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Canadian Football League – Preview/Notes
CFL
Grey Cup - Preview/Notes
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Sunday, November 25
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CFL Previews - 95th Grey Cup (November 25)
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (14-6) VS. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (12-7-1)
DATE & TIME: Sunday, November 25, 5:30 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: Quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie has waited patiently all season for an opportunity to register his first CFL start.
His chance will come Sunday on the CFL's biggest stage.
The former Boise State star will make his first career CFL start in the Grey Cup at Rogers Centre against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Dinwiddie gets the start after No. 1 quarterback Kevin Glenn broke his left arm in last weekend’s 19-9 East Division final against the Toronto Argonauts.
Glenn was injured trying to recover a fumble off a botched handoff when Toronto linebacker Kevin Eiben fell on the quarterback's arm early in the fourth quarter. Dinwiddie came in and completed all four passes he attempted for 80 yards as the Bombers were able to preserve their lead and go on to register the victory.
Dinwiddie will have plenty of veteran talent around him.
Running back Charles Roberts was the CFL’s second-leading receiver this season with 1,379 yards despite missing Winnipeg’s final two regular season games with a thigh injury. But he has run for over 100 yards in both of the Bombers playoff victories.
Winnipeg's receiving corps features three bona fide stars in Terrence Edwards (80 catches, 1,280 yards, nine touchdowns), Derick Armstrong (83 catches, 1,142 yards, six touchdowns) and Milt Stegall (69 catches, 1,108 yards, eight touchdowns). The offensive line isn't bad, either, having given up just 27 sacks this year, lowest in the CFL.
But Saskatchewan has a definite edge at quarterback with veteran Kerry Joseph. Joseph, 34, in his fifth CFL season, was named the league's outstanding player this week as well as a first-team all-star. Joseph was third in passing with 4,002 yards but was the leading rusher among quarterbacks with 737 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He led a Roughriders offense that averaged 27.2 points per game this season, tied with B.C. for tops in the CFL despite being without leading receiver Matt Dominguez, who suffered a season-ending knee injury about midway through the year.
D.J. Flick, obtained in an off-season trade from Hamilton, and youngster Andy Fantuz have both been huge for the Saskatchewan club down the stretch.
Flick finished as the club's receiving leader with 70 catches for 1,020 yards and a league-leading 10 touchdown grabs. Fantuz, a former first-round draft pick, had 56 catches for 978 yards and seven touchdowns during the season but is the league's playoff-leading receiver with 13 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Larry Cates, the team's leading rusher during the regular season with 866 yards, returned to the lineup in last weekend's West Division final win over B.C. despite having a stress fracture in his foot. Cates is expected to suit up Sunday.
The numbers: Winnipeg was 3-5-1 on the road this season and 3-4-1 against West Division teams. Saskatchewan was 6-3 on the road this year and 6-2 against East Division squads.
Keys to the game: All eyes will be firmly fixed on Dinwiddie in this game. While he’s sorely lacking in experience, the good news is Winnipeg had a simple game plan against Toronto, one that Dinwiddie might find useful against the Riders.
In the East final, the Bombers allowed Roberts to firmly establish the run, which gave the offense a lot more potential options. In this case, Winnipeg looked to get its short passing game going, which seemed to work against the Argos.
If the Bombers can do the same against Saskatchewan, not only would it serve to bolster Dinwiddie’s confidence, but also allow Winnipeg to have a ball- control offense that would also serve to keep Joseph and the Riders’ offense off the field.
However, the Roughriders will undoubtedly try to establish a swarming pass rush in order to fluster the young Bombers quarterback and force him into making mistakes. Saskatchewan's defense isn't overly big, but it is fast and athletic, two elements that Dinwiddie will have to take into account every time he gets the snap from center.
Big games are usually won by the teams that make the fewest mistakes.
Dinwiddie will undoubtedly make some errors because of his inexperience, which could put the Blue Bombers precariously behind the eight ball against a pretty good Roughriders team. That's hardly a recipe for success for the Bombers.
Predicted Outcome: Saskatchewan 24, Winnipeg 14.
Season Record: 50-24-2; Last Week's Record: 0-2.
