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WEEK 10 CIS Football Playoff Previews
Photo credit Richard Lam, UBC
Click here for complete webcast and radio schedules.
Click here for season previews of all CIS football teams.
Click here for player profiles featuring one player from each CIS football team.
November 4
19:00 MT Regina (3-5) at No. 2 Calgary (7-1), Shaw (TV)
CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos begin the
defence of their three consecutive Canada West Hardy Cup titles
Friday night against a familiar opponent – familiar, at
least, when it comes to the playoffs.
For the third time in four years, the Dinos host the Regina Rams in
a Canada West semi-final at McMahon Stadium. The winner advances to
next Friday's Hardy Cup game on TSN, with the Canada West champion
earning the right to host the Mitchell Bowl – the CIS
national semi-final – against the Quebec conference champion.
Kickoff goes at 7 p.m. Friday night at McMahon Stadium, live on
Shaw TV (Channel 10 Calgary) and qr77.com.
GAME NOTES (.pdf)
The Dinos have teamed up with the Calgary Stampeders to provide a
great weekend of football in Calgary. Fans with a ticket to
Saturday's Stamps game against Winnipeg can show that ticket at the
gate Friday night for free admission to the Dinos-Rams game. As
well, members of the University of Calgary community will be able
to enter to win a trip for two to the Vanier Cup Nov. 25 in
Vancouver.
In the most recent series of playoff meetings, the Dinos have had
the Rams' number, taking a 40-33 win last season along with a 24-17
victory in 2008. However, both of the home playoff losses in the
Dinos' history – just two losses in 16 games – came at
the hands of the Regina Rams: a 39-17 loss in 2002, and a 33-32
defeat in 2000.
Regina was the only Canada West team that did not appear at McMahon
this year, with the lone Dinos-Rams contest taking place Sept. 16
at Mosaic Stadium – a 51-1 Calgary victory. That extended the
Dinos' win streak over the Rams to eight games overall, including
the two playoff games, dating back to October 2007. Regina's last
win at McMahon Stadium came all the way back on Oct. 4, 2003.
The conference semi-final will feature the top two running backs in
Canada West this season in Regina's Adrian Charles (911 yards) and
Calgary's Steven Lumbala (898 yards). While Charles won the rushing
title by 13 yards over Lumbala, the third-year Calgary tailback had
just 111 carries on the season for an impressive 8.1 average while
Charles was handed the ball 175 times over the course of the
season. The Dinos' strength was – yet again – the run
game this year, racking up 2,120 yards in eight games – but
Friday night will also feature a match-up of the top two defences
in Canada West. In other words, don't expect a repeat of the 51-1
score.
UBC (6-2), by virtue of its win over Calgary last week, earned home
field advantage for the first round and hosts the Saskatchewan
Huskies (5-3) Saturday in the other Canada West semi-final at
Thunderbird Stadium.
The Dinos have joined the Calgary Stampeders, the Edmonton Eskimos,
and various other football organizations in Alberta to honour the
Grande Prairie High School Warriors, who suffered a tragedy Oct. 22
when four players were killed and another seriously injured in an
automobile accident. The Dinos will wear the black and orange 'W'
logo of the Warriors on their helmets for the remainder of the
season.
Here's a look at the two teams battling Friday night for a berth in
the Hardy Cup:
No. 2 Calgary Dinos (7-1)
Last week: lost to UBC 36-23
Their hopes for an undefeated season having been dashed last week
in a game that had no bearing on the standings for them, the Dinos
reboot for what Blake Nill calls the 'real season' and will enjoy
home field advantage all the way through the Mitchell Bowl.
Last week's 36-23 loss at UBC, the only blemish on the season for
the 7-1, No. 2-ranked Dinos, saw flashes of brilliance from the
offence followed by stretches of mistake-filled football. The three
touchdown drives by Calgary in the first half were as good as any
on the season, culminating in scores by Chris Dobko, Richard
Snyder, and Eric Dzwilewski.
