T-Birds seek first win streak, road win of season in Edmonton

Riding some renewed energy after last week's rollercoaster Homecoming win over the Dinos, the UBC Thunderbirds (2-2) head to Edmonton for a clash with the Alberta Golden Bears (0-4) Friday, September 26 at Foote Field.

Seeking their first consecutive wins of the season, the T-Birds face a desperate host squad in serious danger of taking themselves out of the Canada West playoff race. While last week's battle with Calgary was a pivotal moment for UBC, Friday night in Edmonton is equally as consequential for both opponents who are, at the moment, heading in opposite directions.

"Our season could have been essentially over if it wasn't for the football gods smiling on UBC that last play," said T-Birds head coach, Blake Nill, referencing last Friday's wild finish. "Now, how are we going to take advantage of this opportunity? So far, I think we've seen a little higher level of urgency in practice and I'm hoping we have some traction that we can start improving week by week now."



UBC's improvement in week four was no more prevalent than on defence. Winning the turnover battle, including a key late fourth-quarter Darrien Brown interception that put the 'Birds in position to re-take the lead, the blue and gold also held Calgary to 125 rushing yards, a much better run defence than in any of the first three games of the season.

On the other side of the ball, it appears the 'Birds may be starting to find a run game of their own after Toluwalope Ayedegbe ran for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

"(Ayedegbe) I thought last week certainly took it on his shoulders to try and get the kind of yardage we require on the ground and hopefully this week he's able to do somewhat of the same thing," said Nill. "It takes away your soul on defence if you can't stop the run game. In the past, especially in the short term past, with Isaiah (Knight) and the O-line the way it was, our run game has always been something we could rely on. We're just not quite there right now."
 

The 'Birds and Golden Bears have similarly struggled running the ball through the first half of the season. Even with Ayedegbe's impressive performance last week, UBC is averaging a conference low 81.3 yards rushing per game with Alberta just slightly better at 93.3.

Alberta may be the lowest scoring team in the conference thus far, but the Bears have had some success in the passing game. Veteran quarterback Eli Hetlinger sits second in Canada West passing yards (1158) and touchdowns (7). As a team, the Golden Bears are the most pass-reliant offence in the conference, leading the way with 314.5 yards per game.

Friday night will mark the first and only regular season meeting between the T-Birds and Bears in 2025, and the first head-to-head for Nill and new Alberta head coach, Stevenson Bone, who spent the past three seasons as UBC's offensive coordinator.



"I'm a big fan of Stevenson, he did a great job for us and he's very deserving of the opportunity he has at U of A. I know they're going to be prepared and ready to go. We just got to match that level of preparation. He likes his gadget plays and likes to catch you off guard in different ways so that's something we've identified and hopefully we're ready for anything he can throw at us."

Friday night in Edmonton has the potential to inch UBC closer toward securing a playoff berth, but perhaps more importantly, the team is focussed on putting a complete performance together for the first time this season.

"I think we're close, but again, the job of the coaches is to try to put a game plan together that the athletes can perform to. We need momentum. I don't think we've had one example where I can actually say things were flying consistently for us. With the quarterback changes, with the adjustments on defence, we haven't been able to establish the kind of momentum we need."

Kickoff Friday at Foote Field is set for 5:30 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed live on Canada West TV.