THE CANADIAN PRESS
Four games in seven weeks. Welcome to the Canadian Football League folks, where you get to know each other very quickly.
The Edmonton Eskimos will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the fourth and final time this season on Sunday in the Western Semi-Final from Commonwealth Stadium.
The Eskimos beat the Riders 24-0 in Edmonton back on Sept. 26; won 24-19 in Regina on Oct. 19; and lost last week 24-17 at Mosaic Stadium to finish up the regular season.
For Eskimos head coach Chris Jones, he says there is not much different he can throw at the Riders this late in the season.
“Well we got their film, they got our film,” he said. “They know what we are going to do, it’s no secret to them. We are going to run man coverage and we are going to be in an over-front. I mean that’s what we do. They have to line up and beat us and we have to line up and attempt to try and beat them.”
On the flip side, he knows the Riders offensively are going to try to run the football and thrown the ball downfield. On defence, the Riders will come at the Eskimos with their talented front four, which finished with the highest sack total in the CFL with 61 — six ahead of the Eskimos, who rung up 55 sacks this season.
Last week it looked like some members of the Eskimos had trouble finding the right motivation to play in a game that had no bearing on the standings. It didn’t take long however for the emotional tone to spike.
There were some heavy hits during the game and lots bad feelings between the two teams. Both teams engaged in a shoving match before the opening kick-off. During the game, there were occasions when the two teams engaged in some extra-curricular activity. Eskimos defensive tackle Almondo Sewell became enraged near the end of the first half, as he accused Riders centre Dominic Picard of throwing a punch at him.
Eskimos linebacker JC Sherritt says there is plenty of bad blood between the two teams.
“Oh it’s definitely there, there’s no doubt about that,” Sherritt said. “You can put on the game film from last week and I don’t think anybody’s too happy with it.”
“Not only with the way we played but some of the stuff that went on. We are very happy and fortunate that’s our opponent this week and we get a chance to play them again.”
Much of the focus of this game has been on the quarterbacks and who will be under centre on Sunday. The Eskimos ended their drama on Wednesday by declaring Matt Nichols as their starter, as Mike Reilly continues to work his way back from what the club is calling a lower-leg injury. The Riders named Kerry Joseph their starter the following day, as Darian Durant works his way back from a torn tendon in his elbow on his throwing arm.
For Nichols, this game will be his fourth start of the season. He’s 0-3 so far. So can the Eskimos win with Nichols? Slotback Adarius Bowman says the Eskimos believe in both Reilly and Nichols.
| 2014 Western Semi-Final Playoff Centre |
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One of the league’s hottest rivalries continues on Nov. 16, as the Riders and Esks meet in the Western Semi-Final. Everything you need to know about this matchup is right here, in our Western Semi-Final Playoff Centre. |
“We have known our team all year and that was a plus for us, to have two starting quarterbacks on one team.” Bowman said. “I know we, as players, know what we are capable of doing. We know what each of our players brings to the table, so it’s a plus for us.”
To win, the Eskimos are going to have to protect the football on offence, cash in on their scoring chances, and limit penalties. On defence, the Eskimos also need to limit penalties and find a way to stop the Riders’ rushing attack, putting the game in Kerry Jospeh’s hands.
How much will the experience factor play into Sunday’s game is another storyline. The Riders have plenty of experience and playoff savvy as the defending Grey Cup champions. The Eskimos also have recent experience of overcoming plenty of adversity this season and finding ways to win.
It’s the fourth and final meeting on Sunday, and it’s for the chance to play next week in the Western Final in Calgary.
Eskimos defensive lineman Almondo Sewell sets the table.
“You’ve just got to get out there and put on pads,” he said. “It’s going to be cold, so smash them and go right back into the locker room and get ready for next week.”
Game on.
