WINNIPEG – The captivating run of the No. 8 nationally ranked Manitoba Bisons continued on Saturday afternoon in front of 4000 fans, as the Herd took down the 2-3 Regina Rams 22-13 to improve to 5-0 for the first time in 17 years.
 
Manitoba remains four points ahead of anyone in the Canada West conference, and can clinch a home playoff date with a win over Saskatchewan on the road this coming Friday at 8 pm CT.
 
Manitoba is now 16-5 at home against Regina over the last 27 seasons. Trailing 6-0 early, they out-scored their opposition 15-7 in the second half, including an impressive run in the third quarter.
 
"You look at the sideline, it doesn't look like we're down 6-0. Everyone looks pretty upbeat. Our experience, our wisdom, we've been here, done that," said 6'4" multi-sport sensation Jackson Tachinski, the starting quarterback the last time Manitoba advanced to the Hardy Cup, in 2021.
 
He now has 13 wins in his career as a starter dating back to 2021, and has thrown for 1,027 yards this season while rushing for 273.
 
"Last year we were in a lot of close games that ended up slipping through our fingers, and this year we're making sure those games don't slip through."
 
Overall in the third, Manitoba ran 22 offensive plays, including scores on back-to-back drives on their first two possessions, while Regina ran just nine offensive plays in the quarter.
 
The Herd's second major of the third – capped off by a 25-yard Mula Yitna receiving touchdown – took nine plays alone, amassing 95 yards.
 
The game started in Regina's favour. Running back Marshall Erichsen had over 70 yards on the ground at halftime, including numerous chunk plays where he used his speed on outside stretch plays.
 
Regina drove the field multiple times in the first half – aided by Erichsen – and they held the advantage in total yards, 139-64 early in the second quarter, but when it counted, Manitoba's defence pulled clutch.
 
The Herd stuffed the Rams twice from the Bisons four yard line on the visitor's first possession of the second half, which caused a huge momentum shift.
 
The third down attempt saw Manitoba bring pressure, with Rams quarterback Noah Pelletier – who was held to 220 yards on 16-of-32 passing with two interceptions – tossing up the ball to leading receiver D'Sean Mimbs in the right corner of the end zone, but veteran halfback Jarrett Alcaraz was right in Mimb's hip pocket to force an incompletion.
 
Overall, Manitoba held dynamic playmakers Mimbs and Nicholas Sirleaf to a combined 77 yards on just four grabs.
 
After starting slow offensively, the Bisons went to their bread and butter, the ground game.
 
It reaped rewards with the game's first major with 5:01 to play in the first half, as running back Breydon Stubbs capped off an eight play, 75-yard drive for his Canada West-leading sixth rushing touchdown of the season (tied with Ryker Frank of Saskatchewan) to give the hosts a 7-6 lead.
 
Manitoba didn't trail the rest of the way.
 
Stubbs rushed for 37 yards on the ground during the drive, including the one-yard score, which he set up with gains of 19 and 14 yards, respectively on the two plays prior.
 
Overall, Stubbs had 121 yards rushing, going over 100 for the third time in five contests, which is also a career high. His 471 rushing yards are tied for fourth in Canada West, in what's been a run-heavy conference. In his regular season career, Stubbs now has 1630 yards on the ground.
 
Stubbs is also just 37 yards shy of tying his all-time season-best (factoring playoffs) of 508  rushing yards, from 2022, and is only 15 yards shy of his regular season career high of 486.


 
Michael O'Shea also hauled in a contested catch for 19 yards out during the scoring drive, climbing the ladder with a defender draped all over him. Team captain AK Gassama added a 23-yard snag, and had his best game of the season statistically, with 90 yards.
 
Offensive coordinator Vaughan Mitchell did a great job moving Gassama around the formation all game, creating ideal matchups, which paid off.  
 
"We made some pretty uncharacteristic mistakes at the beginning. We were a little slow, a little flat. The coaches told us to get on our horse," said Tachinski, who rushed for 31 yards and threw for 224.
 
"Start executing plays, start playing at full speed, and these guys are going to wear down. That's what we did. In previous years we would've started to panic. With this team, whenever we're down, we're always so calm on the sidelines. It doesn't really matter what the score is."
 
The game took a drastic turn in the second half.
 
Manitoba scored on their first two possessions, beginning with a 13-yard Tachinski rushing score, where he juked two defenders in the backfield before charging right up the gut and jumping over one more Ram to reach paydirt.
 
He now has 15 career rushing scores, tied with Kienan LaFrance for sixth all-time.
 
"I looked to my weak side, I didn't really love it. A defender came into my face, and I just had to dodge him. I saw another guy to dodge, and after I dodged that second guy I just saw green grass everywhere," said Tachinski.
 
