WEST SEMIFINAL PREVIEW
BC (11-7) at SASKATCHEWAN (11-7)
3:30 pm Sunday, Mosaic Stadium
TSN, CKRM Rider Radio Network
ESPN3, Sirius/XM CH 167
RIDERS: Home 6-3, Vs West 6-4
LIONS: Road 3-6, Vs West 6-4
RIDER OFFENSE: RUSH 2ND, PASS 4TH, OVERALL 3RD
QB Darian Durant is 3rd in CFL passing (4154 yds, 31 TDs, 12 INTs) … RB Kory Sheets is 2nd in CFL rushing (1598 yds, 12 TDs) … SB Weston Dressler is their top active receiver, 7th in the CFL (1011 yds, 9 TDs) … Riders are #2 in points scored and #3 in fewest sacks allowed
LION OFFENSE: RUSH 3RD, PASS 7TH, OVERALL 6TH
QB Travis Lulay is 5th in passing (2841 yds, 19 TDs, 11 INTs) … SB Nick Moore is 3rd in receiving (1105 yds, 6 TDs) … RB Andrew Harris is 3rd in rushing (998 yds, 7 TDs) … BC is #4 in points scored and tied for 3rd in fewest sacks allowed
RIDER DEFENSE: RUSH 3RD, PASS 5TH, OVERALL 3RD
DE Alex Hall is 2nd in CFL sacks (16) … DB Dwight Anderson leads in INTs (5) … LB Craig Butler leads in tackles (60) … Riders are #1 in fewest points allowed and #3 in sacks
LION DEFENSE: RUSH 2ND, PASS 1ST, OVERALL 2ND
LB Adam Bighill leads the team in sacks (9) and tackles (92) … CB Cord Parks leads in INTs (6) … Lions are #4 in points against and #6 in sacks
RIDER SPEC TEAMS: K Chris Milo is 46/52 on FGs (88.5%) … P Ricky Schmitt is #2 in punting average (45.0) and #1 in kickoff average (65.0) … Jock Sanders leads the team in PR and KR yards … DB Paul Woldu leads in ST tackles (21)
LION SPEC TEAMS: K/P Paul McCallum is 7th in punting average (40.6) and 28/33 on FGs (84.8%) … Tim Brown leads in the team in PR and KR yards … FB Rolly Lumbala leads in ST tackles (19)
INTANGIBLES: Riders are #1 in turnover ratio (+19) while the Lions are 4th (+2) … Saskatchewan won the season series 2-1 … BC is the least-penalized team while Saskatchewan is #3 … Saskatchewan is favoured by 4.5-points … The forecast calls more mainly sunshine, minus-8 degrees, a north wind at 25 km/h making the windchill minus-18 … The referee is Andre Proulx … At noon Sask time, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Semifinal.
TAILGATING: The Press Box Sports Bar offers a pregame tailgate party at 909 Albert St. N. They also have 30 tickets available on their party bus which includes game ticket (Section 12, Row 2 or 3), transportation, Molson product and Rod Pedersen burger. Call 306-924-0111 for details.
RP
@sportscage
Oh no! Anybody but Proulx!! How did he make the short list?
Kurtis from Broadview
Liked all of this until the words Andre Proulx, he needs to call a good game, no questionable calls
Dis is orrible. Andre is da ref.
Old Cuss
Because of the wind tomorrow, the most important moment of the game will be the coin toss. The team that gets the wind in the 4th quarter will win the game. So if ever there was a game for the Riders to win the coin toss, tomorrow's is the one!
BC is turd and one on the turdie tree yard line.
To remove all doubt of favouritism. They probably wanted the referee to come from the furthest away as possible.
Andre will determine the outcome of this game. Home field advantage is nullified as Andre is intimidated by the real noise from the fans. He is much better with artificial noise pumped into a stadium.
You ARE joking about Prouxl. Right?
Say it ain't so.
Argh crap. I was getting pumped about winning tomorrow but not any longer. Prouxl hates the favourite team and makes every possible bad call to make sure the underdog wins. He truly is useless as a ref.
Newt From YQR
I bet the Rod Pedersen burger tastes a bit pretentious.
Not so, provided you order an authentic Rod Pedersen Burger, not the generic.
I also recommend the Rob Pedersen Burger, although it takes up a lot of real estate on the plate, leaving little room for fries or salad.
Just heard an interesting poll as we drove into the city for the game from afar. Only 10 percent of Canadian football fans have said they would be most comfortable with Darian Durant at the helm. He was 6th out of 6. So, maybe we can put the myth to bed that Rider fans don't know what they like in a qb. Another poll had the Riders well ahead of the pack in regard to who should be most concerned about their qb situation. I just cannot believe the local media and rider management are so blind as to why… Read more »
lol who conducted this dumbass poll? Leave it be. We have an all star QB. And if you know football, and maybe a fella by the name of Brett Favre, threw the odd INT. But was a born leader. Thats who Darian Durant is. So time to shut it. Start showing some support.
What a bunch of f*#ked up people there are on these sites. WAAA, I don't like the ref… I don't like the quarterback… I don't like Rod Pederson… I don't like my life… WOW! Good times are never good enough for some people.
GO RIDERS!!!
Poll details please. Who are the other 5? I think the 'fans' are spoiled rotten. Finish second and people are mad. Must not have lived through actual bad years. QBs (and RBs) live and die by their O line play. Cornish Tate Mitchell Glenn … watch the time and the holes. Glenn and McDanial suddenly became great? Drier climate?
Ask to have a poll done of those QBs … where would they prefer to play in the league. (After they have read these blogs)
I will admit that if Durant can't get it done this year it's time to really start questioning his worth moving forward … If you are willing to admit if he finds a way to win the next three he undoubtedly becomes the second best QB this franchise has ever seen.
Isn't that an interesting spot to be?
Attendance = Durant ??? How about a late starting game in Nov? -20 wind chill and I am going to bring the kids … 8hours of driving … like I did for Labour Day … sit in row 7 end zone (best available online) … ? Think its DDs fault we are not coming?
I'm keeping it simple today.
For the Eastern Semi Final: GO ALOUETTES!
For the Western Semi Final: GO RIDERS!
Y'er Welcome
Obama
I love the post about the poll and no one trusting precious Darian. I sure don't. That guy is the most inconsistant "superstar" I have ever witnessed.
Durant gives us the best chance of winning right now. Willy is not the answer and sinseri doesn't have the experience yet, but shows some promise for the future. But saying that someone show Chamblain the 08 semi final and what can happen when you don't pull a struggling qb. Then show him clips of 09, when Miller learned from his mistakes and if Durant was struggling would pull him for 2 or 3 series to "calm him down and give him a different look at the d". I think sinseri showed that he's able to manage the footbal if… Read more »
QB Darian Durant is 3rd in CFL passing 4154 yds, 31 TDs, 12 INTs and some knuckleheads are saying he can't get it done? Are you people insane? Was it Darian who lost the Grey Cup or was it the 13th man? Look back.. was it Darian who allowed the opponents to walk down the field in the last few minutes and score? Was it Darian who calls the terrible shotgun draws? Is it Darian who is in on short yardage on the one yard line and can't get in or a first down? NOYou Darian haters make me sick.… Read more »