The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG — The Edmonton Eskimos don’t give out game balls to the top individual performance after a win but if they did, they could have easily given it to three different players.
Quarterback Mike Reilly, running back C.J. Gable and receiver Brandon Zylstra all had stand out performances in Edmonton’s Western Semi-Final win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday afternoon.
Reilly connected on 23 of 33 passes (69.7%) for 334 yards and three touchdowns and led his team to a monster second half where they scored 29 points. Gable was unstoppable on the ground, tallying 16 carries for 107 yards and two majors while also catching four passes out of the back field for 37 yards. Zylstra had an electric night himself, hauling in eight passes for 156 yards and a touchdown.
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According to head coach Jason Maas, the three of them made the perfect combination to help Edmonton to a 39-32 win at Investors Group Field.
“I think any time those three football players are on the football field and are healthy and rolling, I think they’re tough to stop,” Maas told the media after the contest. “I think they’ve proven that through the course of times playing with one another. Obviously C.J. has only been here for a third of our season but when he’s on the field he’s doing things that he’s capable of doing, our O-line’s opening up those holes, we’re a dangerous team.
“I think any time Mike’s making good decisions, being afforded the time to throw it (it’s good). When guys are open, he’s hitting them. Then you look at Brandon Zylstra. Everything we keep seeing is over and over doing. He comes up with plays every single game that help us win. So the three of them are a great combo.”
The game was tied at 10 heading into the half, with the defences for both squads shining bright. But it was in the second half that the trio of Reilly, Gable and Zylstra put on a show. Edmonton scored on four-straight possessions to get out to a commanding lead.
The first score came from Gable – a 15-yard run where the tailback fought off numerous tackles to plunge into the end zone. Zylstra scored on the Eskimos next possession to make it 25-13. Adarius Bowman scored his second touchdown of the night next to make it 32-16. Then Gable notched his second major of the game on a Winnipeg turnover to make the score 39-16.
Although Edmonton was sitting with a 23-point lead, Reilly knew better than to underestimate the Blue Bombers squad that ended the regular season with a 12-6 record.
“We knew that they were going to keep swinging,” said Reilly. “When we scored to make it 39-16, that should be a comfortable lead in the fourth but you didn’t ever really feel all that comfortable.”
Now, the high-powered Edmonton offence has their work cut out for them next week as they head to Calgary to take on the Stampeders in the Western Final.
While the Stamps are riding a three-game losing streak, Calgary still boasts one of the toughest defences in the CFL. Alex Singleton was second in the league in tackles in the regular season and will go head-to-head with Gable while Micah Johnson and Charleston Hughes will be a nightmare for Edmonton’s offensive line to keep away from Reilly. Not to mention the Stampeders secondary including Tommie Campbell, Jamar Wall, Josh Bell and Ciante Evans that will be trying to keep Zylstra from making any big plays down field.
“I know that their defence is the best defence that we’ve played over the course of the year,” Reilly said of Calgary. “We’ve played them three times and it’s been tough every time. From an offensive perspective, we got a lot of work to do.”
