Joe Camplin looks back at the championship season and forward to kickoff
The Regina Rams are going into this season as the defending Hardy Cup champions following their big win against the rival University of Saskatchewan (USask) Huskies last November; they are looking to go big again this season.
Prior to kicking off their home season on Sept. 5, the Rams played their season opener against the University of Calgary Dinos, beating them 43-36 in overtime (OT).
The Rams won the game in OT thanks to running back Marshall Erichsen scoring his fourth touchdown of the game. This led to a do or die situation for the Dinos, who threw an incomplete pass on the third down, allowing the Rams to take home the win.
Familiar Faces
There are some names that students will recognize coming back to the field this season who were key in last season’s successes.
Noah Pelletier is a fourth year quarterback in the playmaker position this season. He replaced Owen Sieben in week one of last season following an injury. Pelletier went on to hold the U of R’s record completion rate in a single game with 83.9 per cent.
After his injury, Sieben was sidelined and has hopes to return to the field this season, especially after he was named the U Sports Football Rookie of the Year in 2023.
Joe Camplin, a fifth year tight end, will be back on the field again after five seasons with the Rams. His freshman season was missed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Camplin has also been an Academic All Canadian all four years of playing.
The Rams have recently signed a significant number of freshman players and Camplin is looking forward to seeing the future of the program fall into their hands. – Hana Grace
Flashback to The Hardy Cup
This will be Camplin’s final season with the Rams. The Regina native looks back fondly on the past season, especially the Hardy Cup.
“I’m never gonna forget it. It was awesome! I mean, we talked all the week leading up like there’s no place we’d rather play,” he shared. “Sure, [it would have been] nice to have it at home, but those are our rivals. We’ve struggled to win there. I’d never won there before in my whole career until [that game].”
The Rams beat the USask Huskies 19-14 on Nov. 16, 2024 and raised their championship banner in the Centre for Kinesiology Health and Sports Gym on Feb. 7, 2025.
“I’d never really been part of something like that before. Obviously, we had a pretty incredible season, so just having the ability to recognize that in front of all of our supporters was really nice,”said Camplin, acknowledging the support the team received at this time.
The Rivalry is Alive and Well
The Huskies and the Rams have been rivals since the creation of the U of R football program back in the 1950s. Being the only two major universities in the province, it came naturally.
In 2022, the U-Prairie challenge was created. Each year, the U of R and USask teams play each other in a home and home weekend which, in many ways, reignites their rivalry.
In Camplin’s opinion, the heated Hardy Cup match was just what the Rams needed. “The [Huskies] kind of didn’t see us as a threat and, I guess, frankly, we hadn’t been able to beat them for a long time, but I think they definitely will be extra mad that we beat them.”
The Rams play the Huskies for the only time in the regular season in Saskatoon on September 19, which will also be their first game against each other since the Hardy Cup.
We had a pretty incredible season, so just having the ability to recognize that in front of all of our supporters was really nice. – Joe Camplin
CFL Combine
In the spring of 2024, five Regina Rams players participated in the Canadian Football League Combine, which acts as a recruitment program for players eligible for the CFL. In the Combine, they participate in skills training in a camp style environment.
Camplin shared that he is proud and excited to see his teammates make it to a national professional level. The players are in contact with each other often and get to help one another through the process of camps and draft day.
Rookies, Rookies, and More Rookies
The Rams have recently signed a significant number of freshman players and Camplin is looking forward to seeing the future of the program fall into their hands. He said that coach Mark McConkey and his staff have done a great job of recruiting for the past few seasons, and he expects that the freshman players will step up and contribute to the culture of the Rams name as they have done in the last few past seasons.
The not-so-distant-future
This season, Regina will be host to the Vanier Cup, which is the national U Sports football championship. So, how do last season’s Hardy Cup and Mitchell Bowl appearances help prepare the Rams for the long road to the Vanier Cup?
“I think it’ll help a ton. I mean, like I said, for a long time- and we’ve always believed that we can compete with anyone- it’s one thing to actually see it, right? We hadn’t. I’d never won a playoff game until this year,” said Camplin.
The Rams home opener was Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. against the University of Alberta Golden Bears at Leibel Field where they beat the Golden Bears 47-23.
