Cauz: Week 14’s sequels able to reside as much as the hype
There are lots of individuals who don’t stay up for the conclusion of OK Tire Labour Day weekend.
I can’t actually blame you should you fall into that class. In the event you’re a scholar, it’s again to the college. In the event you’re an grownup you continue to can get pangs of dread pondering again to these final days earlier than it’s time to see who your new instructor is and naturally summer time is now unofficially over. On the soccer aspect, we at all times get so amped up for that iconic weekend that it might really feel like a little bit of a letdown after the Edmonton-Calgary affair.
However I’m right here to cheer you up, as past all of the insanity this 12 months has introduced, we get two Labour Day sequels! Fret not as these aren’t awful film choices like ‘Caddyshack II’ or regardless of the newest ‘Transformers’ film is. Take into account what we noticed within the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ 35-33 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Then there’s the Edmonton Elks’ 35-20 victory over the Calgary Stampeders that by some means was each wildly entertaining and technically a blowout. These rematch video games on Saturday will really feel extra like ‘Godfather II’, ‘The Darkish Knight’ or ‘Mad Max: Fury Street.’
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Let’s begin with Saturday’s matinee at Princess Auto Stadium — a 3 p.m. ET kickoff on CTV, keep in mind! This can be a sport that has been bought out since July. What will get misplaced within the questions round Zach Collaros‘ standing for the sport is simply how effectively he’d been enjoying of late. In a 12 months that has been lacklustre statistically for Collaros, the two-time MOP was completely slinging it everywhere in the area.
You may inform he was on his sport after his early 45-yard go to Ontaria Wilson, the place he stood his floor within the face of a six-man blitz and dropped it in completely to the rookie receiver. Sure, his interception to Marcus Sayles was a nasty resolution however total, he was attacking the Roughriders’ defence deep with a excessive diploma of success, together with a 44-yard landing to a large open Nic Demski and his closing completion of the night time being a 24-yarder once more to Wilson on the sidelines.
If Collaros can’t go, I’m curious to see how a lot head coach Mike O’Shea and offensive coordinator Buck Pierce open it up for the human third-down conversion machine, Chris Streveler. Keep in mind that Streveler already has a win beneath his belt as he quarterbacked Winnipeg to a 25-16 win over the 7-3-1 Ottawa REDBLACKS.
On the opposite aspect, did you see how comfy Trevor Harris seemed final week? Enjoying with a guard at centre and a defensive sort out at proper guard (extra on that in a second!) Harris was sharp it doesn’t matter what the size of go, as he went for 368 yards and three touchdowns. He pumped faked KeeSean Johnson for a landing that minimize the result in 32-27 and he took the hit from Deatrick Nichols on the 26-yarder to Samuel Emilus, giving the Roughriders the ball on the one-yard line. Then the 38-year-old veteran even known as his personal quantity on a landing plunge that almost despatched the sport into additional time. Dare I say that Harris seemed frisky final week.
Sequels are sometimes full of the theme of revenge, and I think about the respective defences for each groups shall be on the lookout for sharper performances. There have been vast open landing passes surrendered by each models together with that Demski landing that tied the sport at 14 within the second quarter. There was additionally Saskatchewan’s Dohnte Meyer’s 18-yard rating the place he was so vast open that I couldn’t determine which Bomber was most accountable for such a blatant breakdown in protection. Sure, Winnipeg recorded two sacks, however on an evening the place Harris threw the ball practically 50 occasions behind an damage ravaged offensive line, that complete feels low. As for the house squad I’m betting Riders’ head coach Corey Mace hasn’t loved watching again the primary half sport movie that noticed Winnipeg simply put up 29 factors.
Who doesn’t love a great human-interest story of their sequels? I do not know if rookie left sort out Kendall Randolph will once more fill in for the legend Stanely Bryant, but it surely was good to see him bounce again from a troublesome outing the week earlier than in opposition to Hamilton. The very best factor I can say about Randolph is that I actually didn’t discover him on Saturday night time, a great signal for any offensive sort out. Right here’s hoping he can construct off that efficiency.
Talking of “offensive linemen” I couldn’t have been the one one watching new proper guard/three-time CFL All-Star defensive sort out Micah Johnson are available for the injured Zack Fry. I do know this may sound tremendous soccer nerdy, but it surely was fairly cool to look at Johnson seal Winnipeg sort out Jamal Woods on his first play, opening up a powerful hole for Frankie Hickson. Total, Johnson did a great job preserving his quarterback clear. Clearly, I’d by no means root for an damage of any form so I wouldn’t wish to see Johnson taking snaps at guard once more, nevertheless I’d not be opposed if the teaching employees needed to work in some performs the place he’s on the sphere for jumbo packages or as a good finish.
Lastly, as we all know, administrators like to boost the stakes within the sequel. Remember that relying on what occurs within the BC Lions-Montreal Alouettes on Friday that Saturday’s sport in Winnipeg may very well be for first place within the West.
Sticking with the West Division, did anybody else want a second to gather themselves after the Elks’ 15-point win over Calgary that oddly felt like the ultimate outcome got here all the way down to the ultimate seconds? This sport was a statistical all-you-can-eat buffet of superior from McLeod Bethel-Thompson placing up 486 yards and three touchdowns on solely 36 go makes an attempt. His trio of targets: Tevin Jones, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Eugene Lewis, mixed for 18 receptions for 435 and three touchdowns.
To be trustworthy I do not know how Tevin Jones can prime what he did within the fourth quarter in Calgary, however I’m keen to search out out from the third-year vast receiver who has 549 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in his final 5 video games. Early within the closing body he was a part of what could go down because the craziest play of 2024, scooping up a Eugene Lewis fumble on Edmonton’s 27-yard line and racing 82 yards to the Calgary objective line, establishing the brief yardage Dakota Prukop landing. At this level the 2 squads are simply buying and selling heroics with Peyton Logan’s 104-yard kickoff return landing slicing the Elks result in 27-20.
I’m not alone in pondering at this second that we had been heading to additional time. That sensation lasted a mere two performs. On second-and-six-Thompson hit Jones 23 yards downfield. He then shrugged off one tackler and was off to the races for the ultimate 40 yards. Identical to {that a} one-score sport turned a blowout.
On the Stampeders’ aspect I’m curious how Jake Maier bounces again from his four-interception sport or how Reggie Begelton will proceed to mock the idea of gravity after making a number of spotlight catches that ended up being overshadowed by the Elks’ receivers’ exploits.
It’s uncommon to say {that a} sport determined by 15 factors was an exhilarating nail biter to the tip however that’s precisely how Labour Day weekend concluded in Calgary.
In relation to each video games, I can’t look forward to the sequels.