If the UBC Thunderbirds are going to complete an improbable turnaround season with a win in this Saturday’s Vanier Cup, they’re likely going to need big performances from a trio of defenders from North Vancouver.
Longtime friends A.J. Blackwell and Dominique Termansen, both Carson Graham grads, will be protecting the skies as UBC’s two starting cornerbacks while Handsworth grad Mitch Barnett will be wreaking havoc from his linebacker position.
The three all played pivotal roles as the Thunderbirds took off this season under new head coach Blake Nill. In 2014 UBC sputtered to a 2-6 record and missed the playoffs. This year they flipped those numbers around, going 6-2 to book a playoff spot before beating Manitoba in the Canada West semifinals and stunning the previously undefeated Calgary Dinos 34-26 in the Hardy Cup Canada West final.
Last weekend the T-Birds travelled to Nova Scotia where they knocked off St. Francis Xavier 36-9 in the Uteck Bowl to earn a trip to Quebec City for Saturday’s Vanier Cup against the University of Montreal Carabins, the defending Vanier Cup champions.
Several other North Shore players have been on board for the T-Bird turnaround as well, including starting offensive lineman Blake Pickard, a North Vancouver native who went to high school at Vancouver’s Notre Dame secondary; Windsor secondary grads Jeff Lavis and Ty Marshall; and Collingwood grad Jackson Weaver.
The surprising season really hit high gear when the Thunderbirds shocked the Dinos, Blackwell said on the phone from Quebec City Tuesday where the team is gearing up for Saturday’s big game, having stayed out East following the Uteck Bowl.
“Going into Calgary and winning was great, we’re just confident now,” he said, adding that there hasn’t been a lot of time to reflect on the win given the hectic schedule they’ve kept since knocking off Calgary. “We got back from Calgary, spent two days in Vancouver and then flew across the country…. It’s really surreal.”
Barnett, a fourth-year player, has played a starring role throughout the run, earning Canada West Defensive Player of the Week honours following UBC’s playoff win over Manitoba, recording a pair of interceptions in the 52-10 win, including a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Barnett was second in the Canada West league with 53.5 total tackles and third with 4.5 sacks during the regular season. Blackwell plays on the same side of the field as Barnett so he has a unique view of the linebacker’s skills.
“Me and him are pretty much the same size but he plays a position that is more physical,” Blackwell said. “He’s just not afraid to stick his head in there, he makes big tackles.”
Blackwell and Termansen, meanwhile, are the last line of defence for the T-Birds, often playing one-on-one defence against wide receivers on opposite sides of the field.
“We went to elementary school, middle school, high school together,” he said. “It’s amazing that the two of us are both starting at the same position.”
Both players were stars on offense during their Carson Graham years – Termansen as a receiver and Blackwell as a running back – and both have now adjusted their games to focus on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s been interesting,” said Blackwell. “You have to learn the other team’s playbook and the methodology. I’ve grown to like it.”
So do they now get the same thrill breaking up a pass as they used to scoring touchdowns?
“It definitely doesn’t compare,” Blackwell said with a laugh. “You don’t get the same amount of glory as the offence. But it’s really intense. It’s you and one other person and you’ve got to be a lock-down corner. The thing is if you have a good game at corner you don’t get noticed. You get noticed when you get beat really badly, when you mess up.”
The team’s reversal of fortune has shocked a lot of football fans, including their own head coach.
“I would never have expected this in a hundred years with this group, a group that was 2-6 last year and to get them to a Vanier Cup,” Nill said in a CIS release following the Uteck Bowl win. “It is not like we have had an easy road either – we had to win in Calgary, we had to win in Manitoba, win in Saskatchewan. We beat some good teams to get here.”
Now they’re on the road again but Blackwell is hoping they’ll have some crowd support behind them for the Vanier Cup. The game is being played at Laval University, a school that has natural rivalry with their neighbours from Montreal.
“Everybody is kind of with us because they don’t want Montreal to win,” said Blackwell. “They knocked off Laval.”
One more win and the dream season would be complete. It’s a situation that Blackwell can hardly believe.
“I’ve thought through every possible situation,” he said. “It’s not something you can really explain. I just know that when it does happen – and I want it to happen – I don’t know how I’m going to react…. One more game, the last game of the season. We’re definitely ready to go.”
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Saturday’s Vanier Cup CIS championship final will be shown live on Sportsnet with the broadcast beginning at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time.
