There’s only one playoff spot left to be determined in the CFL West and that is for third place. The Edmonton Eskimos and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will play each other for the final playoff spot in the west on Saturday from new Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers wrapped up second place in the west with a 23-5 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Friday night.
With a win over the Riders, the Eskimos would lock up third place and travel to Winnipeg for the West Semi-Final on Nov. 12. If the Eskimos lose, they will crossover to the Eastern Division for the second straight year and face either the Ottawa Redblacks or the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final next Sunday.
The Eskimos are the hottest team in the CFL, winning their last four games. The Riders have won their last two games and four of their last five games.
The last time these two teams met was Aug. 25 in Edmonton with the Eskimos suffering their worst loss of the season to the tune of 54-31.
Quarterback Mike Reilly says he’s looking forward to facing the Riders again considering what happened in Edmonton over two months ago.
“I do believe we are a much different team and I think they are as well,” Reilly said.
“We’re both better teams than the first time we played. It’s a good opportunity to play a good team late in the season.”
Kicker Sean Whyte will play his first game since suffering a leg injury back on July 28 at home against the B.C. Lions. Whyte will handle the field goals with Hugh O’Neill taking care of the kick-off and punting duties. Whyte has 92.9-per cent success rate in field goal attempts.
Kicker Swayze Waters will come out of the lineup. Linebacker Kenny Ladler will return to the lineup after a one-game absence. He was replaced last week by defensive back Brandyn Thompson who suffered a ruptured Achilles against the Stampeders and is out for the season.
Forrest Hightower will take Thompson’s regular spot in the secondary at wide-side halfback. Offensive lineman Joel Figueroa will return and start at left tackle after missing the last two games with a knee injury. D’Anthony Batiste will move back to the practice roster. Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis will come into to the lineup after missing last week’s game to play on special teams. Linebacker Nehemie Kankolongo has been moved from the active roster to the practice roster.
LISTEN: Head Coach Jason Maas on playing in the cold, snowy, and windy weather on Saturday:
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: Joel Figueroa-David Beard-Justin Sorensen-Matt O’Donnell-Colin Kelly
Receivers: Derel Walker-Adarius Bowman-Cory Watson-Brandon Zylstra-Vidal Hazelton
Defence
Defensive Line: John Chick-Almondo Sewell-Euclid Cummings-Philip Hunt
Linebackers: Adam Konar-Korey Jones-Kenny Ladler
Defensive Backs: Johnny Adams-Aaron Grymes-Neil King-Forrest Hightower-Arjen Colquhoun
The Riders have won two straight games and five of their last six games.
On offence, they are led by receiver Duron Cater, who is the Riders’ nominee for Most Outstanding Player. Carter leads the Riders in receiving yards with 1,043 yards and has scored eight touchdowns.
On defence, defensive back Ed Gainey leads the CFL in interceptions with 10. He is the Riders’ nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive player.
Defensive end Willie Jefferson has enjoyed a solid campaign, leading the league in quarterback pressures with 34 and is tied for third in the CFL in quarterback sacks with eight.
630 CHED will have live coverage of today’s game starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 3:30 p.m. The opening kick-off between the Eskimos and Riders will be at 5 p.m. from new Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
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