PRESS BOX SPORTSBAR PREVIEW: RIDERS AT TICATS

SASKATCHEWAN (1-6) at HAMILTON (3-4)
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 20/2016, 5:00 pm Sask Time
WHERE: Tim Hortons Field
BROADCAST: TSN, ESPN3, 620 CKRM Rider Network, Sirius/XM CH 167
PREGAME: 2:00 pm on 620 CKRM
FORECAST: Sunny, 28 degrees Celsius

RIDERS: Road 0-3, Vs East 1-2
TICATS: Home 0-2, Vs West 1-4

RIDER OFFENSE: RUSH 8TH, PASS 7TH, OVERALL 6TH
QB Darian Durant is the CFL’s 8th leading passer (1245 yards, 7 TDs, 0 INTs) … Durant turned 34 on Friday … WR Naaman Roosevelt is 4th in CFL receiving (641 yards, 1 TD) … Inactive RB Curtis Steele remains the club’s top rusher (133 yards, 0 TD) … The leading active “non-QB” rusher is Kendial Lawrence (105 yards, 0 TD) … Riders are 8th in points scored and 4th in fewest sacks allowed.

TICAT OFFENSE: RUSH 9TH, PASS 4TH, OVERALL 7TH
QB Zach Collaros makes his first home start in almost a year (331 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) … SB Luke Tasker is their leading receiver (516 yards, 1 TD) … RB C.J. Gable is their top rusher (268 yards, 1 TD) … Ticats are 5th in points scored and 9th in sacks allowed.

RIDER DEFENSE: RUSH 8TH, PASS 5TH, OVERALL 7TH
DE’s Corvey Irvin and A.C. Leonard are the Rider sack leaders (3) … DB Justin Cox leads in INT (2) … LB Greg Jones leads in tackles (40) … Riders are 9th in points allowed and 9th in sacks.


TICAT DEFENSE: RUSH 3RD, PASS 1ST, OVERALL 1ST
DE John Chick is the Ticat sack leader (5) … LB Simoni Lawrence and DB Emmanual Davis lead in INT (1) … Lawrence leads in tackles (38) … Ticats are 7th in points allowed and 6th in sacks.

RIDER SPEC TEAMS: Hamilton product K Tyler Crapigna returns after a 2-game absence.  He is 2nd in FG percentage (88.9) … P Josh Bartel is 5th in punting average (45.3) … Nic Demski leads in PR yards and Kendial Lawrence leads in KR yards … The ST tackles leader is Graig Newman (7).

TICAT SPEC TEAMS: K/P Brett Maher is 4th in FG percentage (85.0) and 2nd in punting average (48.5) …. Brandon Banks leads in PR and KR yards … Their ST tackles leader is LB Frederic Plesius (11).

NOTES:  Referee is Al Bradbury … Ticats are favoured by 1-point … Riders are -5 in turnover ratio (8th) while Ticats are -6 (9th) … Sask is the 3rd-least penalized team while Hamilton is 5th .. Darian Durant has gone a CFL record 12 starts without throwing an interception (321 attempts).

AT THE PRESS BOX: Enjoy the game with other Rider fans!  Watch the game at the Press Box Sports Bar and enter to win a trip for two to Grey Cup 2016 in Toronto.  Ask your server for details.

RP
@rodpedersen