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CFL
Grey Cup - Preview/Notes
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Sunday, November 25
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CFL Previews - 95th Grey Cup (November 25)
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (14-6) VS. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (12-7-1)
DATE & TIME: Sunday, November 25, 5:30 p.m. (et).
GAME NOTES: Quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie has waited patiently all season for an opportunity to register his first CFL start.
His chance will come Sunday on the CFL's biggest stage.
The former Boise State star will make his first career CFL start in the Grey Cup at Rogers Centre against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Dinwiddie gets the start after No. 1 quarterback Kevin Glenn broke his left arm in last weekend’s 19-9 East Division final against the Toronto Argonauts.
Glenn was injured trying to recover a fumble off a botched handoff when Toronto linebacker Kevin Eiben fell on the quarterback's arm early in the fourth quarter. Dinwiddie came in and completed all four passes he attempted for 80 yards as the Bombers were able to preserve their lead and go on to register the victory.
Dinwiddie will have plenty of veteran talent around him.
Running back Charles Roberts was the CFL’s second-leading receiver this season with 1,379 yards despite missing Winnipeg’s final two regular season games with a thigh injury. But he has run for over 100 yards in both of the Bombers playoff victories.
Winnipeg's receiving corps features three bona fide stars in Terrence Edwards (80 catches, 1,280 yards, nine touchdowns), Derick Armstrong (83 catches, 1,142 yards, six touchdowns) and Milt Stegall (69 catches, 1,108 yards, eight touchdowns). The offensive line isn't bad, either, having given up just 27 sacks this year, lowest in the CFL.
But Saskatchewan has a definite edge at quarterback with veteran Kerry Joseph. Joseph, 34, in his fifth CFL season, was named the league's outstanding player this week as well as a first-team all-star. Joseph was third in passing with 4,002 yards but was the leading rusher among quarterbacks with 737 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He led a Roughriders offense that averaged 27.2 points per game this season, tied with B.C. for tops in the CFL despite being without leading receiver Matt Dominguez, who suffered a season-ending knee injury about midway through the year.
D.J. Flick, obtained in an off-season trade from Hamilton, and youngster Andy Fantuz have both been huge for the Saskatchewan club down the stretch.
Flick finished as the club's receiving leader with 70 catches for 1,020 yards and a league-leading 10 touchdown grabs. Fantuz, a former first-round draft pick, had 56 catches for 978 yards and seven touchdowns during the season but is the league's playoff-leading receiver with 13 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Larry Cates, the team's leading rusher during the regular season with 866 yards, returned to the lineup in last weekend's West Division final win over B.C. despite having a stress fracture in his foot. Cates is expected to suit up Sunday.
The numbers: Winnipeg was 3-5-1 on the road this season and 3-4-1 against West Division teams. Saskatchewan was 6-3 on the road this year and 6-2 against East Division squads.
Keys to the game: All eyes will be firmly fixed on Dinwiddie in this game. While he’s sorely lacking in experience, the good news is Winnipeg had a simple game plan against Toronto, one that Dinwiddie might find useful against the Riders.
In the East final, the Bombers allowed Roberts to firmly establish the run, which gave the offense a lot more potential options. In this case, Winnipeg looked to get its short passing game going, which seemed to work against the Argos.
If the Bombers can do the same against Saskatchewan, not only would it serve to bolster Dinwiddie’s confidence, but also allow Winnipeg to have a ball- control offense that would also serve to keep Joseph and the Riders’ offense off the field.
However, the Roughriders will undoubtedly try to establish a swarming pass rush in order to fluster the young Bombers quarterback and force him into making mistakes. Saskatchewan's defense isn't overly big, but it is fast and athletic, two elements that Dinwiddie will have to take into account every time he gets the snap from center.
Big games are usually won by the teams that make the fewest mistakes.
Dinwiddie will undoubtedly make some errors because of his inexperience, which could put the Blue Bombers precariously behind the eight ball against a pretty good Roughriders team. That's hardly a recipe for success for the Bombers.
Predicted Outcome: Saskatchewan 24, Winnipeg 14.
Season Record: 50-24-2; Last Week's Record: 0-2.
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