Week 5 of the 2014 Canada West football season saw the Alberta Golden Bears prove they are legitimate playoff contenders with a 38-31 upset victory over #10 Manitoba Bisons, while the Saskatchewan Huskies churned out a 31-25 statement win over the UBC Thunderbirds.
Also, the Calgary Dinos reinstated their dominance by beating the Regina Rams, 59-7.
Alberta’s Ed Ilnicki and UBC’s Marcus Davis are honoured as the Canada West Football Players of the Week for their noteworthy performances. This is Davis’ second consecutive week as the Special Teams top performer.
OFFENCE: #4 Ed Ilnicki, Running Back (Alberta Golden Bears)
University of Alberta Golden Bears sophomore running back Ed Ilnicki is the Canada West football Offensive Player of the Week following his performance against the Manitoba Bisons on October 4.
Ilnicki rushed 33 times on Saturday against the Bisons, and racked up an impressive 192 yards as well as three touchdowns to lead the unranked Golden Bears to a 38-31 victory over the #10-ranked Manitoba Bisons.
The Spruce Grove native, and student in the Alberta School of Business, scored rushing touchdowns in the second, third and fourth quarters of the game, and now leads Canada West in rushing TD’s with seven on the season.
He is also third in Canada West total rushing yards, with 402, and is averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
His first TD came in the second quarter when he capped off a drive by steamrolling four yards into the end zone to make the score 21-10 for the Bears.
He then notched his second on Alberta’s first possession of the second quarter, which increased the Bears lead to 28-10, and then put the game out of reach when he powered in from 12 yards out early in the fourth quarter to make the score 26-24.
The Bears will enjoy a bye weekend this week, as will all Canada West teams, before returning to action on October 18th at home against the #2-ranked Calgary Dinos.
SPECIAL TEAMS: #5 Marcus Davis, Kick Returner (UBC Thunderbirds)
The first-year player from Victoria had another breakout game, racking up 335 all-purpose yards, including a 107-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a 31-25 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies Saturday night.
Davis added another 73 yards on nine punt returns, 52 yards on two receptions, and 12 rushing yards, including a touchdown.
He now has four touchdowns on the season, two on the ground, one receiving, and one return touchdown.
He leads the Canada West in all-purpose yards with 921 yards (102 rush, 124 receiving, 328 punt return, 367 kickoff return), averaging 184.2 yards per game.
UBC will have a bye this week, but will be back in action on October 18th when they play host to the Regina Rams at 2:00 pm at Thunderbird Stadium.
Thanks to Canada West Football for the info.