In addition to the exploits of the Lumbala-Walter-Woodson rushing
machine that has made most of the offensive waves for the Dinos
this season, Chris Dobko has emerged as the go-to receiver in
Canada West. He finished the season with 56 receptions, the best
single-season total by any receiver in the conference since Don
Blair's 1995 Hec Crighton-winning season. UBC's Jordan Grieve was
the only player in the conference with more receiving yards (768)
than Dobko's 676, an no other receiver came close to Dobko's eight
touchdowns on the season.
Three of those Dobko scores came Week 3 against the Regina
Rams.
Calgary's defence, anchored by linebackers Sam Hurl and Jordan
Verdone, was the best in the conference against the run, allowing
just 117 yards per game along the ground. The trailed only Regina
in total yards allowed – and that by just two yards over the
course of the entire season. Calgary will remain without the
services of Michael Lau, the fifth-year cornerback who suffered a
leg injury Week 7 against Manitoba and is out indefinitely.
Regina Rams (3-5)
Last week: defeated Manitoba 31-22
The Rams were predicted to finish first in Canada West this year in
a pre-season poll of the conference coaches, but an injury to
fifth-year starting quarterback Marc Mueller in the first week of
the season changed their fortunes and Regina hit the low point of
its season in Week 3 when the Dinos won the lone game between the
two teams 51-1 at Mosaic Stadium. Since then, the Rams have gone
3-2, with two of those wins coming against the Manitoba –
including the winner-take-all 31-22 victory to close Winnipeg's
University Stadium last week.
The Rams' struggles came mostly on the offensive side of the ball,
where they went through several quarterbacks before finally
settling on converted receiver Zach Oleynik, a southpaw who took
the reins Week 4 against Alberta and started every game from that
point on. He finished a respectable 90-for-16 for 1,172 yards and
eight touchdowns on the year, leading the Rams to a 3-2 record in
his five starts.
Regina's run game starts and ends with Charles, who led the team in
rushing by more than 800 yards. But the Rams have a talented,
speedy receiving corps that can make things happen after they've
caught the ball, and they'll give a challenge to the Calgary
defence in the form of Jared Janotta (502 yards), Mark McConkey
(335), and Brenden Owens (297).
The Rams defence is big and athletic, led by lineman Akiem Hicks,
the conference's sacks leader with 6.5. Regina as a team led the
way with 23 sacks on the season, three better than the Dinos. They
will face a challenge in the Calgary offence, which averaged 499
yards per game on the season, but it's a challenge they've faced
before: in a perfect example of how statistics don't always tell
the whole story, Calgary scored 51 points against the Rams despite
having their lowest offensive output of the season at just 387
yards – the only time the Dinos were held to under 400 yards
on the season.
Chris Bodnar, Regina's punter, could be the best in the country and
had a sensational season, making a solid impact on special teams
for the Rams. His 44.6-yard average was easily the best in Canada
West, and it was capped off by an 83-yard bomb for his
season-long.
