Frankly Speaking: Rams Beat Bison 28-10 in Gusty Effort
By Greg Urbanoski
Sept. 4, 2009

The score and the stats may tell one side of the University of Regina Rams 28 -10 win over the University of Manitoba Bison, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Over the course of the game the Rams lost three offensive linemen and one defensive back to injuries but the players who stepped in helped carry the Rams to their first win of the season in their home opener.

"We’re really happy," said Rams Head Coach Frank McCrystal after the game. "In an eight game schedule you lose your early games and you just keep playing out of a hole and it’s really difficult to do that.

"We won a home opener and first game of the season so we feel pretty good about that. It gives us a bit of breathing room but we only play these guys once so the guys you play once you have to beat them."

McCrystal was pleased with how the offense moved the ball during the game and with how the receivers caught the ball.

"There were some drops so when you throw the ball up you have to catch it," said McCrystal. "There were some missed blocks. We ran the ball well sometimes and we didn’t at others, but in fairness we lost three offensive linemen in the first half.

"The big thing now is we just don’t know. When they go down you don’t know if it’s ligament or not and we got great doctors and there is a chance for these guys to be back but you just can’t tell right here and right now."

McCrystal said the guys who stepped in for the downed linemen did well. He pointed out Brett Jones is a rookie out of Weyburn, Dane Eremenko red-shirted last year from Consul and McCrystal said the two of them did very well as replacement players.

The status of linemen Brenden Bennett, Devin Hillier and Chris Mercer is uncertain.

Defensively McCrystal said he thought the Rams linebacking corps did well and would have liked to have gotten more pressure on the Bison quarterback.

"We did some good things there too," said McCrystal. "Manitoba is going to drive the ball sometimes. They’re going to get some first downs, they’re going to get some scores, catches and runs.

"I think overall we did a pretty good job. I think our defensive backs really showed well for some of them here for the first time for the team. We lost Dan Knaus on the corner so we were lucky to have Jeff come in.

"It’s really weird, we didn’t have anyone go down in training camp with an injury but then we have four guys go down here."

McCrystal was impressed with quarterback Marc Mueller’s performance. Prior to the game, McCrystal said he wanted more point production from his offense and Mueller did that with decisive reads that resulted in long gains for the Rams.

"He had over 300 yards," said McCrystal. "We wanted to put the ball in the end zone. I think Perri Scarcelli did well. We should have hit the 47 yard field goal but overall, season opener and no exhibition game, we did pretty good."

The Rams travel to Saskatoon Sept. 11 to play the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, a game McCrystal said will be equally as physical as the one against the Bison.

"It’s always tough," said McCrystal. "There is no easy schedule. We have a physical team like Manitoba, then Saskatoon and then Calgary comes here. There are no bottom teams in this league, they are all tough."