VANCOUVER – Putting up more than 50 points for the second straight week, the UBC Thunderbirds earned a 54-37 barn-burner win over the previously undefeated Alberta Golden Bears in front of more than 7,100 fans on Friday night. 
 
Garrett Rooker threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns – two of them to Sam Davenport – in his most prolific game of the season while Isaiah Knight had 219 total yards of offence, 185 of them on the ground.
 
It was a true heavyweight contest at Thunderbird Stadium with the two top teams in the Canada West trading blows throughout the game until the T-Birds finally pulled away in the third quarter to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1992.

Alberta allowed 666 yards against in the loss, which sees their record fall to 3-1. 
 
Holding a 27-19 halftime lead, UBC gave up a 95-yard rushing touchdown to Matthew Peterson on the first play from scrimmage after the break, the fourth longest scoring run in Bears history.
 
After Alberta pulled within one following Justin Giustini's convert, the T-Birds got right back to business. Facing third and four at their own 39, the T-Birds executed a fake punt with the direct snap going to Lucas Mastrodomenico who scampered  49 yards, deep into Alberta territory.
 
Two plays later and the 'Birds once again found the end zone when Rooker hooked up with Sam Davenport for the third time this season, the 25-yard touchdown pass restoring UBC's eight point advantage.
 
Giustini nailed his second 43-yard field goal of the game to pull back within five points late in the third, but the T-Birds answered with another Rooker to Davenport connection, this time for 40 yards.
 
A pair of Flannery-Fleck field goals made it 47-29 UBC, the Bears turned the ball over on downs on their ensuing possession with the game all but decided, leading to a 13 yard Knight rushing score, eclipsing the 50 point mark for the second straight week.
 
The Bears made the score slightly more favourable in the dying seconds when Eli Hetlinger found Dakota McKay for an 11-yard score.
 
Hetlinger finished the game with a very strong 284 yards passing and three touchdowns. Peterson finished with 192 yards rushing with Alberta completing the game with 496 yards of offence, more than enough to win on more nights than not.
 
The Bears entered week four as the top run defence in the country, but the 'Birds put up 371 yards on the ground – 185 of them by Knight and 78 from Dane Kapler who also added 90 yards receiving, tops on the T-Birds. Kapler's 66 yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave the 'Birds their first lead of the game at 17-10, a lead they would never relinquish.