The Big Question: Are the Roughriders better than the Stampeders?
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The winner will sit atop the CFL West standings. The Big Question this week: Are the Roughriders better than the Stampeders?
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Coming off a 37-18 victory over the visiting B.C. Lions and a subsequent bye week, the Roughriders are undefeated in four games.
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Calgary surprisingly rolled over the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers 37-16 on Thursday, giving each team a 3-1 record with the Stampeders earning a tiebreaking advantage for second place in the West. Winnipeg was the pre-season favourite to repeat as the divisional champ for the sixth straight season, but damn the predictions because the Roughriders and Stampeders have moved ahead of the Blue Bombers.
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The Roughriders average 33.7 points per game, tied with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as the top-scoring squads, while Calgary surrenders a league-low 20.3 points per game. That may be the offensive/defensive showdown to watch for.
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In a league where players frequently bounce from team to team, Calgary has six ex-Roughriders and a couple former coaches on its squad while Saskatchewan has nine ex-Stampeders to go along with five coaches, including head coach Corey Mace and offensive co-ordinator Marc Mueller.
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Among the players recently moving from Calgary to Saskatchewan are middle linebacker Jameer Thurman, defensive tackles Micah Johnson and Mike Rose, backup quarterback Jake Maier and short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens. The latter three arrived this year, leaving a non-play qualifier for a Saskatchewan squad that advanced to last year's West final.
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Motivation. Preparation. Expectation.
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The Roughriders have the edge in all three categories. Comparing their performances against common opponents this season, Saskatchewan and Calgary have each defeated Hamilton and the Toronto Argonauts. Saskatchewan also beat the Ottawa Redblacks, who dumped the hometown Stampeders 20-12 on June 21.
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The outcome of CFL games typically relies on the quarterbacks. Calgary's mercurial starter, Vernon Adams Jr., is coming off a solid performance, completing 13 of 18 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Saskatchewan's Trevor Harris was leading the CFL in passing until being forced to miss the last game because he couldn't pass concussion protocol. Maier stepped in and was a serviceable 13-for-23 for 170 yards with one TD and no picks.
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Saskatchewan defeated B.C. because Riders running back A.J. Ouellette had 23 carries for 139 yards and one touchdown while cornerback Tevaughn Campbell returned an interception 89 yards for a game-turning major. Performances like that and a decent showing from Harris, who is expected to play, will answer the question.
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