By Murray McCormick, Leader-PostNovember 3, 2009
REGINA — The CFL’s schedule makers could not have dreamed of a better ending to the 2009 regular season.
The final weekend will decide the playoff fate of six of the CFL’s eight teams. Only the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts, who play Saturday in Toronto, meet in the only game that doesn’t have any playoff implications.
The final weekend will decide the playoff fate of six of the CFL’s eight teams. Only the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts, who play Saturday in Toronto, meet in the only game that doesn’t have any playoff implications.
The Alouettes, Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders have locked up playoff berths. The Alouettes will play host to the East Division final. The woeful Argonauts have been eliminated from the playoffs.
The Riders and Stampeders meet Saturday at Mosaic Stadium in a first-place West Division showdown. The winner will finish first and play host to the final on Nov. 22. The loser drops to second and will play host to the division semifinal on Nov. 15.
Who wll be in the semifinal will be determined before Saturday’s 6 p.m. kickoff. The B.C. Lions play host to the Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. The winner will lock up third place in the West and play in the semifinal.
The Lions and Eskimos could both qualify for the playoffs with a tie. B.C. would then finish third. The Eskimos would earn a cross-over playoff berth because they would have more points than the third-place team in the East.
The Lions and Eskimos could both qualify for the playoffs with a tie. B.C. would then finish third. The Eskimos would earn a cross-over playoff berth because they would have more points than the third-place team in the East.
A more likely scenario is the loser having to watch Sunday’s regular-season finale between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers to find out their playoff fate.
The winner would finish second in the East and play host to the semifinal. Hamilton would clinch a playoff berth for first time since 2004 with a win or a tie.
The winner would finish second in the East and play host to the semifinal. Hamilton would clinch a playoff berth for first time since 2004 with a win or a tie.
Hamilton could squeeze into the playoffs with a loss because it would have the same record as the loser of the game between the Lions and Eskimos. A team can only cross over if it has more points than an the East Division squad.
Winnipeg can only qualify for the playoffs with a win.
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Saturday’s strong wind conditions in Hamilton created an opportunity for Riders rookie punter Louie Sakoda.
The winds gusted from 50 to 81 kilometres per hour, which is unusual for southern Ontario. Riders head coach Ken Miller brought in Sakoda after Luca Congi’s first punt travelled just 28 yards into the teeth of the wind.
Sakoda, who was added to the practice roster on Oct. 13, had seven punts for an average of 44.2 yards. He had two kicks of 34 and 31 yards into the wind. With the wind, Sakoda averaged 49.2 yards on five punts.
“I would still say I was sub-par,’’ Sakoda, a native of San Jose who spent four seasons with the University of Utah Utes, said after the 24-6 loss to the Tiger-Cats. “I hold myself to a very high standard even when it’s windy like that.’’
“I would still say I was sub-par,’’ Sakoda, a native of San Jose who spent four seasons with the University of Utah Utes, said after the 24-6 loss to the Tiger-Cats. “I hold myself to a very high standard even when it’s windy like that.’’
Congi and Sakoda have been pressed into duty because Jamie Boreham, the team’s regular punter, is sidelined with a bulging disc in his neck.
NOTES: Boreham isn’t expected to play in the foreseeable future but a Riders’ source says the long-term prognosis looks good. Boreham wants to play but team doctors are being cautious ...
It has been determined that Weston Dressler suffered a dislocated ankle along with a fractured right fibula against against the Argonauts on Oct. 10. A source with the Riders said the break is healing well but the ankle may keep Dresser from playing again this season. Dressler could be available for the Grey Cup game on Nov. 29, if the Riders make it that far ... Darian Durant may have had only 66 passing yards on Saturday but it was enough for him to join Kent Austin (four times), Henry Burris (twice) and Kerry Joseph (once) as the only Riders quarterbacks to exceed 4,000 passing yards in a season. Durant has thrown for 4,055 yards.
(Rider Beat appears Tuesdays during the CFL season.)
(Rider Beat appears Tuesdays during the CFL season.)
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