August seems like a years ago but the Rams definitely have not forgotten how they almost let a win get away from them in the final minutes of their season opener.
The last time the Rams and Dinos faced off, the young and inexperienced Dinos managed to put the Rams on their heels. Calgary caught the defending Hardy Cup Champions off guard, as they were pushed to overtime in week 1 of the season.
Regina returned to form in overtime and managed to leave with a win to kick off a three-game win streak before ultimately losing to the Huskies in the Battle of Saskatchewan two weeks ago. And despite a slow start against the Herd last weekend, they fought back and kept Manitoba at just eight points to their 30.
They enter this week with a 4-1 record and, having faced every team in the conference, they seem poised to clinch a playoff berth with a win over Calgary on Saturday afternoon. An even better situation? A Manitoba win at home against the Thunderbirds would also secure a top-two finish for the Rams, giving them home-field advantage for a Canada West semifinal.
Calgary is coming off back-to-back losses of differing degrees. Their loss against UBC two weeks ago was due to errors during a high-emotion game may have been symptoms of the youth and inexperience of a team during those intense situations. However, according to head coach Ryan Sheahan, that loss didn't "hurt" as badly as last week's 45-22 loss against Saskatchewan, where, for the first time this season, the Dinos were truly out of a game from start to finish.
This weekend's game has a lot on the line for both teams. Regina wants to mark the CanWest semifinals in pen while the Dinos are looking for that spark to take them through to the end of the season.
Storyline: Calgary's defense needs to be perfect against an elite offense, but their grit can be their best weapon
Regina has, arguably, one of the best offenses in the country, and they are capable of running away with games when given the slightest gaps. The Rams have a multifaceted offensive line that is not only capable of long passes for touchdowns by Noah Pelletier, who's already at over 1200 passing yards this season, but their ground game is virtually unstoppable as well.
Marshall Erichsen collected his seventh and eighth rushing touchdowns of the season over the Bisons and is now just one short of the program record. With three games left on the schedule, there's no doubt he's not only setting a new record but shattering it.
The Dinos' defensive line will have their hands full trying to pressure Pelletier, containing Erichsen, and not allowing any space for him to advance the ball, and being strong on their coverage of a talented group of receivers that have combined for over 1300 receiving yards. Calgary's defense will need to keep things tight to keep drives short and give their offense as many opportunities as possible.
Calgary's offensive personality is starting to show as the players mesh and understand each other at this midway point of the season. The quarterback "battle" is less a competition for the role and more of a partnership. With David Jordan carrying half the load, playing the long yards and facilitating plays, while Jet Zakrewski capitalizes on the short yards but has also shown his capabilities as a passer when needed.
Witnessing Calgary try to maneuver around Saskatchewan last week, it was shown that Zakrewski is Calgary's wildcard. As mentioned, he's capable of advancing the ball no matter what, but combined with his quick decision-making and ability to identify lanes through the Huskies' defense, he showed he's a great complement to Jordan and an asset to the Dinos.
Storyline: An injury-riddled Calgary may struggle to finish the season strong
'Injuries' has been the taboo word in the Dinos' locker room, with a number of their key players sitting out. The offensive line is the most heavily impacted side of the ball, with two of its starting linemen missing time, dating back to week 1. Veteran receiver Matt Sibley has missed two games. But most significantly, the Dinos are running low on running backs. When fourth-year Matthieu Clarke went down in week 2, first-year Eri Olarubofin took on the reins quite well, but that only lasted until week 4 when he was sidelined in that emotional match against UBC. He is expected to return against Regina, but that's yet to be decided.
The Dinos have been on a bit of a Cinderella run this season. With such a young squad, no one expected them to have given their opponents such challenges, but they've proven everyone wrong and climbed up our national rankings (very different from the U SPORTS rankings) due to their sheer grit and determination.
However, there's no denying that injuries to such key players at such key positions may not be an obstacle that the Dinos buckle down and push their way through.
Who else is capable of stepping up? Especially when called upon against a giant like the Regina Rams?
Prediction
The Rams look like they're at the top of their game, and despite the one scar on their record, it's hard to identify any gaps for their opponents to capitalize on. But if there's one team that's truly pushed them to their limits, it's the Dino's and they're fully capable of doing that again.
However, this is a very different Dinos team compared to the beginning of the season. Injuries have been the largest factor, and you can't help but wonder whether this was inevitable with the way this squad seems to be willing to put anything on the line for the next play.
While Canada West has been extremely unpredictable, there really is only one true potential winner in this match (though I'd love to be proven wrong).
Final score prediction: Regina 42, Dinos 12