Matt Smith/CFL.ca
There are many people who do not look forward to the conclusion of OK Tire Labour Day weekend.
I can’t really blame you if you fall into that category. If you’re a student, it’s back to the school. If you’re an adult you still can get pangs of dread thinking back to those last days before it’s time to see who your new teacher is and of course summer is now unofficially over. On the football side, we always get so amped up for that iconic weekend that it can feel like a bit of a letdown after the Edmonton-Calgary affair.
But I’m here to cheer you up, as beyond all the madness this year has brought, we get two Labour Day sequels! Fret not as these aren’t lousy movie offerings like ‘Caddyshack II’ or whatever the latest ‘Transformers’ movie is. Consider what we saw in 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 somehow was both wildly entertaining and technically a blowout. These rematch games on Saturday will feel more like ‘Godfather II’, ‘The Dark Knight’ or ‘Mad Max: Fury Road.’
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Let’s start with Saturday’s matinee at Princess Auto Stadium — a 3 p.m. ET kickoff on CTV, remember! This is a game that has been sold out since July. What gets lost in the questions around Zach Collaros‘ status for the game is just how well he’d been playing of late. In a year that has been lacklustre statistically for Collaros, the two-time MOP was absolutely slinging it all over the field.
You could tell he was on his game after his early 45-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson, where he stood his ground in the face of a six-man blitz and dropped it in perfectly to the rookie receiver. Yes, his interception to Marcus Sayles was a bad decision but overall, he was attacking the Roughriders’ defence deep with a high degree of success, including a 44-yard touchdown to a wide open Nic Demski and his final completion of the night being a 24-yarder again to Wilson on the sidelines.
If Collaros can’t go, I’m curious to see how much head coach Mike O’Shea and offensive coordinator Buck Pierce open it up for the human third-down conversion machine, Chris Streveler. Remember that Streveler already has a win under his belt as he quarterbacked Winnipeg to a 25-16 win over the 7-3-1 Ottawa REDBLACKS.
On the other side, did you see how comfortable Trevor Harris looked last week? Playing with a guard at centre and a defensive tackle at right guard (more on that in a moment!) Harris was sharp no matter what the length of pass, as he went for 368 yards and three touchdowns. He pumped faked KeeSean Johnson for a touchdown that cut the lead to 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 called his own number on a touchdown plunge that nearly sent the game into overtime. Dare I say that Harris looked frisky last week.
Sequels are often filled with the theme of revenge, and I imagine the respective defences for both teams will be looking for sharper performances. There were wide open touchdown passes surrendered by both units including that Demski touchdown that tied the game at 14 in the second quarter. There was also Saskatchewan’s Dohnte Meyer’s 18-yard score where he was so wide open that I couldn’t figure out which Bomber was most responsible for such a blatant breakdown in coverage. Yes, Winnipeg recorded two sacks, but on a night where Harris threw the ball nearly 50 times behind an injury ravaged offensive line, that total feels low. As for the home squad I’m betting Riders’ head coach Corey Mace hasn’t enjoyed watching back the first half game film that saw Winnipeg easily put up 29 points.
Who doesn’t love a good human-interest story in their sequels? I have no idea if rookie left tackle Kendall Randolph will again fill in for the legend Stanely Bryant, but it was good to see him bounce back from a tough outing the week before against Hamilton. The best thing I can say about Randolph is that I really didn’t notice him on Saturday night, a good sign for any offensive tackle. Here’s hoping he can build off that performance.
Speaking of “offensive linemen” I couldn’t have been the only one watching new right guard/three-time CFL All-Star defensive tackle Micah Johnson come in for the injured Zack Fry. I know this will sound super football nerdy, but it was pretty cool to watch Johnson seal Winnipeg tackle Jamal Woods on his first play, opening up an impressive gap for Frankie Hickson. Overall, Johnson did a good job keeping his quarterback clean. Obviously, I would never root for an injury of any kind so I wouldn’t want to see Johnson taking snaps at guard again, however I would not be opposed if the coaching staff wanted to work in some plays where he’s on the field for jumbo packages or as a tight end.
Finally, as we know, directors like to raise the stakes in the sequel. Keep in mind that depending on what happens in the BC Lions-Montreal Alouettes on Friday that Saturday’s game in Winnipeg could be for first place in the West.
Sticking with the West Division, did anyone else need a moment to collect themselves after the Elks’ 15-point win over Calgary that oddly felt like the final result came down to the final seconds? This game was a statistical all-you-can-eat buffet of awesome from McLeod Bethel-Thompson putting up 486 yards and three touchdowns on only 36 pass attempts. His trio of targets: Tevin Jones, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Eugene Lewis, combined for 18 receptions for 435 and three touchdowns.
To be honest I have no idea how Tevin Jones can top what he did in the fourth quarter in Calgary, but I’m eager to find out from the third-year wide receiver who has 549 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his last five games. Early in the final frame he was part of what may go down as the craziest play of 2024, scooping up a Eugene Lewis fumble on Edmonton’s 27-yard line and racing 82 yards to the Calgary goal line, setting up the short yardage Dakota Prukop touchdown. At this point the two squads are just trading heroics with Peyton Logan’s 104-yard kickoff return touchdown cutting the Elks lead to 27-20.
I am not alone in thinking at this moment that we were heading to overtime. That sensation lasted a mere two plays. On second-and-six-Thompson hit Jones 23 yards downfield. He then shrugged off one tackler and was off to the races for the final 40 yards. Just like that a one-score game became a blowout.
On the Stampeders’ side I’m curious how Jake Maier bounces back from his four-interception game or how Reggie Begelton will continue to mock the concept of gravity after making several highlight catches that ended up being overshadowed by the Elks’ receivers’ exploits.
It is rare to say that a game decided by 15 points was a thrilling nail biter to the end but that is exactly how Labour Day weekend concluded in Calgary.
When it comes to both games, I can’t wait for the sequels.
