Stamps aim to stomp Rider pride
Last Updated: Saturday, November 7, 2009 | 11:33 AM MT
By Malcolm Kelly, CBC Sports
Calgary Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris and Joffrey Reynolds roll into Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night. (Richard Lam/Canadian Press)This is going to sound backward, but there's a lot more than first place on the line Saturday evening in Regina (7 p.m. ET).
There's pride. Rider pride. The feeling that will come if the Saskatchewan Roughriders can beat the Calgary Stampeders and wrap up first place in the CFL West, a bye week and the chance to host the division final.
The last time that happened to the Calgary Stampeders was, let's see, last year.
The last time it happened to the Riders, though, Pierre Trudeau was prime minister (don't mention that on the Prairies), Jimmy Carter had defeated Gerald Ford for the U.S. presidency and Renauld Williams's parents were still four years away from discussing his creation.
"We have a great opportunity to do something that hasn't been done here for a long time," said Williams, known as Rey, who has grown up to be a key linebacker for the Riders.
"It gets no bigger than this when you come to regular-season games."
Williams recognizes there isn't a lot to separate his 9-7-1 Riders from the 10-7-1 Stampeders, but he thinks the location is a key.
"We have an advantage because we're at home, but other than that it will be a battle of two very good football teams, and … the winner gets a week off and first place."
Expect rowdy Rider fans
Mosaic Stadium will be as jammed as a Tokyo subway car for this one, and those 30,000 faithful can make a lot of noise. Calgary head coach John Hufnagel pulled a now-standard tactic out of his bag at practice on Thursday by having the speakers at McMahon Stadium blaring out as much sound as possible while he put the club through their paces.
"We're dealing with the toughest place to play in this entire league against one of the better teams in this league," said Calgary quarterback Henry Burris, who knows all about it as a former Rider.
"I would compare Mosaic Stadium to an 80,000-seat stadium back in the U.S.," he said. "This is what football is all about. You live for big games like this."
Crowd noise is something Riders QB Darian Durant is hoping will put his team over the top against the Stamps.
"You know, I wouldn't say we had their number this year," Durant told CBC Sports. "We won (a game) by one and we tied one, so each game has been pretty tight that we played against them. So hopefully our crowd comes in and it's an advantage for us."
Durant said Saskatchewan fans have high expectations. "I mean those guys want this game just as much as we do," he said.
Saskatchewan gets first place with a win because they would take the season series 2-0-1. But coming off a poor performance against Hamilton a week ago has some observers worried.
Calgary, meanwhile, went into B.C. and eked out a victory on a last play field goal.
These clubs have relatively matched offences under the Stamps' Burris and the Riders' Durant, though Calgary is better on the ground. But with the weather set for around 3 C at game time with 20 km/h winds, there won't be anything stopping the passing attacks.
The Riders' defence has given up about 250 yards less this season, but over 17 games that's nothing.
If you're looking for a possible game breaker, Stamps kicker Sandro Deangelis is at 87 per cent in field goals, 12 per cent better than Saskatchewan's Luca Congi.
Or perhaps it's that Joffrey Reynolds leads the league in rushing at 1,397 yards, while the Riders' best runner, Wes Cates, is at 878. Saskatchewan is the only team in the league without a 1,000-yard rusher.
with files from the Canadian Press
