Welcome to the latest edition of Three Downs, the Last Word on Sports roundup of what’s to come in CFL Week 6. This week, we’ll look at the Game of the Week, the Player to Watch, and as the Countdown to Kickoff topic: Saskatchewan’s new insurance policy for Darian Durant.
Contributions from Thomas Gunther, Gina Schiltz, and Kelly Bale.
Three Downs: CFL Week 6
Game to Watch: B.C. Lions at Calgary Stampeders
While the showdowns in Montreal and Ottawa will certainly draw some attention this week, the true Battle Royale will be at McMahon Stadium between the top ranked B.C. Lions and the rising Calgary Stampeders.
The Lions enter the game as one of the top ranked rushing offenses in the league with Anthony Allen and ultra-dynamic Chris Rainey leading the charge. Calgary will counter with the equally effective Jerome Messam, who currently holds the CFL rushing lead through 5 weeks. On defence the Lions and Stamps are neck and neck in multiple categories including sacks (12 for B.C. and 11 for Calgary) and total points (73 for B.C. and 86 for Calgary) which should add some intrigue to the matchup.
In the end the game will likely be decided by the two men under center, Jonathan Jennings and Bo Levi Mitchell. The ever accurate Mitchell is off to another fantastic start with a quarterback rating of 104 while the highly athletic Jennings comes in at 93.2. With two of the CFL’s most exciting young passers squaring off for sole possession of first place, this game has all the makings of a classic.
– Thomas Gunther
Player to Watch: Tyler Crapigna
Week after week it gets more difficult choosing one player as the player to watch for the week. Usually quaterbacks or receivers get the mentions or win the accolades. But sometimes it’s nice to focus on players that may not get the limelight as often but who are more than deserving of it. And since Jeremiah Masoli caught all the news this past week, deservedly so, for his comeback win over the Edmonton Eskimos, the player to watch this week is one who could mean a difference between and win and a loss.
Last week, Saskatchewan Roughrider Tyler Crapigna caught a lot of attention by hitting five out of five field goals in an exciting win against the Ottawa Redblacks, one in the last few minutes of the game. This is the fourth time that Crapigna has hit three or more field goals and has only missed two all season. This is noteworthy as a number of normally consistent league kickers have been struggling this season, including CFL record breaker, Rene Paredes of the the Calgary Stampeders.
This week, the Roughriders are up against the Montreal Alouettes, who sit in the exact same spot as the the Riders at 1-3. In CFL football the game can be decided in the last minute, as so many have already this season. If you’re playing an equally matched team, both wanting to get a second win, the kicker could easily be the difference. Can Crapigna extend his consecutive record? Could he be the player that gets Saskatchewan their much-needed second win? We’ll have to wait for Friday to find out. But that’s why Tyler Crapigna earns the honour of player to watch for the week.
– Gina Schiltz
Countdown to Kickoff: Mitchell Gale
Hello? It’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders, they took out life insurance. The club must have dialed 1-800-465-5125 when looking to deal disgruntled defensive lineman Shawn Lemon and got the Toronto Argonauts instead.
If you weren’t alive in 1990, that’s the number for Norwich Union, the life insurance company famous for Patrick and his parents who found it “reassuring” to leave some money. The money, in this case, is the seemingly reliable backup quarterback Mitchell Gale, whom the Riders acquired on July 2nd.
Since 2014 the Riders have hunted high and low for a reliable backup and maybe the eventual replacement for aging veteran, Darian Durant. They’ve apparently found him. Gale suits up for his second start under centre after earning the respect and admiration of fans and media league-wide in his first. The graduate of Abilene Christian University threw for 354 yards on 21 of 36 passes attempted against the Ottawa Redblacks. A suitable insurance policy indeed.
– Kelly Bale
