EDMONTON - Reigning Canada West special teams player of the week Ty Gorniak nailed a 44-yard winning field goal with 30 seconds left to help the Rams escape an inspired second-half effort from the Alberta Golden Bears to win 22-20 at Foote Field Saturday afternoon.
It was a phenomenal game, one that saw the Bears claw back from a 16-6 halftime deficit to take a fourth-quarter 20-19 lead. However, behind a patient drive with under two minutes to go, the Rams drove 32-yards in seven plays to set Gorniak up with his Kodak moment.
Owen Sieben, used sparingly as the Rams QB2 to this point in the season, was efficient when he needed to be on Saturday, going 20/30 with 265 yards through the air, though he threw an interception to no touchdowns as the Bears defence was generally able to limit explosive plays. CW-leading rusher Marshall Erichsen was terrific again on Saturday, gaining 79 yards on only 13 attempts, and punching two touchdowns in to raise his season total to 11 on the ground. The team was almost derailed by their discipline, as they recorded nine penalties for 102 total yards, while the Bears had just four-for-35. The Rams move to 6-1 on the year, and have clinched a home playoff game with the victory.
The Bears played great too in the back-and-forth affair, able to hold the CW-leading offence to just 22 points on 362 total yards. Eli Hetlinger, the graduating fourth-year, was terrific in a relief role after starter Trey Reider exited the game early with an injury. He finished 21/27 for 237 yards, and tossed two touchdowns to an equally impressive Carter Kettyle who caught four passes in total on the day for 74 yards. With the loss, the young Bears are 1-6 on the year, but still have a path to the Hardy Cup playoffs. With a win in Calgary next week by five or more points and a UBC loss, a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff position would come down to record between the teams, and points in said meetings, which puts Alberta in the driver's seat for the last spot.
It was a quiet start to this one, as there was no score after one quarter as the teams managed just 128 combined yards on the offensive side of the ball. Defence was evident early, especially on the home side as they managed to limit the best offence in the Canada West to just three first downs in the opener. However, nearing the end of the frame the Bears offence fumbled on a trick wide receiver pass to set the Rams up in positive territory. A seven-play 49-yard drive later Marshall Erichsen, the league's leading rusher, punched in a one-yard touchdown for his 10th of the season, and the Rams were up 7-0 early in the second quarter.
The teams would trade excitement for the majority of the quarter, one that featured an interception from Golden Bears linebacker Chase Tataryn, and a safety on the Bears after the Rams defence and special teams pinned them on their own two-yard line. However, with four minutes remaining backup quarterback Eli Hetlinger, who entered after an injury to starter Trey Reider, found his favourite target Carter Kettyle down the right sideline wide-open, and made no mistake for a 39-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 9-6 after a blocked extra-point.
The Rams would recapture the momentum right before the half with two key drives, one on each side of the ball. Getting the ball with just over a minute remaining, the Rams would engineer a 90-yard drive on just three plays, with Owen Sieben hitting two receivers for 71 yards, and Erichsen punching in a 19-yard score for a 16-6 lead. Then, with Hetlinger and the Bears driving with three timeouts, they were able to get a 35-yard field goal try with time expiring, but missed it wide left on a chilly and windy day to enter the half up 10-points.
The Rams opened the second half with a field-goal drive to put the visitors up three, but on their next drive the Alberta defence made a massive stop on a third-and-inches as Tataryn took down Noah Pelletier on the quarterback draw to set the Bears up at midfield. On the ensuing drive, Hetlinger would let it fly to Chevy Thomas for a 49-yard big gain through the air, and Seth Poehler would punch in his second touchdown of the season three plays later to cut the Rams lead to 19-13. Then, after a key Rams special teams penalty, one of three in the second half, Hetlinger would find Kettyle again for their second touchdown link of the day, and take a 20-19 lead with a huge score to open the fourth quarter.
The final frame was just as advertised considering the previous three quarters. After the Bears ate a ton of clock with a near five-minute drive that ended on downs, the Rams would respond with a five-minute drive of their own, methodically making their way down the field setting up a 27-yard field goal to take the lead with just over two minutes remaining. However, on the same side of the field as the earlier miss from Alberta, the kick was pushed wide-right as the Bears maintained a slim lead. However, the Rams defence stood tall on their most important drive of the game, forcing a quick three-and-out to set up the offence for a potential game-winning drive. And game-winning it was, as they drove 32-yards to set-up Gorniak for a 44-yarder to take a two-point lead with 30 seconds to play. He nailed it, with leg to spare, and the ensuing hail mary drive for the Bears could not beat a stout pass defence as the Rams escaped Edmonton with a 22-20 victory.
Next week, the Bears take on the Dinos in Calgary in an all-important season finale, while the Rams host the Thunderbirds and perhaps gain a few Alberta fans who need to see another victory to reach the fourth and final playoff spot.
