Introduction | Week 11 | Week 13
With Labour Day just around the corner, teams start preparing for the big rivalry matchups. The West division is in chaos and the East is ascendant for the first time in decades.
GAME VODS
Saskatchewan @ Toronto
Hamilton @ Winnipeg
BC @ Ottawa
Edmonton @ Montreal
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS @ TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Played: Thursday August 22
Final Score: SSK 19 – TOR 20
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: SSK-10 TOR-0 | Q2: SSK-3 TOR-10 | Q3: SSK-3 TOR-0 | Q4: SSK-3 TOR-10
I continue to be in awe of the Riders’ ability to find new and fascinating ways to lose football games this season. We’ve had controversial ref calls, a complete failure from the kicker, and now a walk off missed field goal. They have just had the most abysmal string of bad luck since week 7. I can’t fault the players too much either. Trevor Harris had a bit of an underwhelming night, but the offence made up for it with a solid run game. Brett Lauther redeemed himself after last week’s fiasco and made all 4 of his field goal attempts. The defence played out of their goddamned minds and stopped Toronto at the goal line 3 times, robbing the Argos of what should have been an easy 21 points. And yet, they lost. The offence definitely needs to step it up a bit, but in fairness Trevor Harris just got back from injury not that long ago. Hopefully they find their footing soon, and can stop this skid. They face Winnipeg next week for Labour Day, who are on the opposite trajectory of the Riders, which has to have everyone in Regina a little bit worried.
This probably wasn’t the way Chad Kelly envisioned his first game back after suspension ending. Still, a win’s a win. The Argos offence, despite putting up decent numbers, were bullied by the Saskatchewan defence all night long. Running back Kadeem Carey managed just 35 rushing yards all game, and it’s not like they didn’t try. The Argos had a really hard time in general of finding the endzone. Even on the one-yard line, they failed to punch it in multiple times. Damonte Coxie and David Ungerer III made some fantastic, long range catches, but the Argos just fell apart in short yardage. Lirim Hajrullahu even missed the very make-able 40 yard field goal with no time left on the clock, and only avoided overtime because it went through the endzone. This may have been a win, but it did not do much to inspire confidence in this team for me. They got to Hamilton next week for the Labour Day Classic, and are probably going to notch an easy win against a dismal Ticats team.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS @ WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Played: Friday August 23
Final Score: HAM 23 – WPG 26
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: HAM-0 WPG-3 | Q2: HAM-3 WPG-13 | Q3: HAM-17 WPG-3 | Q4: HAM-3 WPG-7
This Tiger-Cats team is so frustrating to watch. When the offence show up, they can do great things, but they only play 30 minutes of a 60 minute game. The Ticats offence in the first half managed a meagre 3 first downs and a single field goal. Sure, they managed to come back, and even take the lead for most of the second half, but if they had managed even one more field goal in the first half they could have taken this to overtime or even won it. Marc Liegghio did miss a field goal, but I find it hard to hold him responsible when the offence only got him close enough to kick once in the first half. The defence, by contrast, played very well, and managed to grab 3 interceptions. Despite my initial misgivings about Chris Jones (yes, the one who got fired from Edmonton) taking over as defensive coordinator, they looked the best they have all season. If the Cats offence can improve, they may be able to salvage some of their dignity in the back half of the season. They play Toronto next week at home, and as much as I want them to win, I don’t think they will.
The Bombers momentum continues, though this one was a little rockier. Collaros threw a worrying number of interceptions, and spent most of the game throwing short passes. That said, Brady Oliveira at running back will forgive a lot of sins. He rushed for 120 yards, picking up over a third of Winnipeg’s total net yards by himself. The defence also did a great job of keeping Hamilton out of the endzone. While they did stumble a little in the third quarter, they got back on top of the Cats and stopped them from extending their lead late so the offence could finish the job. Winnipeg has a real shot at the playoffs this year, which is wild to say after how their first half of the season went. That said, the West has gotten extremely competitive, with all the teams separated by just one or two games, so who knows what will happen. They play Saskatchewan next week, and that could truly be anyone’s game.
