The firm of Davis and Davis is expected to play a substantial role in the UBC Thunderbirds sa国际传媒 West football season.
Brothers Terrell and Marcus Davis will be heavily relied upon as the T-Birds begin play today in Calgary against the No. 4-ranked Dinosaurs (4:30 p.m. Pacific time).
The game marks new T-Birds head coach Blake Nill鈥檚 return to the city as he joined UBC this off-season from U of C.
The Davis brothers 鈥� Mount Douglas grads and former triple-A high school players of the year 鈥� are both excited about what lies ahead.
鈥淎 lot of big changes have come to the program this year and it all started with the entrance of coach Nill. He knows exactly what it takes to win a championship at this level and I believe everyone here is buying in,鈥� said Marcus, who had a spectacular 85-yard punt return for a touchdown in a 41-16 pre-season victory over No. 2-ranked Laval last weekend.
The Thunderbirds are ranked No. 7 and entertain the Regina Rams on Sept. 12 in their home-opener.
鈥淚鈥檓 still returning kicks and I鈥檓 lining up wherever the team needs me to make big plays, whether that鈥檚 at running back or wide receiver,鈥� added Marcus. 鈥淢y expectations for this year with a new coach and a different team are just looking to improve each week, work hard on and off the field and build from there.鈥�
The younger Davis was the 2014 sa国际传媒 West rookie of the year and was named a first-team CIS All-Canadian and sa国际传媒 West all-star as a kick returner.
鈥淭he pre-season game against Laval was helpful to get some of the rust off and play at top speed. Last season was rewarding for myself having some hard work pay off, however, I still have a lot to prove at this level.鈥�
The same goes for older brother Terrell, who has actually switched positions from offence to linebacker. Terrell was tied with Troy Hansen with a game-high six tackles last week at Laval and has experience on both sides of the ball from Mount Douglas.
鈥淐oach Nill talked to me in the spring about how I felt about possibly moving to linebacker for this season and I agreed with him that linebacker would be the best fit for myself and the team,鈥� said Terrell. 鈥淢y expectation for this upcoming season is to get better each week at the new position and do what I can to help the team win.
鈥淵eah, Laval was a good first test for us. They are an elite program and I鈥檓 really happy how we played as a team against them.
鈥淕oing into Calgary will be a another huge test for us. They are also an elite team and we are preparing really hard to put ourselves in the best position to come out with a win on Friday night.鈥�
The two are not the only Vancouver Island products to represent the Thunderbirds in 2015.
Former Westshore Rebels kicker Quinn van Gylswyk will once again play a prominent role and Belmont grads Tristen Forish (offensive lineman) and Edgar Nelson (tightend) are also on board, along with former V.I. Raiders Marshall Cook, Dylan Chapdelaine and Alec Pennell.
Cook had a 20-yard TD catch against Laval and van Gylswyk added three field goals.
Paul Orazietti, also formerly of the Rebels, remains the recruiting co-ordinator and special teams coach with UBC.
