The University of Regina (U of R) Rams play host to the Manitoba Bisons Thursday night at Mosaic Stadium in pre-season action which will be an opportunity for players new and old to get in the game.
Rams head coach Mark McConkey said while there will be certain things they want to see from their veterans and starters, younger players have an opportunity to gain valuable experience and show the coaching staff what they can do.
“For a lot of these guys it’s their first time really experiencing a USPORTS football game,” McConkey said. “So getting to see the crowd playing in Mosaic Stadium and playing against another team that’s not ourselves make it an exciting game,” he added.
McConkey said some of the younger players may be able to earn themselves a starting role with an impressive pre-season performance on Thursday.
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“Definitely, there’s lots of guys in our groups two and three that are fighting to get in our traveling 45 or home roster 50 and there’s nothing better than a game to simulate that.”
McConkey said they have lots of players that are on the bubble of making the team which will make Thursday’s pre-season game just that much more interesting.
“It’s been a fun training camp but we’re excited to finally not go against each other we’ve been hitting our heads on the wall against offense and defense for the last 12 days so it’s nice to play someone slese finally,” he said.
In 2022 the Rams finished the season 5-4 and lost 28-14 to the UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West semi-final.
The 2023 regular season will begin for the Rams Sept. 1 when they host UBC at Mosaic Stadium.