"I took off and I knew I had a touchdown. That's a good feeling."
 
The Herd's second score, on their next possession, was aided by the play of Shakur Harris in the backfield.
 
On a first and ten from the Rams 38, Harris sprinted to his left, before stopping and changing direction. He looked to dead to rights for a loss on the play, however he somehow sprinted the other way, out-running half the Regina defence for an 18-yard gain.
 
"My tackle got cut, and [the defender] was lifting him over and was kind of grabbing me, and so I said okay, let me go to the left, get the flow going, and I saw there were three guys over there. I said, they're a little far, so let me go back to the right, where the play is actually supposed to go," said Harris.
 
"That's what coach Vaughan Mitchell said, I have to go the right way, all the time."
 
Harris has been a perfect complement to Stubbs this season, rushing for 170 yards on just 20 carries over the last three games, while averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
 
"I think it's the mentality that when the running back gets the rock, and the o-linemen know that, we're getting five to ten yards per carry," said Harris, who proceeded to hit the gym following the game.
 
"That's what we strive to do, and we don't even have a tight end set like that. We do it on second and short, and that's pretty big. Our front five , best o-linemen in the country [. . . ] I'm trying to make the most of every opportunity, whether it's a pass, a block or a run. I think I show that every time I touch the ball."
 
As a team, Manitoba's rushed for 212.8 yards per game, second in Canada West, paved by starting hoggies Sean Rowe (left tackle), Giordano Vaccaro (left guard), Mark Rauhaus (centre), Matt Stokman (right guard) and Victor Olaniran (right guard).
 
The group's starting unit led a powerful rushing attack again on Saturday, to the tune of 237 yards. It's the sixth time Manitoba has rushed for over 200 yards in their last 15 games, with the same starting five intact throughout.
 
"They just persevered through everything," said Tachinski of his o-line.
 
"I don't think we had the fastest start or the strongest start, but it didn't really matter. I looked at those guys on the sidelines and they weren't defeated. They were very optimistic. When we were in the locker room at halftime everyone was optimistic, and we just kept grinding. They started carving out paths for the running backs. They are a really good group and they're going to do their job. I really appreciate them."
 
The Bisons completed the drive with the Yitna major from 25 yards out. He contorted his body to make the play, and then out-muscled multiple Rams for his second touchdown in the last three games.
 
He's recorded a career-high 129 yards this year on just five grabs, overcoming multiple injuries in year's past to make a major impact in 2024.
 
"The touchdown may not have been the best ball," chuckled Tachinski.
 
"[Yitna] made a great play for us. That's what Mula does. He's got really long arms, so whenever you think you've overthrown him, you haven't. He makes plays with his body and he made a really big one for us. That third quarter we were on fire and we just clicked."
 
Defensively, Manitoba's physicality and athleticism were on full display all game.
 
Defensive coordinator Stan Pierre dialed up a brilliant game plan, which included a variety of exotic blitz looks, causing chaos all game.
 
Individually, 12 different student-athletes had at least two solo tackles, led by Jarrett Alcaraz's four. Corner Jake Nitychoruk, stepping up for injured starter Sebastien Reid, flashed his 6'4" range all night, including two pass break-ups, and four total tackles.
 
In the fourth quarter, Manitoba's veteran defence, which returned 11 of 12 starters, closed up shop.
 
Stephen Adamopoulos, who also had two solo tackles and a pass break-up, started the party by recording a diving interception off a tip from WILL linebacker Nic Pereira – who had three solo tackles, adding to his team-leading 19 on the campaign.
 
Shortly after, Dario Macchia – making his first career start at SAM linebacker – posted his first U SPORTS interception, picking off a Pelletier pass in a tight window. Regina scored a late major, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Herd.
 
Manitoba finished the game with three takeaways, the third time tallying at least three this year. They added four pass break-ups, including one from Adamopoulos. He now has 13 in the regular season as a Bison, tied with teammate Jarrett Alcaraz for fourth all-time.
 
"I feel like we all knew that this was going to be the year, and when guys like [CFL Draft picks] Nick Thomas [linebacker[ and Collin [Kornelson, defensive line] decided to come back, we just knew this was going to be our chance to put everything together," said Adamopoulos, a four-year starter along with Alcaraz, and Nick Conway [out for this week] in the secondary.
 
"We've been working and learning under coach P for five, six years. It's seven years for myself and Nick Conway, eight years for Nick Thomas. It's really been a progression. It feels like now is the time where we're really all coming together and able to communicate with one another and play in the system that coach Pierre has designed for us."