Only six games remain for the Edmonton Eskimos in the 2018 CFL regular season. The final push for the post-season will begin on Saturday afternoon with a match up against the East Division leading Ottawa Redblacks from TD Place Stadium.
The Eskimos broke a two-game losing trend with a dramatic 48-42 over the Calgary Stampeders in the Labour Day rematch game.
After building a 48-28 lead after the third quarter, Edmonton couldn’t move the football or get off the field in the fourth quarter but came up with a key knockdown by safety Josh Woodman in the end zone to secure the win.
Edmonton now has a 7-5 record and is tied for second place in the Western Division with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Eskimos are coming off a bye week and have an 8-3 record since the 2011 season in their first game back from a bye week.
Listen below: Head coach Jason Maas is hopeful his team will be able to build momentum following a win over the Stampeders two weeks ago
Running back C.J. Gable will return to the starting lineup after missing the last game with an injury. He’s third in the CFL in rushing, with 681 yards and three touchdowns and he has one receiving touchdown.
Saturday will mark the Eskimos debut for kick-returner Martese Jackson, who was traded to Edmonton on Sept. 11 from the Toronto Argonauts. Jackson is third in the CFL in combined return yards (1,211) and is averaging 20.2 yards on kick-off returns and 12.2 yards on punt returns.
Eskimos special teams coach Cory McDiarmid said Jackson has the most important skill to be a good returner in the CFL.
“He’s a quick guy and he’s got some good top end speed too,” McDiarmid said. “If he can get vertical and beat that first wave — which is always the key with those gunners coming down field — once he does that, it will open up the field a lot.”
The Eskimos will also receive a boost for their special teams with the return of fullback Pascal Lochard, linebacker Blair Smith and defensive back Money Hunter. Smith has nine special teams tackles while Hunter has seven.
Coming of the roster are running backs Jordan Robinson and Shaq Cooper, along with defensive lineman Nick Usher. All have been placed on the team’s practice roster. Defensive back Jordan Beaulieu has been placed on the one-game injured list.
The following is the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Eskimos:
Offence
Quarterback: Mike Reilly
Running Back: C.J. Gable (Fullback: Calvin McCarty)
Offensive Line: Matt O’Donnell-Travis Bond-Justin Sorensen-David Beard-Colin Kelly
Receivers: Bryant Mitchell-Duke Williams-Natey Adjei-Vidal Hazelton-Kenny Stafford
Defence
Defensive Line: Kwaku Boateng-Almondo Sewell-Mike Moore-Alex Bazzie
Linebackers: Adam Konar-J.C. Sherritt-Chris Edwards
Defensive Backs: Mercy Maston-Aaron Grymes-Josh Woodman-Forrest Hightower-Nick Taylor
The Redblacks are the leaders in the Eastern Division with a 7-5 record. They were 4-7-1 at this point last season. The Redblacks are coming off a big road win last week in Regina, scoring a 30-25 win over the Riders.
Running back William Powell rushed 18 times for 148 yards and scored two touchdowns. He was named a Shaw CFL Top Performer of the Week. Powell leads the CFL in rushing, with 994 yards and has scored six touchdowns. He has recorded five 100-yard rushing games, which is the most in the CFL.
Rookie kicker Lewis Ward has kicked successfully on his last 30 field goal attempts, which is a new league record for first-year kicker. He now has tied Paul McCallum for the second-longest streak in CFL history and is two behind Rene Parades of the Stampeders, who set the record two years ago with 32 straight field goals.
This is the first of two meetings between the Eskimos and Redblacks.
Listen below: Quarterback Mike Reilly says the Eskimos and Redblacks have built a heated rivalry over the last few years
You can hear live coverage of Saturday’s game on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 12:30 p.m.
The opening kick-off from TD Place Stadium in Ottawa is 2 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. You can also hear analysis from former Eskimos offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion, Blake Dermott.
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