BC LIONS @ OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Played: Saturday August 24
Final Score: BC 27 – OTT 34
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: BC-10 OTT-3 | Q2: BC-7 OTT-9 | Q3: BC-7 OTT-15 | Q4: BC-3 OTT-7
Well, that may not have been a win, but it was a much better performance than last week for BC. Nathan Rourke looked much more comfortable, and was starting to look like his old self. William Stanback also had an excellent night, putting up 99 rushing yards. Overall the offence looked great, which has to be a huge relief to Lions fans after the last couple games. The defence did a decent job of containing Ottawa, but ultimately they still gave up a touchdown almost every quarter. Though, again, it’s been a better performance than the last few games. Overall, this is the best BC has looked since they started their backslide, and though they didn’t get the win tonight, it was a competitive loss against one of the best teams in the league. As Rourke settles into the BC offence again, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a turning point. They rematch Ottawa next week in a rare double-away game at Touchdown Pacific in Victoria, BC.
I don’t like that I have to start talking about an injury again, but fortunately Redblacks receiver Jaelon Acklin is fine after being taken off the field in an ambulance. He’s been discharged and is back in the lineup, but it’s scary to see this happen two weeks in a row. Regardless, Ottawa looked great in this game. Dru Brown was back at quarterback and continues to put up fantastic numbers. Receiver Nick Mardner also had a fantastic night, picking up95 receiving yards and the first 2 touchdowns in his CFL career. Not a bad night for the rookie from Oakville, ON. The defence also did an excellent job of harrying BC’s offence. Nathan Rourke is a tough man to pin down, and they managed to sack him multiple times. They even managed to break BC kicker Sean Whyte’s field goal streak. The Redblacks continue to look great, and I think they’re a real contender for the Grey Cup. They rematch BC in Victoria next week, and I think it’s going to be a very exciting game.
EDMONTON ELKS @ MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Played: Sunday August 25
Final Score: EDM 17 – MTL 21
Points Breakdown by Quarter: Q1: EDM-7 MTL-3 | Q2: EDM-10 MTL-3 | Q3: EDM-0 MTL-12 | Q4: EDM-0 MTL-3
The Elks started this game out pretty strong. They managed to break through Montreal’s defence with a strong running game, and had an 11 point lead at the half. While they were definitely missing Tre Ford at quarterback, they were productive, and their defence managed to hold a full strength Alouettes offence to just 6 points. Unfortunately, they had a much harder time containing Montreal in the second half, and the offence went cold. Poor Boris Bede missed a field goal in the 4th quarter that would have cut Montreal’s lead to 1, which meant that Edmonton had to play for the touchdown in the final seconds when they were in easy field goal range. Still, this was a very competitive game against the best team in the league, so I think they’ll still come out of this one feeling alright. With the changing fortunes in the West division, the Elks are still definitely in the playoff race. Edmonton plays Calgary next week in the Battle of Alberta, and I think the Stamps should be very nervous.
The Montreal Alouettes notch another win, bringing their total to 10 on the season and putting their streak to 5. Cody Fajardo was back in the driver’s seat, and looked very comfortable. This game was also the return of beloved receiver Austin Mack from his excursion in the NFL. Though the stars of the show this game were Cole Spieker and Charleston Rambo, with 107 and 95 receiving yards respectively and some spectacular catches. The first half was rocky, but they came out blazing after halftime for a come from behind victory. The Als continue to cement their position as the best team in the league, with only Ottawa in a position to challenge them. It’s weird to me for the East to be the dominant division, but it’s a nice change of pace. Montreal get the bye on Labour Day, and come back to face BC in week 14.
STANDINGS AT THE END OF WEEK 12
EAST
MONTREAL ALOUETTES 10 – 1
OTTAWA REDBLACKS 7 – 2 – 1
TORONTO ARGONAUTS 6 – 4
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS 2 – 9
WEST
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS 5 – 5 – 1
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS 5 – 6
BC LIONS 5 – 6
CALGARY STAMPEDERS 4 – 6
EDMONTON ELKS 3 – 8
NEXT WEEK: WEEK 13
Ottawa @ BC – Saturday August 31 7PM EDT
Winnipeg @ Saskatchewan – Sunday September 1 7PM EDT
Toronto @ Hamilton – Monday September 2 2:30PM EDT
Edmonton @ Calgary – Monday September 2 6PM EDT