OUT OF THE TUNNEL: WEEK 3 UPS & DOWNS

Ups

The Green Machine

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-0) remain the lone undefeated team in the CFL with a dominant 23-10 performance over the upstart Ottawa Redblacks.

There weren’t any huge offensive fireworks, just lethal precision from Cody Fajardo. He completed 85% of his passes to eight receivers and one offensive lineman. The defence was just as stingy with another four sacks and an interception. 

They now have a week off to prepare for the biggest game of the season. The Labour Day Classic with the defending Grey Cup champ Winnipeg Blue Bombers is two weeks away and the Riders will have a bye week to prepare for the battle.

The Good Ship Argonaut

After sputtering a week ago in Winnipeg, the Toronto Argonauts looked like a completely different team in the return affair of a home-and-home series with the Bombers. 

Nick Arbuckle got the start and was incredible with 310 yards passing with a touchdown and no interceptions. Throw in a 100-yard receiver in DaVaris Daniels, a 100-yard rusher in D.J. Foster and a defence that shutdown Zach Collaros, the 30-23 score flattered Winnipeg.

All of the free agent moves the Argos made to completely overhaul the roster just may have worked and if Nick Arbuckle proves to be the real deal, we may have your East Division rep at the 2021 Grey Cup in Hamilton.

Extra up for the Argos’ double blue uniforms. They are another one of the pleasant surprises in a season that has been a lot of fun.

Extra, extra up for the Toronto fans. You came out and made a lot of noise for a team that deserved it. Let’s hope this continued and we have a little bit of a Canadian football renaissance in the league’s biggest market.

Jake Maier

The rookie quarterback’s start to his first ever CFL start was quickly en route to a hard down. Jake Maier threw two interceptions in the first quarter, including one on his first ever CFL pass and the Calgary Stampeders were threatening to go 0-3 to begin the season.

After that second interception, Maier threw for 251 yards and a touchdown while leading Calgary to their first win of the season. 

Many were questioning Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson’s choice to start the raw rookie out of the University of California, Davis over the Canadian in Michael O’Connor. Maier proved his head coach correct but now the hard part, how well can he play now that there is a little tape to look at. We will find this out next Sunday when the Stampeders visit Winnipeg in a huge West Division battle.

Amar Doman

It was a deal that took a few years to finally go through but now the B.C. Lions have a new owner. B.C. native Amar Doman purchased the Lions from the estate of David Braley who passed away a little under a year ago.

Doman wanted to buy the teams for a few years but when it comes to selling teams, things take time but now the Lions have a new captain of the ship. This is incredible news for an area that seems to be starved to come back to the ball park and support the Lions.

To have local ownership who wants to do everything he can to make the Lions successful is the best thing that could happen for the franchise and the CFL.

Downs

Discipline

The undisciplined play was front and centre in Montreal’s 28-22 loss in Calgary on Friday night. The Alouettes had 16 penalties for a whopping 149 yards and many of the penalties were the type where players just lost their heads and took a 15-yard major foul.

The stink also got on the Stampeders. Cory Greenwood took a roughing the passer penalty that extended a potential Alouettes game tying drive that ended up a foot short in the end.

Montreal and Calgary combined for 229 penalty yards, Edmonton and B.C. collected 265 yards in their grind of a game in Vancouver while Saskatchewan and Ottawa were one yard short of the 200-yard mark in penalties.

There could be two sides of this. One says the lack of pre-season games leads to undisciplined play or on the other hand, the tight, 14 game season brings a heightened sense of play and a bit of chippiness.

Either way, it’s been a bit of a blight on the early parts of the CFL season.

Bombing on the Road

For as good as the defending Grey Cup champions Winnipeg Blue Bombers have looked in their first two wins of the season, they looked just as bad in their loss in Toronto.

They could only collect 236 yards of offence with just 204 through the air. 63 of those yards passing came in the final drive of the game for the Blue Bombers to make the score look a little more generous.

It’s a critical three weeks for Winnipeg. They have Calgary at home next week and then the home-and-home series with the Riders. By the time the Banjo Bowl is over the fate of the Bombers may be set.

This Week in the PFC

Saskatoon Hilltops 18 (1-0) at Edmonton Huskies 17 (0-1)

The defending Canadian champs needed a punt single with zeros on the clock to seal the 18-17 come from behind victory. The Edmonton Huskies held a 14-0 lead early in the first half and it lasted until the Hilltops tied the game at 17 in the fourth quarter before the single to win it. 

Regina Thunder 37 (1-0) Winnipeg Rifles 0

The Thunder get touchdowns from Justin Reiger, Issac Foord, Ryland Leichert and a pick six by Justin McKerracher en route to a dominating 37-0 victory on the road over the Winnipeg Rifles.

Edmonton Wildcats 36 (1-0) at Calgary Colts 25 (0-1)

The Wildcats opened the season in style by taking a 36-2 lead early in the 3rd quarter and put it on cruise control knocking off the Calgary Colts 36-25.

Next week (all times local):

Saturday, August 28

Edmonton Huskies (0-1) at Edmonton Wildcats (1-0) Emerald Hills Park, Sherwood Park, Alta. 7:00pm

Sunday, August 29

Winnipeg Rifles (0-1) at Regina Thunder (1-0) Leibel Field 1:00pm

Saskatoon Hilltops (1-0) at Calgary Colts (0-1) Shouldice Park 1:00pm

Canadian to watch in the NCAA

Week Zero (don’t ask, college football is wonderfully weird) of the NCAA season begins next weekend with a handful of games and one has a Canadian senior that is one of the best defensive backs in the BIG10.

Sydney Brown (Sr.)

Safety

University of Illinois

6’0”, 205 lbs.

London, Ontario

High School – St. Stephens Episcopal (Fla.)

Sydney Brown has a chance to make some major waves in the 2021 season for the Illini. The senior safety was a starter the day he walked onto the campus of the University of Illinois. Since then Brown has four career interceptions and a whopping 179 total tackles in his first three seasons. This has garnered him a spot on the Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list.

Brown will no doubt be one of the top ranked players in the 2022 CFL draft.

His brother Chase is a running back with the Illini and will get a ton of reps in his redshirt sophomore season.

(RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF)