Have you ever wanted to see the next generation of Canadian NFL players live in person, then look no further because UBC Football is right around the corner at Thunderbird stadium. If you are a new fan of the team, then you should know that UBC had a pretty impressive year in 2023. The T-Birds finished the season at 9-3, making their name known throughout the playoffs as they would go on to be the Hardy Cup champions in the Can-West football league. Sadly, they couldn’t complete the final mission, as they fell to the Université de Montréal in the U Sports Vanier Cup final, 9-16.
🏈 FB | The Week 2 @corpusvancouver Coach's Report has @ubcfbl's Blake Nill look back on what his team learned from their home opener vs Alberta and ahead to a key early season matchup against No. 9 ranked Manitoba Friday night
🎟️ https://t.co/6yJ5Npo780 pic.twitter.com/Nyh6L1Gqx8
— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) September 3, 2024
This year will be different though, as I’m going to tell you exactly why you should head out to watch a game this season. UBC recently made history, as for the first time ever, a UBC football player (Giovanni Manu) was drafted to the NFL, with another teammate being signed as an undrafted rookie (Theo Benedet). With UBC making history last year, you know they will again this year.
Now if you look at the team’s record, you’d be slightly worried or disappointed, as the team currently sits near the bottom of the standings at 0-2. In their most recent game at Thunderbird stadium, you might be glad you missed it, because after UBC took a 10 zip lead, the Manitoba Bisons went on a complete rampage, score after score, with 33 unanswered points. This was the first time since 2019 that the T-Birds had lost their first two home games of the season, but you know what they say, it’s a marathon not a sprint, right?
You see, 0-2 isn’t so bad. If you are an NFL fan like myself, then you would know that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers got blown out in the first game of the season a couple years back, and can you guess what happened that year? Aaron Rodgers went on to win the MVP award, so you shouldn’t count the Thunderbirds out quite yet. Sam Davenport is a name you might want to familiarize yourself with, as he had 81 yards on only 5 receptions, you have to admit, that’s pretty impressive.
You should really make your way down to the local landmark of Thunderbird stadium and check out the highly anticipated action between the UBC Thunderbirds and the University of Saskatchewan, on Friday September 20th at 6pm, you are not going to want to miss seeing future pro athletes make their name known.