Around U Sports: Regina Rams clinch playoff berth with win over Alberta

Photo: PSPSask/Regina Rams

Ontario University Athletics (OUA) played its quarterfinal playoff round this weekend while the country’s three other conferences wrapped up their regular seasons.

Around U Sports is a weekly feature on 3DownNation that takes readers across the country to summarize collegiate football action, highlighting standout performances and tracking playoff matchups. It will run for the full season through the Vanier Cup in Kingston, Ont. on Saturday, Nov. 23.

Alberta Golden Bears, 22 — Regina Rams, 29

The Rams clinched the fourth and final playoff spot in Canada West after scoring 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including touchdown runs from Noah Pelletier and Christian Katende, the latter of whom finished the game with 228 yards and two scores along the ground. The Golden Bears finished the season with four straight losses after suffering injuries to key contributors Eli Hetlinger and Matthew Peterson, missing the postseason after narrowly losing the Hardy Cup last year to UBC.

Queen’s Gaels, 22 — Windsor Lancers, 19

The Gaels completed the upset win with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as Russell Weir hit Logan Walton for a 39-yard touchdown. Queen’s defence was dominant, allowing only 209 yards of net offence and generating one takeaway. Joey Zorn accounted for almost all of Windsor’s offensive production, rushing 20 times for 157 yards. This marks the fourth straight season that Queen’s has advanced to the OUA semifinal round as they’ll visit the undefeated Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks next week.

Mount Allison Mounties, 14 — Bishop’s Gaiters, 51

Justin Quirion threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns to help Bishop’s finish the season 8-0 for the first time this century. Gino Carpineta recovered a Mounties fumble for a touchdown, accounting for one of four takeaways for the Gaiters. Bishop’s will host the Acadia Axemen next week in the semifinal round of the AUS playoffs, while Mount Allison missed the postseason at 1-7, their worst record since 2011.

Ottawa Gee-Gees, 15 — Guelph Gryphons, 26

The Gryphons won their first home playoff game since 2019 on the strength of three rushing touchdowns from Caleb Sargeant and Marshall McCray and an interception from Anthony Moretuzzo. This marked Guelph’s first playoff win since 2021, giving them a chance to advance to the Yates Cup for the first time since 2018.

Concordia Stingers, 19 — McGill Redbirds, 29

The Redbirds beat their local rivals to finish 3-5 on the year, posting their best record since 2019 to secure third in the RSEQ. Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald ran for 124 yards and one touchdown from the quarterback position, finishing the season with 774 yards and nine scores along the ground, while Mathis Pilon scored on a 42-yard fumble recovery. Olivier Roy threw for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in a losing effort as the Stingers finished fourth in the standings.

McMaster Marauders, 10 — Western Mustangs, 46

This OUA quarterfinal matchup was close until the second quarter when Western exploded for 26 points, running away with the win. Evan Hillock threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns in the win, while Keanu Yazbeck, Marcell Phillips, Keon Edwards, and Jerome Rancourt combined for 342 yards and three scores along the ground. McMaster’s lone touchdown came on the final play of the first half when Nathan Denkers caught a six-yard pass from Keagan Hall.

Saint Mary’s Huskies, 19 — St. FX X-Men, 26

The Huskies added two late touchdowns to make the score respectable but the X-Men controlled this game from start to finish as Silas Fagnan hit Justin Letendre-Lam for a touchdown and Caleb Fogarty rushed for 188 yards and a score. Allan Young threw for 269 yards for Saint Mary’s but was also intercepted by Naijuan Davis on a hail mary to end the first half. These two teams will meet at St. FX Stadium in Antigonish, N.S. again next week in one of two AUS semifinal games.

Saskatchewan Huskies, 16 — Calgary Dinos, 11

This game came right down to the wire as Ryker Frank scored the game-winning touchdown on a four-yard run with seven seconds left, finishing the season with 152 carries for 952 yards and 10 scores. The Huskies will head west to visit the UBC Thunderbirds in next week’s Canada West semifinal, while the Dinos missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Dom Britton threw for 316 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the loss, hitting his brother, Ben, for the score.

UBC Thunderbirds, 38 — Manitoba Bisons, 51

The Bisons erupted for 24 points in the first quarter to clinch first place in Canada West for the first time since 2007, which also happens to be the last time they won the Vanier Cup. Breydon Stubbs ran 30 times for 244 yards and four touchdowns, setting new school records for single-game and season (14) rushing touchdowns. Garrett Rooker threw for 426 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the loss, while Mitchell Townsend made 14.5 total tackles and Deacon Sterna got home for two sacks.

Laval Rouge et Or, 28 — Sherbrooke Vert et Or, 0

Arnaud Desjardins capped a brilliant season with Laval, throwing for 280 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant win over the last-place Vert et Or. Angel Vital carried the ball 19 times for 141 yards on the ground for the Rouge et Or, while Natan Charron had an excellent day on the defensive side of the ball, making three tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one sack. The win clinched first place in the RSEQ standings for Laval, who will host the Concordia Stingers in next week’s semifinal game.

Playoffs schedule

Atlantic University Sports (AUS)

Saint Mary’s Huskies at St. FX X-Men (Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. EDT)
Acadia Axemen at Bishop’s Gaiters (Nov. 2, 2:00 p.m. EDT)

Ontario University Athletics (OUA)

Queen’s Gaels at Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. EDT)
Guelph Gryphons at Western Mustangs (Nov. 2, 1:00 p.m. EDT)

Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)

Concordia Stingers at Laval Rouge et Or (Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m. EDT)
McGill Redbirds at Montreal Carabins (Nov. 2, 3:00 p.m. EDT)

Canada West

Regina Rams at Manitoba Bisons (Nov. 2, 3:00 p.m. EDT)
Saskatchewan Huskies at UBC Thunderbirds (Nov. 2, 3:00 p.m. EDT)

Standings

Atlantic University Sports (AUS)

Bishop’s Gaiters 8-0
St. FX X-Men 5-3
Saint Mary’s Huskies 4-4
Acadia Axemen 2-6
Mount Allison Mounties 1-7

Ontario University Athletics (OUA)

Laurier Golden Hawks 8-0
Western Mustangs 7-1
Guelph Gryphons 6-2
Queen’s Gaels 5-3

Windsor Lancers 5-3
McMaster Marauders 4-4
Ottawa Gee-Gees 4-4
Carleton Ravens 2-6

York Lions 2-6

Toronto Varsity Blues 1-7
Waterloo Warriors 0-8

Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ)

Laval Rouge et Or 7-1
Montreal Carabins 7-1
McGill Redbirds 3-5
Concordia Stingers 2-6

Sherbrooke Vert et Or 1-7

Canada West

Manitoba Bisons 7-1
UBC Thunderbirds 5-3
Saskatchewan Huskies 5-3
Regina Rams 3-5

Alberta Golden Bears 2-6
Calgary Dinos 2-6

John Hodge
John Hodge is a Canadian football reporter based in Winnipeg.