The Alberta Golden Bears and Regina Rams faced off against each other during the second week of the regular season in a game that quickly turned into a test of depth, discipline, and resilience.
Overall, both Alberta's primary and secondary were pushed to the limit by Regina's talented roster. Despite early flashes of a prepared defensive unit, the Bears fell 47–23 after a relentless Rams ground attack and an insult-to-injury level 109-yard pick six late in the game.
The first quarter set the tone for a back-and-forth start. After Duncan Critch recovered a shaky opening kick return, Alberta leaned on Ope Oshinubi to pick up a fresh set of downs before quarterback Eli Hetlinger connected on a deep strike to Thomas.
A quick drive capped by a touchdown pass to Erik Torhjelm and a field goal from Eric Schwartz gave the Bears a 10–9 edge after one.
First-year defensive lineman Carter McLean managed to pounce on a fumble in the first quarter but appeared to sacrifice his shoulder in the process, as he was seen being lead off the field by the Bears' athletic therapy squad right after the play.
Regina responded in the second quarter with quarterback Noah Pelletier using his legs at the goal line and leaning on receiver Renzel Arinaza and RB Marshall Erichsen to stretch Alberta’s defense.
Hetlinger found Isaiah Sanderson for key yards before finishing a long drive with a touchdown strike to veteran Kolby Hurford, who celebrated with a stanky leg dance in the end zone.
Receiver Orin Schellenberg also made an impact on Alberta's special teams unit — recovering a fumbled ball from Regina's Michael Eagle Bear and giving Albereta the first down. But penalties and missed protections stalled other drives, and by halftime Alberta trailed behind Regina 23–17.
Alberta lost a key opportunity for a potential touchdown in the second quarter after Alberta took an illegal formational penalty during a deep pass between Hetlinger and receiver Chevy Thomas that would have put Alberta in prime territory to run for a touchdown.
The call set Alberta's primary back to first and 25. Despite the setbacks, Hetlinger and Thomas did an incredible job of finding each other through out the game.
The third quarter saw Regina’s run game dominate. Running back Christian Katende consistently moved the chains inside, eventually making it for a touchdown while Erichsen breezed past Alberta’s defense with a 44 yard burst down the sideline, giving him his highest single rush attempt of the game.
Hetlinger continued pushing deep passes, hitting Carter Kettyle and Sanderson to keep drives alive. A touchdown connection with Tanner McBride briefly narrowed the deficit, but Alberta’s failed two point drive post-touchdown forced them to turn over possession to the Rams with just the six points from McBride.
By the fourth quarter, Alberta was already too far behind for any potential come back over the Rams and tried their best to narrow the score gap.
To then further pour salt on the wound, a sure fire pass between Hetlinger and Thomas was intercepted at the goal line by Regina defensive back Carson Sombach. Sombach returned it 109 yards back to Alberta's end zone for a pick six, further sealing the Bears’ second straight loss of the season, after dropping the ball in Week 1 to the Saskatchewan Huskies, 29-22.
Regina's 109-yard pick six was one for the books, as it set the record for the longest yardage interception return in Regina Rams history and one of the longest in U SPORTS history.
Alberta's offence may have to put more effort into remaining alert against their opponent's secondary as this is the second straight time Alberta has had a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown this season.
In a brief interview with OB.SESSED after the game, head coach Stevenson Bone emphasized that the Bears’ fight wasn’t lacking, but their execution and mentality have to improve.
“We stayed aggressive, but it was a difficult night,” Bone said.
“We didn’t play up to standard. The Rams are a talented roster with two really good backs. We’ve got to tackle better as a unit. That 109-yard return wasn’t the gut punch, it was already gone by then. We were missing four starters on the offensive line and lost more men as the game went on, but we kept trying to close the gap.”
Still, Bone pointed to bright spots in the passing game. "“Eli and Chevy have amazing chemistry. It’s intuitive. Eli trusts him to go up and make big catches, and those guys are leading our younger players.”
Looking ahead, Bone stressed health and toughness at the line of scrimmage as priorities. He reminded his squad that 0–2 isn’t the end of the season.
“When I was at UBC last year, we had the same record early and picked it up later. It’s not about panicking, it’s a mentality thing. We just have to get healthy and get tougher.”
Game Notes
Hetlinger finished with 310 yards, three touchdowns and pass completion rate of 78 per cent (28-of-36).
Pelletier finished with 169 yards, one touchdown and the same pass completion rate of 78 per cent, on 14-of-18 passing.
Alberta's OL Vito Verdicchio and DL Carter McLean both left the game to injuries.
Regina TE Joe Camplin was injured on a kickoff, and left the game while Regina's offence took a knee.
Seth Poelzer led Alberta for rushing yards and attempts (10 attempts, 42 yards). Alberta ran just 17 times for 67 yards.
Fifth-year linebacker Dayton Ingenhaag led the game with 11 tackles, five solo.
Rookie defensive back Mackale Neba led the secondary with 5 solo tackles and no assists.
Christian Katende led Regina in rushing attempts (20) and ran for 112 yards, but it was Marshall Erichsen who led Regina in rushing yards (171 yards), with both adding scores.
Ajayi's picks for standout players of the game:
- Offensive player of the game: QB Eli Hetlinger
- Defensive player of the game: DB Carson Sombach
- Rookie player of the game: DB Mackale Neba
- Special teams player of the game: RB Seth Poelzer
The Golden Bears (0–2) now turn their focus to next week’s Friday night matchup at home against the Calgary Dinos, aiming to reset their losing streak against their provincial rivals at 6:30pm MDT at Foote Field in Edmonton.
Regina (2-0) will make their way to Vancouver to play the 1-1 UBC Thunderbirds at 6 p.m. PT on Friday night.