The University of Alberta Golden Bears (0-1) hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Regina Rams (1-0) in the Queen City with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST.
The Golden Bears roll into Mosaic Stadium coming off a 29-20 loss in their home opener to the Rams' northern rivals, the Saskatchewan Huskies, on Aug. 29.
On the other side, the defending Hardy Cup champions will host their home opener after a thrilling Week 1 43-36 overtime win in Calgary on Aug. 29.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the Week 2 matchup.
Regina Rams Team Overview
Regina quarterback Noah Pelletier lit up the Dinos' defence, tossing for 358 passing yards on 25 of 36 completed passes and one touchdown in the win — Pelletier also currently leads the conference after Week 1 in passing yards.
And yet, while the Rams recorded the most passing yards in the conference last week, it was the run game that was supplying the points. Running back Marshall Erichsen rushed for 113 yards on 27 attempts and pushed the ball into the endzone four times against Calgary.
Regina boasts a great offence at quarterback and running back, and it also extends to the wide receiver position.
Second-year wideouts Nicholas Sirleaf and Renzel Arinaza appear to be Pelletier's top targets early this season after the departure of D'Sean Mimbs, the team's leading receiver last year.
Sirleaf recorded a team-leading 160 yards on nine receptions and caught Pelletier's lone touchdown last week, while Arinaza came in second with 111 on nine receptions.
On defence, the Rams sacked Calgary signal-caller David Jordan twice, courtesy of defensive back Brandon Wong and defensive lineman Anthony Montas Leipert.
Wong also recorded a team-leading 7.5 tackles in the win and had his name called plenty of times along with linebacker Chopper Hippe, who came in second with 6.5 tackles.
The Rams are riding high and will be playing in front of their home crowd for the first time this season. They will be a tough out considering Regina came away with the win in their home opener last year against Saskatchewan.
Alberta Golden Bears Team Overview
The Rams weren't the only ones who came out with an all-out air assault last week. The Golden Bears also utilized the pass game to carry their offence against Saskatchewan.
Alberta Quarterback Eli Hetlinger threw for 334 yards on 30 of 39 completed passes, one touchdown and one interception in the loss to the Huskies.
However, unlike the Rams, the Golden Bears divided up the touches on offence very evenly.
Fifth-year receiver Kolby Hurford led the way with 82 receiving yards and one touchdown on five receptions, but after Hurford, five other Golden Bears recorded three or more receptions — a significant difference from the Rams' three players who recorded three or more receptions.
If Week 1 was any sign of what to expect from the Alberta offence, it is that everything will be done by committee — including the running back position.
Golden Bears head coach Stevenson Bone told OB.SESSED after the team's home opener that he expects the run game to be done "by committee" this season.
This came after a memorable debut from rookie tailback Seth Poelzer, who saw the most touches out of the backfield in Week 1 and led the team with 80 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Bone said post-game he was planning on incorporating more running backs like Ope Oshinubi, but decided to stick with the hot hand in Poelzer, adding it "by no means takes anything from Ope [Oshinubi]."
Could that mean this is the week we see the by-committee approach come into action? It will be something to keep an eye on.
One thing that is not up for debate, though, is that the Alberta defence can bring the pressure.
The Golden Bears got to Saskatchewan quarterback Anton Amundrud five times and currently sit at the top of the conference in team sacks.
The strength of this defence is at the linebacker spot. Led by two fifth-years in Chase Tataryn and Dayton Ingenhaag, the pair combined for 9.5 tackles and two sacks against the Huskies.
The main point of concern for Alberta on defence was the loss of the majority of their starters in the secondary from last season.
In Week 1, defensive backs Zach Chulsky and Mackale Neba recorded a combined 8.5 tackles and helped the Golden Bears push one of the best teams in the nation to the brink.
Watch out to see how the young Alberta secondary holds up against a Rams team that lived by the passing game against the Dinos.
Previous Matchups and Players to Watch
The Golden Bears won the first matchup of the season in 2024 at Foote Field 30-6, but it was a different story when these two met in Regina in the final week, with the Rams winning 29-22.
These teams both have changed out some pieces on offence since they last faced up, but some players to watch include:
Regina Rams
- QB Noah Pelletier
- RB Marshall Erichsen
- WR Nicholas Sirleaf
- WR Renzel Arinaza
- DB Brandon Wong
- LB Chopper Hippe
Alberta Golden Bears
- QB Eli Hetlinger
- RB Seth Poelzer
- RB Ope Oshinubi
- WR Kolby Hurford
- LB Chase Tataryn
- LB Dayton Ingenhaag
Prediction
Canada West seems to be as competitive as ever, with no one separating themselves as a clear number one in the conference. That makes every game a chance to reestablish the conference hierarchy.
There are still plenty of question marks for both teams as to where they sit in that hierarchy this season. Alberta offers a balanced offence that relies on depth rather than one or two stars to carry the load.
Will that be enough to overwhelm the Rams' defence? Meanwhile, Regina appears to have a great passing attack. How will the Golden Bears' secondary stack up against that threat?
Final Score Prediction: Alberta wins 31-27