For the first time in weeks, we can avoid talking about the West dominating the East. Hooray!
Instead we can focus on some great football that occurred over Labour Day Weekend, including a thrilling lead-in to the Banjo Bowl and an intense Battle of Alberta that saw the Calgary Stampeders emerge as the undisputed class of the league.
Here’s what stood out about Week 10:
W.W.J.C.D.
What Would Jon Cornish Do? That’s a question any young running back in the CFL should ask himself because the Stampeders star often seems to be in a class of his own.
In Week 9 against the RedBlacks–his first game back from a concussion–he was effective; in Week 10 against the Eskimos, he was the unstoppable Cornish Canadians have come to know and love.
He ran with conviction, was patient when following blocks and allowing for lanes to develop, he hit the hole hard and often wasn’t touched until the second line of defenders. Cornish doesn’t run as low to the ground as most running backs, but he breaks more tackles than pretty much anyone in the league.
Cornish ran for 163 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries in a 28-13 win. If the reigning MOP and Outstanding Canadian can remain at 100 percent down the stretch there’s no reason he can’t pick up some more hardware at season’s end.
Ticats have a chance with Collaros
Just like Cornish, Ticats quarterback Zach Collaros looks refreshed after missing a big chunk of the season dealing with a concussion. Although Hamilton only managed one touchdown against the Argos, Collaros was in control of the game from the start, going 27-38 for 317 yards, one touchdown and no picks.
Collaros got decent protection and took advantage of it, spreading the ball around nicely. It could have been the fact they were finally playing at Tim Horntons field in front of a decent home crowd, but the Ticats seemed to play with more confidence with Collaros under centre. The combination of a healthy Collaros and a steady home stadium should bode well for the Tabbies down the stretch.
Riders’ three-headed monster working well together
For the last two years the Riders had Kory Sheets to carry the load, but in 2014 the Green and White have embraced a run-by-committee attitude. In Sunday’s 35-30 win over the Blue Bombers in the lead-in to the Banjo Bowl (how awesome was that game by the way?), Jerome Messam, Will Ford and Anthony Allen combined for 128 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.
Having three running backs able to do damage in a variety of ways keeps opposing defences off-balance. Ford is small and quick, Allen is a prototypical tailback, while Messam is a hulking back of the same ilk as a Robert Drummond.
The Riders have won six straight and their ability to wear down the opposition with the run game has been a major contributing factor.
Ray joins illustrious club
Hat tip to Argos pivot Ricky Ray who surpassed 50,000 yards passing for his career. It’s ironic Ray hit that milestone in a game he went a dismal 16-29 and threw for just 142 yards, but it’s an accomplishment that deserves applause nonetheless.
The current all-time passing yards list looks like this:
— Anthony Calvillo (79,816)
— Damon Allen (72,381)
— Danny McManus (53,255)
— Henry Burris (53,518 and counting)
— Ron Lancaster (50,535)
— Ricky Ray (50,052 and counting)
If Ray can stay healthy, he’ll pass Lancaster in a couple weeks and will leapfrog McManus sometime next season. The next significant milestone CFL fans can look forward to is Stampeders veteran Nik Lewis hitting 11,000 receiving yards. He needs 25 yards to do so and should get it in Week 11.
Duron Carter heating up at the right time
After being a non-factor in the first six weeks of the season, Duron Carter has shown what he’s capable of in the last month. His big play ability was on full display Friday as he hauled in five catches for 127 yards en route to the Alouettes’ second win of the season.
With the East Division devoid of well-rounded football teams, Montreal, despite having just two wins in nine game, can still realistically make the playoffs. Carter’s output will be a huge part of a playoff push.
Alouettes fans should embrace Carter while they still can because he’ll be in the NFL as early as next season.
Boatmen on a sinking ship
When your kicker doesn’t attempt a field goal and is still your best player, you aren’t going to win. That was the case with the Argos as they dropped yet another Labour Day Classic to the Ticats.
Swayze Waters had one of the best punting performances in recent years. He averaged 53.5 yards on 13 punts—twice pinning the Ticats at the one-yard line, which led to a pair of safeties—yet his teammates could do nothing to capitalize on consistently great field position.
It’ll be a totally different story when Chad Owens and Andre Durie return to the lineup, but until then…yikes.
Sportsnet’s CFL stars of Week 10
OFFENCE
1) Jon Cornish, RB, Stampeders
2) Zach Collaros, QB, Ticats
3) Bo Levi Mitchell, QB, Stampeders
DEFENCE
1) Ricky Foley, DE, Roughriders
2) Shawn Lemon, DL, Stampeders
3) Charleston Hughes, DL, Stampeders