Things are falling into place for a great back-to-back day of CFL playoff action. It all starts with the East semi-final between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts (1 p.m. Eastern), which I previewed here. After that, there's the West semi-final between the B.C. Lions (who finally made it to Regina) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Kickoff there is set for 4:30 p.m. Eastern. To get you prepared for that game, let's take a look at how the teams match up.
B.C. offence: Three (out of five) Empire states of mind
The Lions' attack struggled early on this season, but it's improved significantly since the dismissal of Casey Printers and the elevation of Travis Lulay (pictured above) to starting quarterback. Lulay was in great form last week against Hamilton, throwing for 424 yards and two touchdowns, and he's got a talented receiving corps to work with. However, B.C.'s run game has been more inconsistent: Jamal Robertson and Yonus Davis have both shown promise at times, but have also had their struggles this season.
B.C. defence: Four Empire states of mind
The Lions' defence was crucial to their success this year. They only conceded 466 points (oddly enough, the exact same number they scored), the fourth-lowest total in the CFL. Players like Korey Banks, Solomon Elimimian and Brent Johnson had tremendous seasons, and the unit as a whole persevered despite significant numbers of injuries. They'll need another strong defensive performance if they want to come out of Regina with a victory today.
B.C. special teams: Five Empire states of mind
This is arguably the best all-around special teams unit in the CFL, right up there with Toronto's. Davis is an excellent return man, even if he isn't quite at the level of Chad Owens, and Paul McCallum was by far the best kicker in the league this year and a deserving most outstanding player candidate. A big performance from him against his old team could be crucial to the Lions' success.
Total: 12 Empire states of mind
Saskatchewan offence: Five watermelon bras
Quarterback Darian Durant led the league with 5,542 passing yards this season and also threw 25 touchdowns. Andy Fantuz was the league's top receiver with 1,380 yards, and he's only part of a talented receiving corps that also includes Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf, Jason Clermont and Cary Koch. Wes Cates had a solid season on the ground and brought much-needed balance to the Riders' attack. The Saskatchewan offence will miss injured receiver Rob Bagg, but they still have plenty of weapons, and they scored the third-most points in the league this season (497).
Saskatchewan defence: Four watermelon bras
The Riders' defence was dominant at times, but also had its struggles. That led to some hefty criticism of defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry, and he responded in interesting fashion. However, his defence turned in a better showing down the stretch and was crucial to their victory over Edmonton last week. They also featured the league's interception leader (James Patrick) and the league's leading tackler (Barrin Simpson), although the latter won't be available this week thanks to injury. Simpson's loss will hurt, but this is still a pretty good defensive unit.
Saskatchewan special teams: Three watermelon bras
The special teams bore the brunt of the criticism in Saskatchewan this season, perhaps somewhat unfairly. However, there were plenty of crucial mistakes made. The special-teams units played well against Edmonton last week, and Ryan Grice-Mullen is improving as a kick returner with time, but there are still questions around this unit. The injury to kicker Luca Congi has hurt them, and they've had to rely on a mix of Warren Kean and punter Eddie Johnson on field goals. We'll see if that becomes a factor today.
Total: 12 watermelon bras
Add the totals up: Saskatchewan 12, B.C. 12
X-Factor: The weather. Not only did it delay the Lions' arrival yesterday and perhaps throw off their preparation, it could come into play today as well. According to The Weather Network, it's -5 degrees in Regina and there's likely to be a mix of rain and snow. The Riders will be more used to those kind of conditions than the Lions, and slippery conditions could put the emphasis on the run game, where Saskatchewan likely has the advantage. Playing on the road in front of a screaming Mosaic Stadium crowd isn't ever easy, but the weather adds an extra level of difficulty for B.C.
Prediction: This one might be closer than the regular-season records would suggest, as Saskatchewan limped to the finish line while the Lions finished strong. The teams are reasonably even in terms of talent, so home-field advantage and the weather might make the difference. I think B.C. will put up a good fight, but I'm not sure it will be enough. Saskatchewan 24, B.C. 23.
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