Brennan Kasbrick and the Regina Thunder would like to continue what they started.

Last week, for the first time all season, the Thunder had a running back rush for more than 100 yards in a game when Kasbrick carried 25 times for 105 yards in an 18-14 loss to the Saskatoon Hilltops.

Kasbrick will try to do it again Sunday, when the Thunder plays the host Winnipeg Rifles.

"It's very encouraging because our run game was lacking at the start," said Kasbrick, who noted the play of the offensive line and fullback Jeremy Seidlitz against the Hilltops. "Now that we know we can do it, we can go and have another good performance. One of the big things was that no one would bite on our play fakes so now that we have a positive running game, it opens a lot of options."

Thunder offensive co-ordinator Stefan Endsin was quick to note that Regina's yards-per-carry average against Saskatoon (4.0) was actually lower than what it was (4.9) through the team's first four games of the Prairie Football Conference season. Endsin did concede, however, that just seeing a triple-digit number next to one of the team's running backs was a big boost for everyone on the offensive side of the ball.

"It's something that Winnipeg has to be ready for now," said Endsin. "I think it's something that teams didn't respect as much about us entering that (Saskatoon) game."

The reasons it took until the Thunder's fifth game to have a 100-yard rusher (the other five teams in the league accomplished the feat by Week 3) are not difficult to see.

With the PFC's top quarterback in Reid Quest and receivers Kolten Solomon (second in the PFC with 510 receiving yards), Jay Smith (ninth with 235) and Jeff Bolen (who led the league with 354 yards before going down with a knee injury), Regina quickly established itself as a passing offence.

As well, Kasbrick and Mark Coons split most of the carries during the first half of the season (40 for Coons and 25 for Kasbrick). Coons was rested against Saskatoon with an ankle injury.

"It's tough for one of them to get a ton of carries and there's no doubt we're a throwing team," said Endsin. "But the nice thing is we've got the depth that Brennan could come in and do that."

While it's never an ideal situation for a running back, Kasbrick is more than willing to accept it if it means victories.

"No running back likes to have a passing offence, but football is the ultimate team sport so you have to keep your head up and wait for it to come like it did against Saskatoon," said Kasbrick.

It's tough to know where Regina might have the most offensive success against the Rifles on Sunday. Despite Winnipeg's 1-4 record and the fact it has allowed a league-worst 436.6 yards per game, the team has improved. Earlier in the year, the Rifles were blown out by the Hilltops and Edmonton Wildcats by 23 and 38 points, respectively. In the rematches, however, the Rifles stayed within 13 points of the Wildcats and within two of the Hilltops.

"Their defence is absolutely much better than we've seen -- they're doing some different stuff," said Endsin. "They're playing aggressive and when you do that as a defence it's difficult as an offence. They're aggressive, yet smart."