With a 2–3 record heading into the weekend and a tough schedule to close out the season, Saturday’s game against the University of Manitoba Bisons in Winnipeg bordered on must-win territory for UBC football. Securing a playoff berth without a victory would be difficult, if not impossible, depending on the performances of Manitoba and Calgary — the two teams tied with UBC for third in the conference.
Given the circumstances, the Thunderbirds fought hard for the win, clawing back from a 28–3 deficit in the second half. Despite their efforts, the T-Birds came up shy, falling 35–31 in a wild match-up that came down to the final drive.
The game looked uneven from the get-go. Manitoba’s pass rush was relentless, pushing the ‘Birds back to their 12-yard line with a sack on UBC’s opening offensive snap. After a quick two-and-out, UBC volunteered a safety, putting the Bisons on the board early on. Throughout the remainder of the half, Manitoba’s lead would continue to widen.
Though both offences got off to slow starts, Manitoba quickly began gaining traction, boosted by a 28-yard punt return to put the Bisons at the UBC 45. The Bisons arrived at UBC’s doorstep with a short series of passes, finding the end zone with a quarterback sneak on their second possession of the day.
In response, the Thunderbirds finally avoided a two-and-out, with quarterback Drew Viotto throwing to Edgerrin Williams-Hernandez in triple coverage for UBC’s first second-down conversion of the game. Another chunk pass put UBC in field goal range, allowing the T-Birds to pick up three points despite their overall struggle to move the ball. Part of this failure may have been caused by an inability to gain significant yardage on the ground — a familiar story for the ‘Birds.
UBC’s leading rusher, Toluwalope Ayedegbe, would attempt only three rushes in the quarter, all under six yards. Ayedegbe would not get another rushing attempt for the rest of the half, nor would the ‘Birds score.
Manitoba’s defensive pressure continued to affect the Thunderbirds, who gave up another sack and safety to extend the Bisons' lead. As Manitoba’s attack grew more consistent, UBC’s shortcomings on offence would lead to more severe consequences.
After several unsuccessful deep ball attempts — and one negated by a penalty — Manitoba veteran quarterback Jackson Tachinski completed a long pass to receiver Mula Yitna, who picked up yards-after-catch for a 53-yard reception to close out the first quarter. The Bisons’ momentum carried over into the second, with running back Noah Anderson plowing through UBC defenders to hit pay dirt.
The Bisons’ next possession was even more brutal for the ‘Birds, eating up five minutes of play clock with seven rushes, interspersed by a long pass into the UBC red zone. On second-and-goal, Tachinski hurdled over the pile, taking another touchdown for Manitoba.
Manitoba was all but guaranteed a score on their following possession, after a short punt — worsened by 30 penalty yards against UBC — gave the Bisons the ball in field goal range. Despite the demoralizing course of events, the UBC defence held strong, stopping the run to force a kick. A successful three-point attempt put the Bisons up 28–3, Manitoba having scored on their first three drives of the quarter.
In the absence of any ground game, the Thunderbirds' air attack finally found some rhythm toward the end of the quarter. Viotto threw on every snap of the drive, gaining over 10 yards on each of his three completions. However, starting from their own 8-yard line, UBC couldn’t go far enough to get into field goal range.
Down four scores, a comeback seemed unlikely — while this T-Birds team tends to play a stronger second half, they’ve also crumbled in the face of large point deficits, as was the case against Saskatchewan and Alberta. The ‘Birds, who had failed to find the end zone for an entire half, would need to start scoring consistently, all while preventing the Bisons from extending their lead or running out the clock.
The Thunderbirds did not shirk the challenge. With their postseason aspirations at stake, UBC came out strong after halftime, forcing a two-and-out on Manitoba’s opening drive. Vitally, the defence — which has floundered against the run all season, being in the bottom ten in the country — was more effective against the ground, allowing less than 50 net rushing yards in the second half after Manitoba had gained over 100 in the first.
Starting favourably near the 55-yard line, UBC’s offence looked to score an imperative first touchdown. After a second quarter that saw only one run attempt for the entire team, UBC began involving Ayedegbe, to little reward — he was stuffed for a one-yard gain on the first snap.
However, the ‘Birds continued to find big gains through the air, continuing their momentum from their last drive of the first half. Viotto found rookie wideout Colby Johnson for a 26-yard pass, then again for a 33-yard pass, putting the ‘Birds at first-and-goal for the first time all night. Ayedegbe charged in for a short touchdown run, cutting down Manitoba’s lead to 28–10.
Getting the ball back midway through the third quarter, UBC did not shy away from the run, like they had in last week’s blowout loss to Alberta. Instead, the T-Birds tried out a new rusher, with three hand-offs to third-year Riley Michaud, playing in his first game of the season. Accounting for UBC’s longest run of the night, Michaud escaped to the outside for a 24-yard rush, throwing in a stiff-arm to put UBC at first-and-goal.
It seemed like the team’s efforts would be erased when a Bisons defender punched out the ball on a subsequent play, forcing UBC’s Trey Montour to fumble. In a chaotic scramble, UBC wideout Shemar McBean came up with the ball in the end zone, saving the drive with a touchdown.
A new status quo emerged and continued into the fourth quarter. UBC’s defence continued to hold Manitoba to short possessions, while the offence moved quickly down the field, thanks in part to Viotto’s arm.
On consecutive plays on the ensuing drive, Viotto completed a 20-yard pass to Montour, then a 53-yard deep ball to Johnson, both while escaping pressure. A touchdown pass put the ‘Birds just behind Manitoba, 28–24. They followed up the possession with a fourth consecutive touchdown drive, again carried by Viotto’s arm. Viotto completed four out of five passes for 95 yards, giving the ‘Birds their first lead of the night with six minutes left to play.
However, Manitoba’s offence responded in kind. Repeatedly utilizing the run game — which had regained some traction on their previous possession — the Bisons plowed ahead, driving 90 yards to the UBC end zone.
Down 35–31 with two minutes remaining, the Thunderbirds needed a score. The UBC offence seemed up to the task, urgently advancing through the air. Viotto fell into a quick rhythm, completing for 11 yards, 11 yards, nine yards, then 13. Then, he dropped back to pass, aiming for Johnson near the Manitoba goal line.
Both the receiver and the defender had a chance for the ball. With the game on the line, Manitoba’s Daniel Conway hauled it in, ending the Thunderbirds’ comeback.
Despite the crucial interception, Viotto seems to have earned the QB1 position at UBC. After some back-and-forth between him and fifth-year quarterback Derek Engel, Viotto has started for two consecutive weeks, with improving results. Viotto completed 26 of 42 throws for an incredible 473 passing yards for the day — the third highest in UBC history. For a first-year starter facing a large deficit, those results are quite promising.
Of course, a positive outlook can’t change UBC’s current situation. At 2–4, the Thunderbirds are tied with the University of Calgary Dinos for fourth in the Canada West. Winning the head-to-head tiebreaker over Calgary, UBC now holds the fourth and final playoff berth. To maintain their spot, the T-Birds will have to keep their record even with Calgary’s and ahead of Alberta’s — a challenging proposition, considering UBC’s final match-ups are against the two strongest teams in the conference, Regina and Saskatchewan.
After a Thanksgiving bye week, UBC’s bid to secure a playoff spot will begin on Oct. 17, when they’ll take on the 5–1 University of Saskatchewan Huskies, who beat the ‘Birds 51–14 earlier this season.
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