Dan Plaster
Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2) @ B.C. Lions (5-3)
This is going to be a doozy in Vancouver with the Riders and Lions facing each other for the second and final time this season. The Lions won on the road in sloppy conditions 26-13 at Mosaic Stadium on July 12th. Since then, the Riders have ripped off a four game winning streak, while the Lions themselves are also on a three game winning streak of their own. This will be the first time since the 2004 season that the Lions and Riders will face each other just twice. They have met at least three or four times over the past nine seasons.
This was going to be just a great West Division battle between two great rivals who have played each other in some pretty big games over the past 10 seasons. That changed on Wednesday when Lions President, Dennis Skulsky went on The Team 1040 in Vancouver criticising the Riders for having a billboard outside of BC Place Stadium and having a fan event at the Commodore the afternoon of the game (Rider fans, there is lots of room and it will be a good time, the Riderville Tour stop at the Commodore kicks off at 1:00pm).
Having talked with some of my co-workers that know Dennis, they tell me he is smart and an all-around good person, so I have a feeling this was planned. He isn’t so myopic that he went off the cuff, kicked the sand and said “not in our house!” This will be the biggest crowd and game of the year at BC Place, and he wants a show. It’s a win-win situation business wise; if the Lions win, the big crowd will be entertained and will want to come back. If the Lions lose; the fans will still be entertained, and will get another ticket to an upcoming Lions game. They will bring a friend, spend concession money and so on, remember, B.C. Place is a monster facility and there is a lot of ticket inventory. It’s about building a fan base in a competitive Vancouver sports market. Also, there will be thousands of Rider fans coming to their only game of the year, why not invite them to another Lions game.
On the field, Lions Head Coach, Mike Benevides is 5-and-1 since beginning the season 0-and-2. The beginning of this string was the win at Mosaic Stadium and since 2008 the Lions overall are 12-9 against the Riders and 8-and-2 at B.C. Place.
Into the Lion’s Den:
– This is a star studded defence with Kalif Mitchell and the emergence of Alex Bazzie anchoring the line and the league’s leading tackler, along with two of the best linebackers in the league in Solomon Elimimian and his cohort, Adam Bighill, this is a fantastic front 7
– Their secondary has feasted on Rider quarterbacks. Veteran defensive back, Ryan Phillips has 15 of his 39 picks against the Riders with nine of them off the arm of Darian Durant.
– Kevin Glenn has started every game so far this season for the Lions in place of Travis Lulay. Even with the 5-and-2 record, it has been a rough one for the veteran quarterback. He has been sacked 23 times already this season which is second in the CFL.
– Andrew Harris is responsible for 26% of the Lions offence (781 of 3051 yards), and if you toss in Stefan Logan’s 513 combined yards, the two combine for 1294 yards, or 42% of all of the Lions offence.
– Great starts, great finishes. The Lions outscore their opponents 143-66 in the first and fourth quarters, while getting outscored 96-63 in the second and third.
In the battle of coaches, Mike Benevides and Corey Chamblin will face each other for the 9th time in their head coaching careers with both toting equal 4-and-4 records.
An interesting side note, Dave Foxcroft is the head referee for his first Rider game since late 2012. During that season, the Hamilton native was the head ref for a full third of the Rider schedule with Green and White toting a 2-and-4 record.
One of the constant of this series since 2009 has been Rider quarterback, Darian Durant. He has started 17 of 18 games in that time (the only one he didn’t was when he was rested for Drew Willy in the finale of 2012). The Lions on the other hand, has strutted out six different starters: Kevin Glenn, Thomas DeMarco, Travis Lulay, Paris Jackson, Casey Printers and Buck Pierce.
More on Durant:
– Last week was a solid one for the former Tar Heel. He was 19/30 (63.3%) for 221 yards and a TD. This comes together with a 96.7 passer rating which is his second best passing day of the season.
– His last interception was at the 8:05 mark of the first quarter in the Riders 17-9 win over the Argos at Mosaic Stadium on July 26th. A total of 233:05 (three games, three quarters and 8:05)
– The Lions have been Durant’s toughest foe. He has a QB rating of only 77.9 and a record of 8-9. The glaring stat is his 23 interceptions in the 17 games.
Few more Rider bits:
– The Riders have had the top sacker over the past three weeks (David Lee in week six and John Chick in seven and eight)
– John Chick’s next sack will be his 40th in his CFL Career. His 12 sacks (11 in 2009) and six tackles for loss (4 in 2009) are far ahead of his output in his Most Outstanding Defensive Player year of 2009
– In the Riders first five games, they had just 9 points in the 4th quarter. Things have turned around over the past two games where the 4th quarter is now their highest scoring with 24 points.
– Dylan Ainsworth is having a solid rookie campaign. The second round pick out of Western Ontario is leading the Riders in special teams tackles with seven
Here are five things to look for:
1. Chad Kilgore – With the Riders leading tackler, Sam Hurl out of the lineup this week due to injury, rookie linebacker, Chad Kilgore will get the nod up the middle. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcat is very comparable in every way with Eskimo linebacker, J.C. Sherritt. He will be a busy man handling the fantastic duo of Lion running backs. Which gets us to the next point…
2. Two Headed Monster – Andrew Harris (if he plays) and Stefan Logan are a handful, but Harris is the key. He was a one man wrecking crew in their week three win over the Riders with 208 combined yards (138 rushing, 65 receiving). The Rider front seven took notice and still remember how much that stung.
3. Solid Receiving Core – The Riders can focus a lot of their attention on the running game, but the Lions also have three of the top seven receivers. Including Harris, they also have Emmanuel Arceneaux and Courtney Taylor. So, the pass rush is more important this week. If the Green and White can get pressure with just three or four, it will make it a very long day for the Lions passing game.
4. Contain the Lion Punt Return Game – The key to the Lions win last week was the play of the Lions return game. Tim Brown was responsible for 249 combined return yards with two punt returns of 70 yards. It doesn’t matter if it’s Brown or Stefan Logan doing the returning, the Rider cover teams have to be on their A-game to contain one of the strengths of the Lions.
5. Chris Getzlaf – Since missing three games early in the season (where the Riders went 1-2), Getzlaf has come back and has had a settling effect on the receiving core and the Riders have won three in a row. He has been his solid self over the last three games with 13 catches for 150 yards, but is still looking for his breakout game of the season, let’s see if it comes this week in Vancouver.
For the best Rider coverage, keep tabs on riderville.com, and tune in Tuesday nights for Rider Rewind and Thursday nights for Countdown to game day. Also, follow me on twitter @dan_plaster. Enjoy the game.