Source: Calgary Sports Info
November 5
13:00 AT StFX (2-6) at Saint Mary’s (6-2), EastLink (TV & webcast) / sportstream.ca (webcast)
13:00 ET Concordia (4-5) at No. 1 Laval (8-1), Radio-Canada (webcast)
13:00 ET No. 7 Montreal (6-3) at No. 5 Sherbrooke (7-2), Radio-Canada (TV & webcast)
13:00 ET Windsor (6-3) at No. 3 Western (7-1), The Score (TV & webcast)
Western Mustangs (7-1) vs. Windsor Lancers (6-3)
TV: TheScore (University Rush - http://tv.thescore.com/programs/university-rush)
Radio: CJBK 1290 - London, Ont. - http://cjbk.player.amri.ca/
Radio: 94.9 CHRW - London, Ont. - http://chrwradio.com)
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/uwo/football/
TALE OF THE TAPE -- Western vs. Windsor
OVERALL Western leads 43-9-1
SERIES STREAK Western has won 7 straight
LAST MEETING Western 30, Windsor 15 (2010)
LAST 10 Western leads 8-2
LAST GAMES
Western 0 vs. Queen’s 37 - Richardston Stadium, Kingston,
Ont. (OUA Regular Season Finale)
Windsor 50 @ Ottawa 33 - Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa, Ont. (OUA
Quarter-Final)
2011 SCHEDULE
Sept. 5 – Western 86 vs. Waterloo 22 (most points in school
history)
Sept. 10 – Western 48 @ McMaster 21
Sept. 17 – Western 41 vs. Ottawa 13
Sept. 24 – Western 34 @ Laurier 28
Oct. 1 – Western 48 vs. York 23
Oct. 8 – Western 33 vs. Guelph 29
Oct. 15 – Western22 @ Toronto 9
Oct. 22 – Western 0 @ Queen’s 37
Nov. 5 – Western vs. Windsor 1 p.m. OUA Semi-Finals
Nov. 12 – Yates Cup – OUA Semi-Final winners (at
highest remaining seed)
Nov. 18 – Uteck Bowl – OUA Champion vs. AUS Champion in
Moncton, NB
Nov. 25 – Vanier Cup – Uteck Bowl winner vs. Mitchell
Bowl winner in Vancouver, BC
Home/Away Record
On Road: 3-1 in 2011, 4-2 in 2010
At Home: 4-0 in 2011, 5-0 in 2010
Head Coach Greg Marshall (5th Season)
5: Number of seasons as head coach at Western
12: Number of seasons as head coach in CIS (includes seven at
McMaster)
31-9: Career regular season record at Western
73-21-2: Career regular season as a head coach in CIS
43-13: Career overall record at Western (including playoffs)
96-31-12: Career overall record as a head coach in CIS (includes
playoffs)
STORYLINES
Getting Healthy: The bye week has provided a much needed
opportunity for the Mustangs to rest their players who have been
nursing minor (and not so minor) injuries. Many of the
“walking wounded” were also rested in the final regular
season game against Queen’s so the Mustangs will have the
healthiest team since Week 4. Key players like Tyler Varga, Matt
Norman, Zach Bull, Brian Marshall and Dan Duff should all be back
in action and quarterback Donnie Marshall’s return is
imminent.
Varga, Riva Combination: The 1-2 combination of Tyler Varga and Nathan Riva has been a powerful punch in the 2011 season. Varga led the entire CIS with 15 rushing touchdowns, while Riva tied for third with nine (plus one receiving touchdown). The pair helped the Mustangs lead the CIS in scoring, with an average of 38.9 points per game.
Road to the Vanier Cup: The road to the Vanier Cup for the Western Mustangs begins this weekend at home against the Lancers. With a victory, the Mustangs would return to the Yates Cup to defend their title from last season when they bested the Ottawa Gee Gees on a last second Lirim Hajrullahu field goal. A victory in the Yates Cup would earn a trip to Moncton, NB to compete in the 2011 Uteck Bowl against the winner of the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) on November 18. Finally, a Uteck Bowl victory would send the Mustangs across country to Vancouver, BC to battle for the Vanier Cup on November 25 at the newly renovated BC Place.
The Surprising Lancers: The Windsor Lancers have had a surprising season, rebounding from last season’s 2-6 record, the Lancers not only made the playoffs, they won their first playoff game since 2003 by travelling to Ottawa and beating the Gee Gees in convincing fashion 50-33. The Lancers are led by quarterback Austin Kennedy who was just honoured as the CIS Offensive player of the week. The Mustangs defense will be sure to focus on Kennedy and his key receivers Brescacin and Fernandes.
Nobody’s Perfect: First Laval, then Western and then Calgary. None of the teams ranked No.1 this season in the CIS were able to complete the perfect season as all three teams who have held the No.1 spot in the rankings have finished the season with one loss.
