October 8
Frankly Speaking: SFU Clan bring
Rams a mirror image for game Friday
By Greg Urbanoski
The Simon Fraser University Clan will be bringing the University
of Regina Rams a mirror image when they step onto Taylor Field
at Mosaic Stadium Friday night.
The Clan have a 2-3 record, while the Rams have a 2-2 record,
but the Rams and the Clan have both beaten the University of
British Columbia Thunderbirds and University of Manitoba Bison,
while losing big to the University of Calgary Dinos and narrowly
losing to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
In the tight world of Canada West football, this is an important
game, especially when it comes to breaking logjams for potential
playoff spots. Rams Head Coach Frank McCrystal is bringing his
charges off of their break week, which they entered in style
with a much needed win in Vancouver over the University of
British Columbia.
“We saw some good things in that game and we saw some areas that
we need to improve,” said McCrystal. “I was happy with our
performance on special teams, but there were two mishaps towards
the end of the game that could have made a difference. All in
all, it is difficult to win on the coast and against UBC.”
This week the Rams return to action against a tough Simon Fraser
team that promises to be a physical affair.
“They are a tough team that play basic fundamental football and
do that very well,” said McCrystal. “They run the ball well,
they can be quick physical and it will be very much a challenge
for us on Friday night.
“On defence they have got some good dbs and a MAC linebacker and
a lot of good players that stand out when they hit the field.
They came up short last week against the U of S last weekend but
they gave it all they had and almost pulled it out.”
During the Rams break, the coaches gave the players three days
off and McCrystal said the break came at a good time for the
players both physically and mentally. He said the challenge this
week is getting the players to get back mentally into the swing
of the season.
Simon Fraser definitely demands attention. They amassed 454
yards total offence in their last game and only gave up 92 yards
on the ground. Their quarterback, Bernd Dittrich, who originally
hails from Vienna Austria, executed a ball control offence that
moved the ball effectively.
“This is going to be a very challenging game,” said McCrystal.
“In Canada West this year there is no week off and no “gimmee
games. After this week we go on the road to Edmonton and Calgary
so this game is important for us to get off to the right start
here.”
McCrystal points out with the parity in Canada West this season,
games against opponents seen just once are more important than
usual.
“When you see an opponent just once, the game result may decide
whether you qualify for the playoffs or not,” said McCrystal.
“When you play someone twice, you have a second chance, so when
you play someone once, it is important to win the game or
perhaps lose out in a tie-breaker for a play-off spot because
you lost the game.”
The Rams enter the game relatively injury free. Devin Hillier
and Jason Price are gone for the season with injuries.
“Physically, other than with Hillier and Price, we are in good
shape,” said McCrystal. “We’ve been watching the practices
carefully to make sure they are mentally ready for Friday. We
will have to take it up another notch against a very good team
and that is what we are preparing for.”
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