They came out strong and looked like a team destined to pull off a big upset; instead they shot themselves in the foot and dropped their third straight game to start the season. The Alberta Golden Bears and Regina Rams were tied at ten through three quarters of play but it all came crashing down in the fourth as the Bears gave up 21 points en route to a 31-17 loss.
The Bears have no one to blame but themselves as undisciplined play led to their collapse at Foote Field. They committed just two penalties for ten yards in the first half – a big reason why they were tied at ten at the break. But it was a much a different story in the second half where Alberta was called for 11 penalties for 86-yards.
“It’s unacceptable” said Head Coach Jeff Stead. “I take responsibility for that because I’ve got to make sure these guys are disciplined all the time, in life and school and on the field”.
Penalties aside, the Bears showed some dramatic improvement from their first two games of the season. All week they preached that the offence needed to string together some prolonged drives in an effort to give their defence some much needed rest. For the most part that’s exactly what happened. Quarterback Curtis Dell played the best game of his CIS career throwing for over two hundred yards. He felt comfortable, was able to get out of the pocket and create plays.
“This week we’ve brought a couple extra guys in protection, ran a few new things and that was just safe and secure for me. So I felt that confidence, I felt that security and I knew that after that we just got to make plays down field.”
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There was no bigger play than late in the second quarter. With just over five minutes to play, the Alberta Golden Bears finally broke through – they found their way into the endzone for the first time since October 22, 2011. Dell rolled out and found a wide open Dillon Prince for a 5-yard touchdown and a 7-3 lead. Alberta’s touchdown drought ended at 223-minutes and 24-seconds. Curtis Dell would later score his own touchdown late in the game to make it 31-17.
Defensively, the Bears looked solid. They were able to slow the Rams run game and came up with a few big plays – none bigger than in the third quarter when they stopped Regina on a 3rd and Goal gamble from the 3 yard line. Third year defensive back, Randon Ralph, was a defensive stud as he racked up 9.5 tackles.
As good as they were, they just were no match for arguably the best quarterback in the Canada West, Marc Mueller. The grandson of the late Ron Lancaster had a game he’ll never forget as he put up over three hundred yards and added three touchdowns. He also moved into second on the Rams all-time passing list.
With the loss, the Alberta Golden Bears losing streak now extends to *12 games. They’ll look to rebound next weekend when they visit the Manitoba Bisons.
GAME NOTES
Third year linebacker, Tyler Greenslade, left Friday’s game after suffering a lower body injury late in the first half. He was helped off the field and unable to put any weight on his left leg. When asked for an update, an emotional Jeff Stead said he (Greenslade) was done. Greenslade was taken to hospital and it’s unclear what exactly his injury is or how severe it may be.
First year defensive back, Brennan Van Nistelrooy, went down with what appeared to be a serious injury in the fourth quarter. He was on the field for several minutes as training staff and coaches attended to him. A stretcher was brought out but not needed as Van Nistelrooy was able to walk off the field.
Prior to the game, the Alberta Golden Bears honoured former player and Alberta’s 10th Premier, Peter Lougheed with a moment of silence. Lougheed passed away Thursday at the age of 84.
KEY STATS
PASSING
(AB) Curtis Dell: 17/32, 206 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
(REG) Marc Mueller: 26/38, 316 yards, 3 TD
RUSHING
(AB) Curtis Dell: 9 car., 78 yds, 1 TD
(AB) Tyler Lewis: 12 car., 58 yds
(REG) Michael Kiapway: 24 car., 124 yds
RECEIVING
(AB) Dillon Prince: 3 rec., 65 yds, 1 TD
(REG) Jay Smith: 6 rec., 98 yds, 1 TD
*Alberta was credited with two wins in 2011 after UBC fielded an ineligible player.
To listen to the full post-game interviews:
Alberta Golden Bears Head Coach Jeff Stead
Alberta Golden Bears Quarterback Curtis Dell
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