Head To Head Week 5: Ticats @ Roughriders

BROADCAST INFORMATION

THE MATCH-UP

Tonight’s game will be the first of two regular season meetings between the Tiger-Cats and Roughriders in the 2010 season. The Roughriders and Ticats split the season series last year, each team winning at home. The match-up will be the 77th meeting between the two teams since 1950. Each team has won 36 games against each other since 1950 and there has also been four ties. Saskatchewan has had recent success against the Ticats, winning nine of the last 10 games between the two teams. The Ticats last defeated the Roughriders in Regina on August 11, 2000.

Both teams will be looking to get back in the win column after losses last week. The Roughriders lost their first game of the season at Calgary by a score of 40-20, while the Ticats lost on the road in Montreal, 37-14. The last meeting between the Tiger-Cats and Roughriders occurred on October 31, 2009 at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The Ticats won the windy affair, 24-6.

This will be the fourth meeting between head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille and Ken Miller. Bellefeuille has a career record of 11-19 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 1-2 record against the Roughriders. Miller has a career record of 25-14-1 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 2-1 record against the Ticats.

2010 STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Total Offence Per Game	316.0 (7th)	490.0 (1st)
Rushing Offence Per Game	71.5 (8th)	178.0 (1st)
Passing Offence Per Game	290.0 (3rd)	331.2 (1st)
Total Defence Per Game	381.7 (5th)	427.2 (8th)
Rushing Defence Per Game	133.8 (6th)	130.2 (5th)
Passing Defence Per Game	265.2 (4th)	325.8 (7th)
Points Per Game	23.2 (6th)	33.8 (3rd)
Opponents Points Per Game	29.0 (6th)	32.2 (8th)

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dave Stala / WR / Hamilton
Stala has turned out to be one of Kevin Glenn’s favourite targets this season. After the first four games of the season Stala has a team-high 23 catches for 273 yards and is among the league leaders in catches on second down. Look for Stala to be a target for Glenn again this week if Arland Bruce and Maurice Mann are locked down by the Roughriders secondary.

Justin Hickman / DE / Hamilton
Hickman picked up his first two sacks of the season last week against one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Anthony Calvillo. This week, Hickman and his defensive linemen face Darian Durant, who has the ability to scramble out of the pocket to pick up yards and keep drives alive. It will be important for Hickman and the rest of the defensive line to put pressure on Durant, while also containing him in the pocket.

Andy Fantuz / WR / Saskatchewan
Fantuz presents a big challenge for the Ticats cover team in this week’s game. Fantuz can make tough catches in tight coverage and can even stretch a defence out on a deep ball. Ticats defenders will need to force Durant into bad throws to Fantuz, making it tough on the receiver to make the catch.

Wes Cates / RB / Saskatchewan
The Roughriders rank first in the league in rushing yards per game, thanks in large part to Cates who sits third in the league in rushing with 400 yards on 57 carries. Cates provides a great option for the Roughriders on first down, as he is averaging seven yards per carry. The Ticats front seven will need to get after Cates on running plays on first down to limit those big gains, forcing the Roughriders into second and long situations.

KEY MATCH-UP

Tiger-Cats Passing Game vs. Roughriders Secondary
The key match-up in tonight’s game will be the Ticats passing game against the Roughriders secondary. Glenn has an opportunity in this week’s game to break out against a Roughriders pass defence that ranks 8th in the league. It will also be important for the Tiger-Cats to finish drives with the passing game this week. The Roughriders have surrendered more than 40 points twice already in the first four games of the season, and the Ticats offence will need to be sharp to keep up with the Roughriders high-scoring offence.