EDMONTON - Trailing by 10 at the half, the Alberta Golden Bears are unable to complete their comeback attempt against UBC, falling to 2-4 on the season.
The Bears trimmed the lead down to one midway through the third quarter, but costly penalties, turnovers, and a missed field goal ended their comeback bid. Despite the loss, Alberta still own the tie-breaker over UBC if the teams were to be tied at the end of conference play.
After an Alberta single cut the lead down to 16-15 in the third, UBC responded with a safety and touchdown to restore their 10-point lead. A late fourth quarter field goal and touchdown from UBC put the game out of reach. The win is the fourth-straight for UBC, who improve to 4-2 in conference play.
Sophomore quarterback Cade Labrecque tossed for 234 yards, adding 30 rushing yards in his first career start for Alberta. Fifth-year back Matthew Peterson rushed for a game-high 134 yards on 20 carries. Six different Bears caught a pass from Labrecque, led by a career-high seven catches for 68 yards from Cody Peever.
UBC finished with nearly 100 yards more of offence in the win, led by 370 passing yards from Garrett Rooker. The veteran pivot shredded Alberta's beat up secondary, completing just 18 passes, averaging over 20 yards per completion. Rooker added one touchdown, with seven different Thunderbirds grabbing a reception. Canada West rushing leader Isaiah Knight added 66 rush yards on 19 attempts.
While Alberta finished with more first downs (26 to 23) on Friday night, they lacked the explosivness of the UBC attack. The Thunderbirds had receptions of 53, 57, and 64 yards in the win.
A Knight TD early in the second quarter gave UBC a lead they would never relinquish, with two singles and a Mark Webb TD reception giving the 'Birds a 16-6 halftime lead.
After Jonathan Giustini opened the third quarter with a single, Duncan Critch scored the first of his two touchdowns on the day to trim the UBC lead down futher. However subsequent drives saw Alberta pinned in their own end and give up a safety, punt, score a single, and turn the ball over on downs.
Knight's second TD of the game late in the third quarter, followed by a Ben Sangmuah late in the fourth sealed the UBC win.
Following the Thanksgiving bye, the 2-4 Bears will return to action on October 19th to host the 5-1 Manitoba Bisons.
