Winnipeg tangles with Saskatchewan on Sunday afternoon
Regina, SK (Sports Network) - Back in action after a lengthy layoff, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head back to the gridiron on Sunday afternoon to challenge the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium.
The Bombers have had a tough time of it in 2010, winning only twice in eight chances, and that has the club sitting all alone in last place in the Eastern Division. The last time they took the field was more than two weeks ago when they were crushed by Montreal on the road, 39-17. In that contest, Winnipeg trailed 24-0 late in the second quarter and never recovered as Steven Jyles converted 11-of-22 passes for 123 yards and a score, but he was also sacked five times. Fred Reid tried to make a significant impact with his 116 yards on 14 rushing attempts, but his game-high effort did nothing to change the final outcome.
The loss for the Blue Bombers was their fourth in a row and the sixth in the last seven games after opening the season with a 49-29 win over Hamilton at home in early July.
As for the Roughriders, a team that is trying to keep pace with the blazing Calgary Stampeders, they were stunned by Edmonton on the road last weekend, 17-14. The loss was the second in the last three games and means the team has alternated wins and losses over the last six contests.
The Roughriders, now just 1-3 on the road in 2010, were led by Darian Durant, who completed 19-of-39 passes for 211 yards, but he was also picked off three times in the setback. Running back Wes Cates scored his league-leading ninth major of the campaign, while James Patrick logged three interceptions and now leads the CFL with a total of six through nine games. Heading into last week's contest, Patrick had just three picks on the season and seven for his entire career, so clearly the outing, one in which he scored on a 35-yard return, was the highlight of his career.
Cates is now third in the league in yards from scrimmage with an even 800 after nine games and is averaging six yards per carry as the fourth-best runner in the CFL with 616 yards at the moment. Right behind Cates on the rushing list is Reid for the Blue Bombers with his 615 yards on 93 attempts, an average of better than six and a half yards per carry. However, the big difference between the two is the end results as Cates has a league-high eight rushing TDs and Reid a mere two majors on the ground, the fewest among the top nine ground gainers in the CFL.
Durant is just ahead of Montreal's Anthony Calvillo for the most passing yards in the league with his 2,474, but one has to assume that the Saskatchewan signal-caller would probably be trailing if Calvillo had been able to finish his last game before getting hurt. Durant has completed just 58.8 percent of his attempts thus far for 11 TDs and because he is tied for the most interceptions in the league with 12, he has an efficiency rating of only 80.9 so clearly he needs to make some better decisions in the pocket if he is going to get the recognition he desires.
Over on the other side Jyles, who has thrown for a grand total of just 12 yards and has a mere two completed passes in his career versus the Roughriders, has been keeping the Bombers offense moving with his 61.8 percent completions and seven majors, against just two interceptions in the absence of Buck Pierce. Making it easier for Jyles and Pierce this season has been Terrence Edwards who is second in the league in receiving yards with 725 on 38 catches. Edwards is first among receivers with seven touchdowns and has already eclipsed his TD total from a year ago when he tallied five. A 1,000- yard receiver in both 2007 and 2008, Edwards is well on his way to posting a career-best in TD catches as well, with his high mark being nine three years ago.
Durant and the Roughriders have played well enough this season to control the ball for close to 34 minutes per game and that has in turn led to the squad generating 31.1 ppg, which places them third in the CFL. Nevertheless, when Saskatchewan is on defense that team can appear a bit rusty by permitting opponents to gain an average of 8.8 yards per pass, the highest average in the league. Then again, Winnipeg is not that far behind with 8.3 yards per catch allowed, so it might all be a wash in the meeting this week.
Even though Winnipeg owns a 112-82-3 advantage in the all-time regular-season series with the Roughriders, dating back to the 1945 campaign, it is Saskatchewan that has had the advantage in recent years with four straight wins and five victories in the last six encounters. Back in September of last year the Roughriders rolled to a 55-10 victory on the road in the most recent meeting. The clubs will complete the season series next week when they clash in Winnipeg.
