Rams fall to Thunderbirds for fifth straight loss

The University of Regina Rams kept it close, but once again came up short.

An interception by James Vause in the UBC Thunderbirds’ end zone in the game’s dying seconds gave the visitors a 33-28 victory over the Rams on Friday night in Canada West football action at Mosaic Stadium.

After a field goal gave UBC a five-point lead with just 42 seconds to go, Rams rookie quarterback Bryden O’Flaherty drove his team 64 yards to the T-Birds’ 18-yard line. On the next play, O’Flaherty looked for Riley Boersma for the game-winning touchdown, but Vause intercepted the pass to give UBC its first win of the season.

It was the third time the Rams have lost by less than a touchdown during their current five-game losing skid, but head coach Stephen Bryce was not making any excuses.

“There are no consolation prizes for effort or for building or being young,” Bryce said after the game. “We’ve got to have some victories here.”

Regina entered the game desperate for a victory if it was to keep alive its slim hopes of a playoff berth. The Rams’ only victory this season was in their first meeting with UBC in August.

O’Flaherty made his first career U Sports start for the Rams on Friday, replacing Josh Donnelly in the lineup.

The early going was not much of a spectacle, with both sides’ lack of form in full evidence with neither able to generate much in the way of offence. Aldo Galvan’s 32 yard field goal did give the Rams an early lead but that would prove to be Regina’s only lead of the contest.

UBC’s Garrin McDonnell kicked three field goals to give the visitors a 9-3 lead. After a second successful kick from Galvan, the Thunderbirds stretched their lead when quarterback Gabe Olivares capped off a four-play, 75-yard drive with a one-yard scoring run.

“I’m pretty frustrated,” Bryce said. “We struggled at times on defence. They came in with a good plan but we struggled to move the ball in the first half.”

Olivares racked up 243 passing yards for the visitors in the first half. That was in stark contrast to O’Flaherty, who had just four first-half completions for 66 yards.

After Jacob Patten hauled in a 41-yard TD pass from Olivares to put UBC ahead 23-6 early in the third quarter, the 18-year-old O’Flaherty suffered a nasty-looking hit which temporarily took him out of the game.

The ensuing 25-yard targeting penalty put the Rams in position and seemed to inspire a response.

Semba Mbasela, who finished the game with 135 rushing yards, scored on a three-yard to cap off the drive — and there was more drama on the next UBC possession.

An Olivares pass was tipped by the onrushing Josh White, with the loose ball falling into the grateful hands of defensive lineman Brandon McKimmon. He walked in for an 11-yard pick six, the Rams’ first since Jamir Walker had one in 2010.

O’Flaherty returned to the game after Colton Hippe threw an interception that set up a one-yard TD run by UBC’s Charles Lemay. O’Flaherty put in a stellar performance the rest of the way, going 10-for-14 passing for 163 yards.

“I’m very proud with how he played. He put it together at the end, moved the ball well and gave us a chance to win the game,” Bryce said. “That is an 18-year old playing against men.”

O’Flaherty threw his first touchdown pass to Kyle Moorgat to make it 30-28 with 1:46 left in regulation time, but McDonnell’s fourth field goal of the game gave the T-Birds a five-point advantage. Vause made the lead stand up with his late-game pick.

Fifth-year receiver Ryan Schienbein, who returned to the Rams’ lineup Friday after missing time with an injury, was still full of praise for O’Flaherty.

“He’s remarkable. An 18-year old kid straight out of high school to step in against one of the better defences in the conference — he did an amazing job,” Schienbein said.

“He’s going to have a great future and is going to be very good in the years to come.”

Schienbein caught five passes for 79 yards to move ahead of Mitchell Picton into fourth all-time in receptions in U of R history. While the loss means that playoff football is almost out of reach, Schienbein is trying to remain positive.

“We’ve got a bye week coming up so we will get some guys back. We want to finish the season strongly,” he said. “I don’t think we are out of it quite yet, and we are going to try and get two more wins and see what happens from there.”

The Rams must win their final two regular-season games — Oct. 19 against the host Alberta Golden Bears and Oct. 25 versus the visiting Manitoba Bisons — to have a shot at a playoff berth.