VANCOUVER, B.C. – The University of Regina Rams exploded for 31 unanswered first-half points en route to a 46-16 road win over UBC on Saturday night at Thunderbird Stadium.
The first-half outburst included three one-yard touchdowns by fifth-year running back Sam Varao, who tied a University of Regina record for most rushing majors in a single game.
First-year quarterback Josh Donnelly had a pair of touchdown passes including one on a 75-yard bomb to Riley Boersma in the third quarter, while Trey Campbell’s 20-yard touchdown run in the fourth capped the scoring for the Rams.
The defence did the rest as Sheldon Gray’s group combined for five sacks while also forcing three turnovers – one on a Zach Moore interception, one on a fumble forced by Cody Peters, and one after a Matt Moore sack on a third-down gamble in the third quarter.
TURNING POINT
After Varao’s first touchdown plunge tied up the game at 7-7 late in the first, the Rams defence forced a two-and-out. Robbie Lowes blocked the ensuing punt and Jaxon Ford returned it inside the UBC five, which set the table for Varao’s second major. The Rams scored 17 more points before halftime, giving them a commanding 31-7 lead at the break.
STELLAR DEFENCE
Matt Moore had one of the team’s five sacks and also combined with Josh White on another while Cameron Cross, Cord Delinte, and Ryder Varga each had solo sacks for the Rams. Moore not only had the second-quarter interception, but also collected a fumble recovery after scooping up the ball after Peters jarred the ball loose on a run late in the third.
THROUGH THE AIR
The Josh Donnelly-led offence carved up UBC through the air. Donnelly completed 23 of his 32 attempts for 377 yards and two touchdowns, most notably his long touchdown bomb to Boersma. He also connected with Kyle Moortgat for a 51-yard gain late in the third. Boersma finished with three catches for a game-high 103 yards while Moortgat, Bennett Stusek, and Ryan Schienbein all caught at least five passes in the win.
QUOTABLE: COACH BRYCE
“Tonight was a great team victory for us. I told the boys after the game that there were no stars tonight, it was just a great team effort on offence, on defence, and on specials. Everyone carried their weight and did a little extra tonight. We thought we might have something special with this young group and they certainly didn’t disappoint tonight.”
NEXT UP
The Rams will be at home both of the next two Fridays with games against Alberta (Sept. 6) and Saskatchewan (Sept. 13) at Mosaic Stadium.
NOTES: The Rams open up their Canada West schedule with a Week 1 road win for the first time in program history … Varao now shares the school single-game rushing touchdowns record originally set by Cory Olynick in 2002 and matched four times by Atlee Simon … Schienbein moves past Jordan Sisco into fifth place in school history in receiving yards and into a tie with Michael Thomas for fourth in touchdown catches.
