6 matchups to watch in the Western Final

The final game before the 111th Grey Cup features the two best teams in the West and one of the best rivalries in all the CFL.

Before we go over the most intriguing matchups between these bitter rivals, how about a quick shoutout to how entertaining last weekend was? Both Semi-Final playoff games were close late, Toronto and Ottawa put up a near record number of points, while out west we got a little of everything. Game starts with a 56-yard touchdown to Keon Hatcher, Trevor Harris excelling against the BC Lions second down defence and a string of brilliant plays from the Saskatchewan Roughriders secondary.

Moving on. Here are the six matchups that have my full attention going into the Western Final.

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The Roughriders quarterback looked comfortable going up against the Lions second down defence as evidenced by converting 16 of them in their 28-19 win. Saskatchewan can chew you up on offence eight yards a time. Last week they only had one reception for over 30 yards and the one long touchdown run by AJ Ouellette, but still scored almost 30 points.

Harris is hot right now, having won his last five starts. I understand the one thing missing from his mantle is a Grey Cup, but you will find his name all over the playoff record book. One year it’s touchdowns the next it’s number of completions. Harris is dangerous this time of year and was in complete control last week.

The last time Harris lost was in Week 14 against the Bombers. On that night Saskatchewan had more yards, first downs and created more sacks, yet fell 26-21. One of the big reasons is Tyrell Ford who picked off Harris twice as part of a campaign that earned him the first of what should be many West Division All-CFL selections.

 

I hope they line up against one another as that will mean we get to witness two 30-year-olds with 15 years of collective experience, three Grey Cup wins and seven West Division All-CFL selections doing battle.

Sayles knew what Vernon Adams Jr. was going to do even before the Lions quarterback tried it, which led to an interception on a pass intended for Justin McInnis.

Demski has accomplished so much in his career and in his ninth season he finished with his best statistical year as he topped over 1,000 yards for the second season in a row.

 

We all love this Trevor Harris quote about his star running back: “I asked him a couple of weeks ago before the last BC game ‘how are you feeling’, and he said ‘I’m feeling good.’ He goes, ‘they didn’t pay me to come here to run in June and July, they did so I could run in October, November.’ He’s like, ‘let’s freaking go.’ And that kind of sent chills up my spine. Never told him that, but I walked upstairs, I was like, ‘This guy’s freaking ready’.”

It’s hard not to think about that quote watching Ouellette stiff arm cornerback Ronald Kent Jr. after a short reception, lining up under centre on his way to a goal line touchdown plunge or working his way into a 30-yard touchdown run. That last major gave the Riders a 20-13 lead they would never relinquish. That run was pure playoffs as Ouellette used his power to break a Christian Covington tackle and then hit the speed button all the way to the end zone.

Who better to negate that blunt force trauma than a man who has seen it all and has spent over a decade administering that sort of physicality on opposing running backs? Thomas has two Grey Cup wins to his name and there will be a moment when it will be up to him to stop a potential momentum turning giant gain into a simple second and long.

 

But wait how can you include Johnson again; he didn’t have a tackle last week? Easy, actually.

Ironically, the job of many defensive tackles is not about amassing gaudy tackle numbers but rather to be stout at the point of attack, clogging up opposing running games. I imagine Jameer Thurman is a big fan of Johnson. Carney’s first quarter takedown of Adams Jr. forced a Lions punt.

They will have their hands full with a first-time Divisional All-CFL in Liam Dobson and one of the best to ever line up at tackle in Stanley Bryant. Interesting that while Brady led the CFL in rushing (1,353 yards) he never managed to even hit 50 yards against Cory Mace’s team. On this cold night in Winnipeg, I expect to see a different result and it will be in large part about the big men up front.

LB C.J. Reavis led the Roughriders in tackles in 2024 (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)

To be fair to Oliveira in two of the three games against Saskatchewan’s defence he amassed over 100 total yards from scrimmage, putting up 16 receptions for 149 yards in three games. That is where linebackers C.J. Avery and C.J. Reavis come in.

The rookie Avery finished the year with three interceptions while Reavis, in his third year, led the Green and White in tackles and managed three pass deflections. Both linebackers are strong in coverage, and you can bet both will be tracking Oliveira whenever he flares out of the backfield to give Zach Collaros an easy check down target.

Did I just use Oliveira twice? Yes, yes, I did but any player with an excellent chance to walk away with the 2024 MOP Award deserves a second mention.

DE Willie Jefferson finished the season with six sacks for the Blue Bombers (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)

WILLIE JEFFERSON VS. WHOEVER IS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE BLOCKING HIM

Do you really think I would leave off my favourite defender who led his team in sacks, including two against Saskatchewan? One reason Harris played such a clean game against the Lions was that he operated from a mostly clean pocket and wasn’t sacked until midway into the fourth quarter with his team up 28-19.

The key for Trevor’s success on second down is the number of times he doesn’t need more than five yards to reach a fresh set of downs. Jefferson is one of those defenders who creates so many second and longs either by taking down the passer or swatting away a first down throw and suddenly you find yourself 10 yards away from the marker. The Bombers “defensive end” lines up everywhere from the traditional outside location on one down to knifing between a centre and a guard on the next play.