OUT OF THE TUNNEL: RIDERS CONTROL THEIR DESTINY
BY: RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF
Destiny is now in the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
They wouldn’t want it any other way.
With the Calgary Stampeders losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday night, the Riders needed every ounce of effort to knock off the Eskimos and they did just that, 27-24 on Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium. Now all the Riders need to do is to beat the Esks for the second week in a row – this Saturday at Mosaic Stadium – to clinch first in the West Division.
If they do pull this off it will be the first West Final in Saskatchewan since 2009 and just the second since 1976.
It was a strange game Saturday night with Edmonton storming out to a 14-0 lead and then holding a 17-7 edge at the half. Trevor Harris made his return to the Eskimos lineup and looked good through the first half with over 200 yards in the air but it was tough slugging in the second half as the Rider defence found their stride in the third to shut him down.
Cody Fajardo decided to honour his newly signed contract with a stellar 429-yard passing performance and a pair of scores for the victory.
There were a couple of things that are a bit worrisome: First is the vaunted running game. The Riders picked up just 100-yards on the ground with half of that coming on just three runs. Secondly, the beating Fajardo got in the game. Dropping back 44 times will win a team a lot of games but it also means your quarterback will take a beating. It also demonstrates the Riders took what the Eskimos gave them and that is all kinds of awful secondary play.
The Rider defence was in prime form, slow-cooking the Eskimos in the second half as they could barely move the football. With the chilly weather to come, this bodes well for a run to the Grey Cup.
This all sets up well for the Riders on Saturday afternoon. They will use their daunting homefield advantage, a great passing game, and a suffocating defence to seal up a date in the West Final.
The week started off with a bang as Cody Fajardo inked a 2-year deal (or extension in CFL terms, but it is a new contract). 3DownNation had a great rundown on the ins and outs of the contract and it is very favourable for both.
Fajardo will earn a nifty $400,000 per year and the Riders get easy terms with the two-year contract.
It sets up the Riders to make a run for a home field Grey Cup game in 2021 and after grinding it out for a long time in the CFL, Fajardo will earn some solid CFL money.
It was all good except for one thing; the timing of the announcement. While all of the country’s media outlets – including those in Regina – dealing with the Federal Election on Monday (with the added media presence due to Andrew Scheer’s headquarters being a stone’s throw from the stadium) the Riders were a little off track by making this announcement on the same day.
Two of the television stations didn’t have an evening broadcast and most of the audience was tuned into the election coverage.
This is something that could have waited a day or two. Jeremy O’Day has been in stealth-mode since taking over as general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and it would be incredibly doubtful if this information would have leaked.
But, this is football and football personnel live in their own world, just look up stories about Nick Saban’s and Bill Belichick’s insular ways.
This Week in Canada West:
The road to the Hardy Cup is set after an interesting weekend of football with last year’s finalists, the Saskatchewan Huskies and the Calgary Dinos set to host playoff games next weekend.
The Huskies used the best running game in the country and a solid defence to choke out the Alberta Golden Bears 22-6 at Griffiths Stadium. Adam Machart will finish leading the country in rushing with 1,331 yards this season while averaging 166.4 yards per game. In Saturday afternoon’s game he was unstoppable again with 227 yards on the ground.
The Calgary Dinos will host yet another Canada West semi-final game and the conference’s best record with the 36-12 victory of the UBC Thunderbirds. It buoyed the Dinos defence as they held the T-Birds to just 192 yards of total offence. Adam Sinagra struggled in the win for Calgary with 297 yards passing with four interceptions.
The Regina Rams finished the season on a high note rolling over the Manitoba Bisons 47-14. The Rams passing game will be in good hands as first year quarterback Josh Donnelly threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns. Kyle Moortgat had 185 yards receiving and Sam Varao rushed for 119 yards in their final university game.
The semi-finals are all set for next Saturday, November 2.
Manitoba (4-4) at Calgary (6-2) 12:00pm McMahon Stadium
Alberta (4-4) at Saskatchewan (5-3) 3:00pm Griffiths Stadium
This Week in the Prairie Football Conference:
It was tight at halftime but in the end the Saskatoon Hilltops are once again the kings of the Prairie Football Conference.
They led the Edmonton Huskies 13-7 heading into the locker room, but it was a mauling in the second half en route to the 30-14 victory.
Ben Abrook and the Hilltops running game couldn’t be stopped. He carried the ball 44 times for 246 yards in the victory while the ‘Toppers defence held the Huskies to just 231 total yards.
It’s their sixth straight PFC title and will face the Ontario Football Conference champion London Beefeaters with a berth into the Canadian Bowl Championships. The Beefeaters knocked off the Windsor AKO Fratmen in the OFC final.
Canadian to Watch in the NCAA:
T – Liam Dobson
Maine (Colonial Athletic Association)
6′ 3″ 340lbs.
Ottawa, Ontario
High School – Canada Prep Academy
Liam Dobson is one of the top offensive linemen in the Colonial Athletic Association and will be one of the top prospects in the 2021 CFL Draft.
He was named a 2nd team all-CAA in 2018 and has started every game at tackle for the Black Bears in 2019. He is one of five Canadians on the Black Bears roster.
(RODPEDERSEN.COM STAFF/PHOTO: DAVE CAMPBELL)
