The Rookies

B.C. defensive end Ricky Foley sacks Saskatchewan QB Darian Durant Friday. The Lions won 35-20, increasing the storm of questions around the Riders' quarterbacking situation.

It’s the second week of my adventures in CFL column writing. Video highlight reels of each game, as well as scores, stats and U.S. broadcast schedules can all be found on the league home page. As always, if you have comments or suggestions for future columns, leave them below or e-mail them to me.

The Week That Was:

It was a crazy week in the CFL, complete with a shutout in Montreal, a clash of passing and running offences in Hamilton and a surprisingly close game in Calgary. Still, my vote for the most interesting game of the past week goes to the B.C. Lions’ 35-20 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Vancouver Friday night. This game had it all, but it deserves special notice for marking a potential turnaround. Heading into Saturday, the Riders were sitting pretty at 3-2 and looked like the best team in the West. Meanwhile, the Lions were reeling at 1-4 and had just came off a brutal loss to Hamilton. Only a few of us nuts thought they might win this one. The victory improves their record to 2-4, while the Riders fall into a three-way tie for first in the West at 3-3. The game itself was a roller-coaster ride, including five interceptions, a couple of fumbles and a bizarre special-teams play.

Late in the second quarter, B.C. trailed 14-12 (partly thanks to yet another goal line interception thrown by former Notre Dame QB and supposed short-yardage specialist Jarious Jackson) and had to punt from deep inside their own half. Kicker Sean Whyte (Santa Monica) boomed an impressive punt that was nearly blocked. Saskatchewan receiver Gerran Walker (Lehigh) tried to make a diving catch on the punt, but missed, and the ball squirted loose. Lions defensive back Jerome Dennis (Utah State) got a hand to it, knocking the ball over towards the sidelines, and then B.C. linebacker James Yurichuk (Bishop’s) booted the ball downfield. B.C. safety Jason Arakgi (McMaster) tried to reel it in, but was tackled and only managed to knock the ball further forward, where it was finally recovered by Lions’ receiver O’Neil Wilson (Connecticut), who ran it in for a touchdown. That gave the Lions a 19-14 lead heading into halftime and plenty of momentum.

Funnily enough, CFL director of officiating Tom Higgins said the play should not have counted later this week. The actions of Dennis, Yurichuk and Wilson were all legal, but Arakgi was ahead of Yurichuk when the ball was kicked, so he was offside and not allowed to touch the ball. However, the officials didn’t see it and neither did the Riders’ coaches; head coach Ken Miller decided not to challenge the play after consulting with his assistants.

There was more to the game than just that one play, though. B.C. running back Martell Mallett (Arkansas – Pine Bluff) got it done on the ground all day, picking up 99 yards and a touchdown on 17 rushing attempts and adding another 22 yards on five receptions, while Saskatchewan’s Wes Cates (California University of Pennsylvania; don’t ask me how they came up with that one!) was unusually quiet, only gaining 38 yards on 11 rushing attempts and 10 more on two passes. Buck Pierce (New Mexico State) also ran the Lions’ air attack effectively with plenty of short passes, completing 26 of 34 attempts for 215 yards and a touchdown with one interception. On the other side of the ball, the Riders’ quarterbacks continued to struggle; starter Darian Durant (North Carolina) only completed 10 of 19 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions before being pulled, while backup Steven Jyles (Louisiana – Monroe) completed 7 of 13 attempts for 96 yards with an interception. Those kinds of performances could lead to the Free Graham Harrell movement gaining strength.

It wasn’t all the quarterbacks’ fault. B.C.’s defence played with more intensity than they’ve demonstrated in a long time and ate the Saskatchewan offensive line for a late-night dinner. Brent Johnson (Ohio State) recorded three sacks, while Ricky Foley (York University) and Anton McKenzie (Massachusetts) added another one each. Moreover, the ineffective Saskatchewan ground game allowed B.C. to cheat towards the pass all night, making life difficult for Durant and Jyles even when they weren’t running for their lives. Durant did complete a brilliant couple of first-half touchdown strikes of 47 and 33 yards, respectively, to receiver Rob Bagg (Queen’s University), who I profiled earlier this year. Still, he’ll have to be more consistent if he wants to hang on to his job for the long term.

The leaking boat: The Toronto Argonauts’ ship continued to sink Friday with a 25-0 loss to the Montreal Alouettes.

That’s right, 25-0.

