Penton: Riders, Stamps dominant in CFL’s West
By Bruce Penton
Winnipeg is playing host to this year’s Grey Cup game but for the first time in six years, the Blue Bombers likely won’t be the West Division’s representative.
The Bombers won the Cup in 2019 and 2021 (2020’s game was cancelled due to COVID) and then lost three Grey Cup games in a row — 2022, 2023 and 2024. Finally getting to host the game for the first time since 2015 could be bittersweet for Bomber fans, whose team will likely be watching from the sidelines.
The power in the West Division has shifted, thanks primarily to great quarterbacking play by Vernon Adams in Calgary and Trevor Harris in Regina. The Stampeders and Roughriders have been the class of the West through the first half, and it’s likely they’ll carry on to the division final in early November.
Trying to determine who’s the better team is tricky. The Stampeders are 2-0 against the Riders this year, including a 32-15 win in Calgary Aug. 23, but Saskatchewan held an 8-2 pre-Labour Day record through 10 games, one game up on the Stamps, who inexplicably lost twice to Eastern Division weakling Ottawa (3-8 record) and once to Montreal (5-6). Calgary coach Dave Dickenson evidently gets his team ready to play the crucial games and the Stamps let up somewhat when they’re facing inferior teams.
The Riders’ Harris wasn’t deterred after the recent loss to Calgary, telling the Leader-Post “We’ve talked about our character all year, and so it’s time to put that on the table and show who we are. And we will. We’ll bounce back from this.”
Adams, meanwhile, has been a godsend for the Cowtowners. Although his touchdown-to-interception ratio (14-8) isn’t as good as Harris’s (18-7), the two veteran QBs have given their teams a chance to win almost every time out. After six seasons in Montreal and two in B.C., Adams is enjoying his first year with the Stamps. Running back Dedrick Mills will easily surpass 1,000 yards rushing and receivers Dominique Rhymes and Jalen Philpot have shown to be dependable targets.
In Regina, Harris, who is with his fifth CFL team, has been a steadying influence as the Riders beat everybody except Calgary. A.J. Ouellette has carried much of the offensive load, averaging more than 70 rushing yards per game. Harris has had great aerial success, finding Dohnte Meyers for six touchdown passes through 10 games and KeeSean Johnson for another three.
Not surprisingly, the Riders and Stampeders are among the league leaders in team defence. Saskatchewan is No. 1, giving up 339 yards per game, while Calgary is fourth, allowing opponents to generate 359 yards per game.
CFL fans are circling Nov. 9 on their calendars because that’s when Calgary and Saskatchewan are likely to meet in the Western final. The winner will go on to play for the Grey Cup and there’s a good chance one of the Stampeders’ all-time greats, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, will be wearing black and gold for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in that game.
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Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca