After a good showing in their first pre-season game, the Edmonton Eskimos will look to close out their pre-season game in the same fashion. The Eskimos invade Investors Group Field in Winnipeg on Friday night to take on the Blue Bombers.
The Eskimos are coming off a 35-12 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders last Sunday on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium. The Eskimos were led by running back Shaq Cooper on offence who recorded 36 yards rushing and a touchdown and added 34 yards receiving. On defence, defensive end Gerald Rivers recorded two quarterback sacks and three defensive tackles.
On Friday, the Eskimos will send 63 players to Winnipeg with many starters sitting out.
After showing well in three previous appearances, quarterback Zach Kline will start for the Eskimos — the first time he’s started a game since playing for Fresno State in 2016 where he made a total of two starts.
In his three games as an Eskimo in the pre-season, Kline has passed for 248 yards and thrown for three touchdowns. He has produced five touchdowns and a field goal in the seven drives that he’s played.
Kline says there’s a difference between starting a game and coming off the bench but not a drastic one.
“You definitely see the game a little bit with the speed but you also get kind of tight,” Kline said.
“You get anxious and then you have to go warm back up again so you get the luxury of getting in and rolling when you’re hot. That’s one thing I’m excited for, but for the most part, I’m just excited to get out there and show what our guys can do.”
Listen Below: Eskimos head coach Jason Maas on what he’s looking for from quarterback Zach Kline on Friday in Winnipeg
The Bombers will be playing their first pre-season game and they will dress most of their starters who will likely play the first quarter.
The following is the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Eskimos:
Offence
Quarterback: Zach Kline
Running Back: Shaq Cooper (Fullback: Pascal Lochard)
Offensive Line: Tommy Draheim-Mason Woods-David Beard-Jacob Ruby-Kelvin Palmer
Receivers: Torrance Gibson-Jamill Smith-Scott MacDonell-Natey Adjei-Giovanni Aprile
Defence
Defensive Line: Darius Allen-Jake Ceresna-Mike Moore-Alex Bazzie
Linebackers: Brandon Pittman-Korey Jones-Nick Taylor
Defensive Backs: Jordan Holland-Monsadrik Hunter-Josh Woodman-Ahmad Dixon-Arjen Colquhoun
You can hear live coverage of Friday’s pre-season game between the Eskimos and Blue Bombers on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 5 p.m.
The opening kick-off from Investors Group Field in Winnipeg is at 6:30 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action with analysis from former Eskimos offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott.
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