It was the first CFL shutout since 2005, the first time the Argonauts were shut out since 1992 and the first shutout pitched by the Alouettes in 33 years. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo (Utah State) led the Alouettes, completing 34 of 42 passes for 380 yards. For the Boatmen, starting quarterback Kerry Joseph (McNeese State) continued to struggle, only completing seven of 13 passes for 60 yards while being picked off once. Backup Cody Pickett (Washington) was marginally better, completing seven of 11 attempts for 83 yards, but his late charge was as ineffective as that of his namesake. The Alouettes continued their dominance with the win, moving to 5-1 on the season. For the rapidly sinking 2-4 Boatmen, it’s time to start bailing and hope there isn’t another iceberg hidden over the horizon.

Welcome to the jungle: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats continued their impressive start this week with a 28-21 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos Saturday. Running back DeAndra’ Cobb (Michigan State) again had a solid game, picking up 75 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback Quinton Porter (Boston College) wasn’t spectacular (25 for 37 for 211 yards and a touchdown), but did enough for the win, and new acquisition Arland Bruce III (Minnesota) proved effective at wide receiver, leading the Tiger-Cats with 78 yards on eight receptions. The Hamilton defence was perhaps most impressive, though, as they held Edmonton’s high-powered passing offence in check, picking off quarterback Ricky Ray (Shasta College) twice and holding him to only one touchdown. Ray did complete 23 passes for 335 yards (seven for 136 yards to former Louisiana – Lafayette wide receiver Fred Stamps), but it took him 37 attempts to do so. With the win, Hamilton improves to 4-2, second in the East Division. Edmonton drops to 3-3 and remains in a three-way tie for first in the West.

A half-hearted stampede: The reigning Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 31-23 Saturday, but it wasn’t an overly impressive performance. For one thing, Winnipeg’s in a tight battle with Toronto for the title of worst team in the league, but they kept this one close despite a possible concussion to quarterback Michael Bishop (Kansas State), who finished the day 16 for 30 for 209 yards with one interception. Calgary QB Henry Burris (Temple) threw for 356 yards, but he only completed 22 of 38 passes with two touchdowns and an interception. Moreover, Winnipeg effectively shut down Calgary’s ground game; star running back Joffrey Reynolds (Houston) was held to 51 yards on eight carries and Burris only picked up 13 yards on seven rushing attempts. It wasn’t a bad day for the Stampeders, and they’ll be happy to get back to .500 and a share of the West Division lead, but there may have actually been more positives for the Bombers in this one. Despite falling to 2-4, they looked better than they have for most of the season so far. The question is whether that’s due to genuine improvement, Calgary’s struggles or a bit of both.

Off-field Story of The Week: The retirement of Saskatchewan defensive lineman Scott Schultz (North Dakota). Schultz was always a tremendous competitor and an impressive presence on the Riders’ line. He was always good with a quote, including the famed “fat and sassy pigs” comment he made about the B.C. offensive line in 2003. Schultz is 31 andwas still effective this year, starting all of the Riders’ first five games, but he decided to hang the cleats up to take over as the president of a Regina insurance brokerage. For a list of Schultz’s top ten most memorable moments, check out this piece at Rider Prophet; it’s also the source of this great video of one of his somewhat-embarrasing pre-game dance routines.

Scott Schultz does his famed "Moose Jaw Stomp" dance after a sack against Montreal.

Game of the Week: Calgary vs. Edmonton (Thursday, 9 p.m. Eastern)

The Battle of Alberta always means heated tensions, and there’s even more on the line than usual. The Stampeders will be continuing their efforts to rebound from a disappointing start to the campaign, while the Eskimos will have to find a way to get the job done on defence. Edmonton was more impressive than Calgary last week, but Calgary still has a tremendously talented roster. At 3-3, both teams are locked in a three-way tie for first in the West with Saskatchewan, and the Lions are only one game behind. A win here could mean a lot for either franchise, both in the standings and in terms of momentum.

Pick: Calgary

Other Games:

B.C. vs. Toronto (Friday, 7:30 p.m. Eastern): The question here is if B.C. can maintain their momentum from last week. My guess is they can against a dismal Argonauts squad. Still, Toronto does have home-field advantage and they’ll be eager to turn their season around.

Pick: B.C.

Montreal vs. Winnipeg (Saturday, 8 p.m. Eastern): I’m not expecting much from this one. Montreal’s the best team in the league at the moment and Winnipeg’s one of the worst, so it has the makings of a massacre. Still, the unexpected often happens in the CFL.

Pick: Montreal

Hamilton vs. Saskatchewan (Sunday, 7 p.m. Eastern): This could be a pretty good battle. Saskatchewan will be looking to rebound from their loss against B.C., and the fans at Mosaic Stadium always give them an edge. They’ll still have to stop DeAndra’ Cobb and the Hamilton rushing offence, but I think they can do it if they get acceptable quarterback play from either Durant or Jyles.

Pick: Saskatchewan

Last week: 3-1 (wrong on Edmonton-Hamilton)

Thanks for tuning in to The Whole 110 Yards! See you next week!