There’s much more at stake on Sunday afternoon than provincial bragging rights between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Calgary Stampeders.
READ MORE: CFL West final pits league-best Stampeders versus surging Eskimos
It’s always special when these two teams meet in the CFL post-season, which is the case on Sunday when the Eskimos and Stampeders battle in the CFL Western Final from McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
It’s the third time in the last four seasons that these two teams will meet for the right to represent the West in the Grey Cup game.
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These two teams will meet in the Western Final for the 14th time in CFL history; this will be the sixth straight appearance in the West Final for the Stampeders. It’s the fourth straight divisional final for the Eskimos, who advanced following a 39-32 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in last week’s Western Semi-Final, the sixth straight win for the green and gold.
The Stampeders locked up first place in the West with 13-4-1 record, but are on a three-game losing streak heading into the playoffs for the first time since 1957.
This match-up features the number one offence in the CFL against the number one defence. The Eskimos led the league in average yards per game, with 407 yards per game and offensive touchdowns with 52.
The Stampeders led the league in average yards allowed per game, with 315 yards per game. The Stampeders also gave up the fewest average points with 19.4 points per game.
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The Eskimos have scored plenty of points during their six-game winning streak as they have averaged 33.8 points per game. Running back C.J. Gable has been a catalyst to the Eskimos offence, as he has recorded 473 yards in five games (94.6 yard average) and has scored four rushing touchdowns and five overall.
The Stampeders took two of the three meetings against the Eskimos this season, winning 39-18 on Labour Day in Calgary, 25-22 in the Labour Day rematch game in Edmonton. The Eskimos won the final meeting on October 28 in Edmonton by a score of 29-20.
The Eskimos will have one change to their starting group, as safety Neil King is out with injury and will be replaced by Cauchy Muamba. Linebackers Christophe Mulumba-Tshimanga and Kevin Jackson, along with running back Pascal Lochard and defensive tackle Mike Moore, will come on the roster. Receiver Duke Williams, fullback Alex Dupuis, and defensive end Philip Hunt will come off the roster.
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-Odell Willis
Linebackers: Adam Konar-Korey Jones-Kenny Ladler
Defensive Backs: Johnny Adams-Aaron Grymes-Cauchy Muamba-Forrest Hightower-Arjen Colquhoun
Live coverage of Sunday’s Western Final on 630 CHED will start with Countdown to Kick-off at 1 p.m. The opening kick-off between the Eskimos and Stampeders will be at 2:30 p.m from McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
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