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Canada West sets football schedule, UBC slated to play first game in nearly two years

T-Birds coach Blake Nill admits making in-game decisions will take some getting used to, will be a "little bit like learning to drive again."

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It will have been 700 days since the UBC Thunderbirds last played when they open the 2021 football season, and their coach, Blake Nill, worries about needing to knock some dust off his in-game skills. 

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“This is my 30th year coaching. I’m sure I can pull it off when the time comes, but it’s funny that I’m having some reservations,” said Nill, whose squad kicks off the Canada West conference campaign on the road against the Alberta Golden Bears on Sept. 25. 

“I thought it was just me, but I’ve been talking to colleagues from across the country and everyone has this weird sensation. There were things (in games) that you did on autopilot. Now, it’s going to be a little bit like learning to drive again.”

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University sports across Canada were shut down last season due to COVID-19. Canada West has begun releasing schedules for this coming campaign, and football was among the first announced this week.

The Canada West men’s and women’s soccer schedules were unveiled Tuesday. 

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Schedules have been tweaked slightly due to both health and safety interests and financial uncertainty at various schools due to the pandemic.

In football, teams will play six regular-season games instead of the usual eight. The University of B.C.’s home-opener is Oct. 1 versus the Saskatchewan Huskies at Thunderbird Stadium. The T-Birds haven’t faced an opponent since falling 36-17 on the road against the Calgary Dinos on Oct. 26, 2019, leaving them at 2-6 to finish that season.

“I’m excited with the schedule. I’m excited that we’re making commitments and making steps forward,” Nill said.

The T-Birds, like their league rivals, have had two recruiting classes to add to their rosters. UBC’s newcomers include a pair of quarterbacks from Texas: Derek Engel, a 6-foot-4, 205 pounder from Grapevine who committed to UBC in December 2020, and Garrett Rooker, a 6-foot-3, 205 pounder from League City who committed in May 2020.

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Rooker is slated to play UBC basketball as well. 

“There are some very good football players coming into our program and I’m excited to see them adapt and advance. I’m excited to see which ones can make an impact,” Nill explained.

The B.C. government and the health authorities have instilled a four-step restart plan for the province, and the fourth and final phase is slated to begin Sept. 7, calling for “return-to-normal sport competitions with an updated COVID-19 safety plan in place” and “increased outdoor and indoor spectators.” That dovetails with when the T-Birds and Canada West football are starting.

“Our home-opener is a Friday night game and hopefully we get a big crowd and we get some excitement back,” Nill explained. “That’s what college athletics is supposed to be about. We want to provide an opportunity for that student experience.”

Meanwhile, the Simon Fraser University football team didn’t play last season either due to COVID-19 and they’re slated to begin their 11th season in NCAA Div. II on Sept. 4 when they visit the Idaho Vandals in exhibition play.

SFU’s first Great Northwest Athletic Conference game is their home-opener, a Sept. 18 contest atop Burnaby Mountain against the Central Washington Wildcats.

SFU has nine games scheduled. They went 1-9 in 2019 and are 2-38 over their last four seasons. 

SEwen@postmedia.com

twitter:@SteveEwen

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