Source: Western Sports Info
14:00 PT No. 10 Saskatchewan (5-3) at No. 6 UBC (6-2), Shaw (TV)
The No. 10 ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies road to the 2011 Vanier Cup starts in Vancouver Saturday against the No. 6 ranked UBC Thunderbirds.
For the first time in four seasons, the Huskies hit the road in the Canada West playoffs to face the T-Birds in a semifinal match. UBC edged out the Huskies for second-place in the final conference standings with a 36-23 win over the first place Calgary Dinos in the last game of the season.
Since 1998, the Huskies are 17-4 against the T-Birds, including a 36-33 win on September 30 in Griffiths Stadium. Saskatchewan is 7-0 in the postseason against UBC including a 35-16 win in a semifinal in 2006 – the last of their playoff meetings. In six of the seven seasons, the two teams have met Saskatchewan has gone on to play in the Vanier Cup – three times winning the ultimate prize.
Saskatchewan finished the regular season winning three of their four final games and finally found their offensive stride with a 67-3 victory over Alberta last week.
Quarterback Trent Peterson had his best offensive game of the year completing 19-of-25 passes for two touchdowns and 325 yards against Alberta. His main target was Rory Kohlert connecting with the fifth-year receiver five times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Jeff Moore also added 95 yards on five receptions. In the red zone, the Huskies scored five times on short runs by running backs Ben Coakwell and Dexter Janke. The touchdowns added to the Huskies top red zone offence scoring 90.6 per cent of the time.
Defensively, the Huskies have held their opponents to a league-best 19 points per game and have snared a league leading 13 interceptions. Fifth-year linebackers Tony Michalchuk and Tom Lynch lead the Huskies in tackles with 49 and 36 respectively. Safety Bryce McCall has added 35.5 tackles, one sack, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. McCall finishes the season two interceptions away from tying the CIS record.
T-Bird pivot Billy Greene was named Canada West Athlete of the Week after completing 23-of-42 for 421 yards and four touchdowns against the Dinos last week. Greene leads the conference averaging 319.8 yards per game and pass efficiency at 155.2. Jordan Grieve has been his main target all season averaging 18.7 yards per catch with five downdowns. Greene is also a threat to run tallying 483 rushing yards with four touchdowns in the season. Running back Dave Boyd averages another 78.2 rushing yards per game.
Adam Konar, Devin Kavanagh and Levar Hayden lead UBC in tackles with 41, 40 and 39.5 each respectively.
Kick off is set for 2 p.m. at Thunderbirds Stadium Saturday. The game can be heard live on CK750, or www.ck750.com or watched on Shaw Cable. The winner of the game will face either the University of Calgary or the University of Regina Rams, who are battling in the other Canada West semifinal.
Source: Saskatchewan Sports Info
16:30 ET No. 8 Queen’s (7-2) at No. 4 McMaster (7-1), The Score (TV & webcast)
HAMILTON, Ont. - Two of the hottest teams in CIS football will
clash on Saturday, when the McMaster Marauders face the
Queen’s Gaels in OUA semifinal action at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Kick-off is set for 4:30 p.m. The Marauders have won six straight
games, since suffering a September 10th loss to Western, while
Queen’s has won seven consecutive since losing to Ottawa on
that same September Saturday.
From a strictly statistical perspective the contest will pit the
OUA’s leading offense in McMaster against the league’s
stingiest defense from Queen’s.
This is a rivalry that has built up in intensity in recent years as
2011 is the third straight season that McMaster and Queen’s
have met in the post-season, with the Gaels winning 32-6 at home in
2009 on their way to a Vanier Cup title, and the Marauders coming
out on top 40-19 in 2010 in an OUA quarter-final played in
Hamilton.
The Marauders are counting on a large partisan crowd to provide the
home-field advantage, and help the team advance to its first Yates
Cup game since winning the Ontario title in 2003.
Student tickets are available on campus at the Compass Info Centre
and the Maroon Shop prior to the game. Tickets can also be ordered
online at Maraudertickets.com or by calling 905-525-9140, ext.
20353.
Source: McMaster Sports Info
