WINNIPEG — The University of Manitoba Bisons closed out the regular season with a 26-15 loss to the Regina Rams on Saturday afternoon at Princess Auto Stadium before a crowd of 875.
Despite the loss, Manitoba finished fourth in the Canada West standings with a 4-4 record and will travel to face the conference-leading UBC Thunderbirds in next weekend's Canada West semifinal.
The Rams struck first on their opening possession, marching 82 yards in 10 plays before Carter Ashman scored on a four-yard touchdown run. Manitoba responded later in the quarter when a sack by
Lamar Goods and
Destiny Okedara helped force a safety, cutting the deficit to 7-2.
Regina controlled much of the first half behind the running of Ashman and the leg of kicker Ty Gorniak, who connected on field goals from 43 and 39 yards. Manitoba threatened on several occasions but came away empty, including a missed field goal and a blocked attempt on the final play of the second quarter, as the Rams carried a 13-2 lead into halftime.
The visitors extended their advantage in the third quarter when Ashman capped an 85-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run to make it 20-2.
The Bisons answered with their best stretch of the afternoon. Quarterback
Cole Anseeuw engineered an 80-yard scoring drive and found
Nathan Udoh for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter. Manitoba added another touchdown early in the fourth when Anseeuw connected with
Mikun Odunuga on a 10-yard scoring strike, trimming the deficit to 20-15.
Manitoba's defence then gave the offence another opportunity when
Dario Macchia intercepted Owen Sieben midway through the fourth quarter. However, the Rams held firm, and Gorniak added field goals from 27 and 22 yards to seal the victory.
Anseeuw finished 23-for-29 passing for 305 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Odunuga led Manitoba receivers with seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, while Udoh added five receptions for 69 yards and a major.
Ishe Matanga contributed 56 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards.
Defensively, Macchia recorded seven tackles and an interception, while
Nic Pereira also registered seven tackles. Goods and Okedara combined for Manitoba's lone sack.
Regina was led by Ashman, who rushed 29 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 84 receiving yards. Gorniak contributed 14 points on four field goals and two converts.
Although the regular season concluded with a defeat, Manitoba's playoff position had already been secured. The Bisons will now turn their attention to a semifinal matchup against top-seeded UBC, with a berth in the Hardy Cup on the line on Saturday at 3:00 MBT on
CanadaWest.tv.
