking up season opening victories away from home.

Those three sides will look to continue the momentum as they host their own home openers in week two. Friday night's matchups include provincial rivals Saskatchewan and Regina squaring off in Saskatoon, while Manitoba visits Alberta in a pivotal early season contest. The week two schedule wraps up Saturday afternoon in Vancouver, as Calgary looks to spoil UBC's homecoming.

Here are the storylines to watch:

Friday, Sept. 8 @ 7 p.m. CST: Regina Rams (0-1) at Saskatchewan Huskies (1-0)

TV: SaskTel Ch. 49/349   |  Streaming: CanadaWest.TV

The intensity of the Battle of Saskatchewan is back, with both sides eager to improve on their week one performances.

The two-time defending Hardy Cup champion Huskies will be striving for a more complete effort after a shaky start last week at Manitoba. New starting quarterback Anton Amundrud didn't find his form until the second half, but the Huskies offense returned to its trademark explosive form once he settled in. Saskatchewan roared for 16 fourth quarter points, erasing an 18-point deficit to steal a 30-27 victory.

Regina's offence struggled with consistency against a tough UBC defence unit in week one, and their task won't get any easier in week two against an experienced Huskies squad. Veteran Rams backup Bryden O'Flaherty was thrust into action in the fourth quarter last week and made the most of his appearance, completing five of his first six passes and leading the Rams on a 10-play, 75-yard TD drive. It'll be interesting to see if O'Flaherty gets the call against Saskatchewan or if the Rams go back to Noah Pelletier.

• This will be the first of two regular season meetings between the two teams. The Rams and the Huskies will also meet on Oct. 28 in a Week 8 battle at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

• The Huskies remained third in this week's national U SPORTS rankings.

• Rams kicker Aldo Galvan punted seven times for an average of 49.9 yards last week against UBC. Galvan is second in the nation in that stat, trailing only Eric Maximuik of Concordia (50.2 yards).

• Saskatchewan linebackers Lane Novak and Nick Wiebe had seven solo tackles each against the Bisons.

Friday, Sept. 8 @ 7 p.m. CST: Manitoba Bisons (0-1) at Alberta Golden Bears (1-0)

TV: SaskTel Ch. 48/348  |  Streaming: CanadaWest.TV

In what should be a dandy of a matchup, quarterback Eli Hetlinger and the Golden Bears return home to face Manitoba.

The Bears got off to a great start by rolling to a 33-9 win over rival Calgary last week. Hetlinger threw for 380 yards, including two 70+ yard touchdown receptions from Carter Kettyle that broke the game open.

Standing in their way will be a determined Bisons side looking to bounce back after letting one slip through their fingers last week. The Bisons jumped all over the defending Hardy Cup champion Saskatchewan Huskies in week one, taking a 25-7 at half - but stalled the rest of the way in an eventual 30-27 defeat.

If the Golden Bears want to return to the CW playoffs this season, a good showing against the Bisons will go a long way. Expect some offensive fireworks in this one.

• The game will feature two U SPORTS players of the week, with Bears QB Eli Hetlinger winning offensive honors (380 yards, 2 TD) and Bisons DB Sebastien Reid taking defensive honours after a 2 INT game.

• The Bears held Calgary to just 12 first downs and 179 yards of total offence, forcing three Dinos turnovers. Alberta finished with 528 yards of total offence, holding possession of the ball for 39 minutes.

• The Bisons have won three of the last four meetings against Alberta, including a 44-30 home win in Week 7 last year that all but eliminated the Bears from the post-season. The Bears did, however, beat the Bisons 34-11 at Foote Field in Week 2. 

Saturday, Sept. 9 @ 1 p.m. PDT: Calgary Dinos (0-1) at UBC Thunderbirds (1-0)

Streaming: CanadaWest.TV

With championship aspirations, the T-Birds will look to entertain their home fans as they take on the Dinos in search of their first 2-0 start to the season since 2009.

The T-Birds managed 431 total yards of offence last week against Regina but only managed to find the end zone once. Enter kicker Kieran Flannery-Fleck, who hit on all six of his field goal attempts, one shy of tying a Canada West single game record. He took home U SPORTS Special Teams Player of the Week honours.

While the Dinos historically have owned the head-to-head history, the T-Birds did earn a 39-29 win in Calgary during their only matchup of 2022. The win snapped a 10-game Calgary win streak over the 'Birds. 

The Dinos will look to rebound after a tough season opener against Alberta. Calgary QB Dom Britton went 14-of-27 in his Dinos debut. In general, the offence struggled to stay on the field early but progressively found more rhythm as the game progressed. 

Calgary's defence will also look to tighten up after being victimized by the big play against the Bears, surrendering two 70-yard touchdown receptions that broke the game open. 

• UBC came in ninth in the latest U SPORTS national rankings.

• T-Birds third-year starting QB Garrett Rooker went 19-for-25 for 305 yards and one TD in the win over Regina. The big play for Rooker came early in the second quarter when he connected with Sam Davenport on a 61-yard score. 

• Saturday marks the first of two meetings between Calgary and UBC this season, with the rematch scheduled for Oct. 14 at McMahon Stadium.

• The last time UBC earned a home field win over the Dinos was all the way back in September of 2006. 

Header photo credit: Piper Sports Photography (Regina Rams)