There might not be a more honest and open coach wearing a headset in Canadian college football than Brian Dobie of the University of Manitoba Bisons.

He doesn’t just wear his emotions on his sleeve… he wears them all over, good and bad, happy and sad.

And Dobie, admittedly, has got some things to worry about this week with his Bisons as they ready for the second game of their Canada West schedule.

He’s down five starters after a Week 1 loss to the Calgary Dinos, and his squad is heading into hostile territory Thursday night against a Regina Rams team that will be ornery after falling in double-OT to the Saskatchewan Huskies in their opener.

Dobie’s club also took 18 penalties for almost 200 yards in the loss to Calgary, and his offence will be missing two offensive linemen and two receivers.

And yet, interestingly, for all the criticism he heaped on starting quarterback Theo Deezar last week – and it was substantial after the pivot was intercepted three times – it turns out the play of his QB 1 going forward is the least of his worries.

“I have so much respect for him, I really do,” said Dobie this week. “He’s a guy I’ve continually seen progress in both as a quarterback and as a person, a leader and THE guy on our team. Theo has it all. But with that comes responsibility and accountability and if you’re going to be the leader, then yeah, the spotlight is on you. So when you’re challenged and there’s adversity smacking you in the face, you’re the guy, above everybody else, that has to rise above it.

“Since 2014 every game that he’s played for Manitoba he’s played either pretty well or outstanding. He had probably his worst game as a Bison Thursday night against Calgary. So be it.

“But he came up to me after the game… we were still on the field… and he shook my hand and said, ‘Coach, it wasn’t a good night tonight. Trust me, I’m going to fix it.’

“And I said, ‘I know you will.’”

The loss to the Dinos dropped the Bisons from 5^th to 8^th in the CIS Top 10 rankings, and in the eight-game schedule that is the Canada West regular season, there’s very little room for error. To that end, receiver Riley Harrison, who had seven catches for 103 yards in his debut after red-shirting for two years, called Thursday’s game a ‘must win.’

Veteran linebacker D.J. Lalama echoed the ‘must-win’ take, but not just for what 0-2 would mean in the standings, but for what this Bison edition believes it can be.

“Mathematically it’s not a must win, but within our locker room to fulfill the expectations we have the last few months I think that would be fair,” said Lalama. “For us every week is a must-win in a season where you only play eight games.

“Our offence, with the guys we’ve put out in the CFL in the past few years… they’ve led this team since I’ve been here. They always managed during the Jordan Yantz days to put up 45 (points) per game. (Nic) Demski, (Anthony) Coombs, (Kienan) LaFrance, they’ve always done it. But defence wins championships and that’s something we’ve taken to heart this year.

“We’ve got a veteran group back there and we’re excited about having maybe a little more pressure on our shoulders.”

BISONS (0-1) at REGINA (0-1)

When: Thursday, 8:00 p.m.
TV/Radio: Shaw-TV/Access; Canadawest.org; Radio: 101.5 UMFM (umfm.com)
Last season: Bisons swept the season series, 49-46 and 34-19.

FYI:

The Bisons are ranked 8^th in the latest CIS poll; Regina is unranked… Bison LB DJ Lalama set a new Bison record for tackles in a game with 14 (11 solo) last week… The Bisons have lost talented freshman CB Marcel Arruda-Welch for the season after he was injured in practice on the weekend. Dobie: “Athletically, arguably, he’s the single-best athlete we’ve ever had in defensive secondary.”… Out this week receivers Derek Yachison and Stephen Ugbah, left tackle Tom Clarkson, C Jordan Medal and Arruda-Welch. Anthony Daley and Braeden Cheang are expected to step in along the OL.

Quotable:

“It’s Canada West football, it’s the same all the time. It’s the toughest conference in the country… not even close. It’s what we’re going to be faced with every weekend.” – Brian Dobie