U of R Rams enjoying successful season so far but vow not to bask in it too long
With a CIS ranking and two wins in three games under their belts, the University of Regina Rams are gaining confidence.
But that’s as far as it goes right now.
“I don’t think there’s any cockiness,” head coach Steve Bryce said. “We talked about it as a team: ‘Hey guys, congratulations. You’re in the top 10. You’re 2-and-1. Now quit patting yourselves on the back because we’ve got a job to do.’ ‘’
Regina went 0-8 during the 2015 Canada West football season, so back-to-back wins this season over teams that at the time appeared in the CIS top 10 — the Manitoba Bisons and UBC Thunderbirds — has been a boost for the Rams.
Regina, which lost its seasonopener 41-39 to the Saskatchewan Huskies on Sept. 2, beat Manitoba 41-38 on Sept. 8 and UBC 20-10 on Saturday. The T-Birds are the defending Vanier Cup champions.
On Tuesday, Regina appeared at No. 9 when the latest top-10 rankings were revealed. It was the first time since the final rankings of the 2012 season that the Rams made the top 10.
Regina is averaging a league-best 538 yards of offence after three weeks of the regular season, led by a passing attack that is generating a whopping 421 yards per game.
The defence has struggled at times, but it’s coming off a game in which it didn’t allow an offensive touchdown.
Needless to say, the Rams’ confidence level is higher than it has been in years.
“We came into the season knowing, after how things went last year, that we really needed to pick it up and work hard to get to where we need to be,” said slotback Mitch Picton. “We know we have the talent to do it. We just needed to believe we had the guys in the room and the coaching staff to do it.”
Rams linebacker Zack McEachern noted that the team’s theme to the season is “Believe” — and that’s what the players have been doing.
“It’s really all we needed, with what we’ve had to deal with the past few seasons,” McEachern said. “We were lacking that belief and that confidence. To finally have that is really nice. And to see the results is great, too.”
But while the Rams have enjoyed the fruits of their labours, they also know that their work isn’t done.
The memories of the 2015 campaign remind them of that.
“We have to remember where we came from and the struggles we went through,” Picton said. “We worked really hard for a long time to get to where we are right now.
“We’ve got a long season ahead of us. Two wins is great, but we’ve got a lot more that we need to accomplish this year.”
The Rams have been decimated by injuries, with three starters on both the offensive and defensive lines sidelined. As well, deep-threat receiver Khalid Kornegay was carted off the practice field Tuesday with a suspected ankle injury.
Bryce believes his charges are concerned by the injuries, and that sentiment has helped keep the players from getting overconfident. The identity of their next opponent also has kept the Rams grounded.
Regina is to face No. 3-ranked Calgary on Friday (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium) and the Dinos have owned the Rams in recent years.
“We can model that (humble) behaviour,” Bryce said in reference to the coaching staff. “We can say, ‘Hey, it’s great that we’re in the top 10. Now let’s look at Calgary. We’ve got the most physical team in Canada West coming in and if you’re still pounding your chest (over past accomplishments), they’re going to pound along with you.’ ”
We’ve got a long season ahead of us. Two wins is great, but we’ve got a lot more that we need to accomplish this year.