In a high stakes final weekend of the CFL there was one man who stood above the rest. A match up that should have been between 'the great one' and 'the next one' turned into a lopsided thrashing that showed the future is now. Of course I'm referring to the BC Lions quarterback Travis Lulay, who styled and profiled his way over counterpart Anthony Calvillo of the Alouettes.
The two gunslingers were polar opposites. Each club had the chance to clinch their respective divisions with a victory, and the result was an embarrassing 43-1 exclamation point by BC. Lulay, who should have won the CFL's Outstanding Player Award, spread the ball around on route to a 281 yard, 4 touchdown performance. Oh yeah, he also rushed for 51 yards. Six different receivers got touches, and being able to hand off the ball effectively led to a complete dissection of Montreal's defense.
More importantly, Lulay was poised and confident in a pressure situation that had huge consequences. With a bye to the West final, Lulay's effort this week has certainly cemented his teammates confidence in him and gives the Lions all the momentum for a Grey Cup appearance.
Lots of standout players this week making this a very tough choice for this week's Carlan's Darling.
Travis Lulay was an absolute beast, Andre Durie had the best game any Argo receiver had all year, but my darling this week is Adarius Bowman of the Edmonton Eskimos. When Adarius Bowman and Fred Stamps are healthy and going, Edmonton has the best one-two punch at receiver in the entire CFL. However, if Bowman plays like he did on Friday night they may not need Stamps.
Bowman's combination of size and speed is uncanny. He breaks more tackles in the secondary than any other receiver. There is not a defensive back in the CFL that can match up with the physicality that Bowman possesses. Adarius Bowman with 10 catches, 226 yards and 2 touchdowns is this week's Darling.