THE CANADIAN PRESS
| Tiger-Cats (6-5) vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-4) Regular Season Game 12 Saturday, September 25 @ 6:30 p.m. Ivor Wynne Stadium – Hamilton, Ontario |
BROADCAST INFORMATION
| TV BROADCAST: |
National broadcast on TSN |
| Play by play: Gord Miller / Colour: Matt Dunigan |
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| RADIO BROADCAST: | AM 900 CHML, simulcast on Y108 (Listen Live) |
| Play by play: Rick Zamperin / Colour: John ‘Coach Sal’ Salavantis / Sideline Reporter: Matt Holmes |
THE MATCH-UP
Tonight’s game will be the second of two regular season meetings between the Tiger-Cats and Roughriders in the 2010 season. The Roughriders defeated the Ticats 37-24 back in week five in Regina. The match-up will be the 78th meeting between the two teams since 1950. Saskatchewan holds a one game edge in the all-time series, 37-36-4. Saskatchewan has had recent success against the Ticats, winning nine of the last 10 games between the two teams. However, the Ticats beat the Roughriders at Ivor Wynne Stadium last season, 24-6. The Tiger-Cats are 5-5 in their last 10 games against the Roughriders at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Both teams are coming off of wins and will look to make it two straight. The Roughriders snapped the Calgary Stampeders’ seven-game win streak last week, defeating the Stampeders 43-37 in overtime. The Ticats have won five of their last six games, including forcing five turnovers in the fourth quarter when defeating the B.C. Lions 35-31 on Saturday.
This will be the fifth meeting between head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille and Ken Miller. Bellefeuille has a career record of 16-21 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 1-3 record against the Roughriders. Miller has a career record of 29-17-1 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 3-1 record against the Ticats.
2010 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
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Total Offence Per Game |
358.9 (5th) | 413.3 (2nd) |
| Rushing Offence Per Game | 85.4 (8th) | 120.3 (4th) |
| Passing Offence Per Game | 299.3 (4th) | 313.2 (1st) |
| Total Defence Per Game | 389.0 (T-5th) | 389.0 (T-5th) |
| Rushing Defence Per Game | 127.3 (6th) | 117.5 (5th) |
| Passing Defence Per Game | 283.2 (6th) | 289.1 (7th) |
| Points Per Game | 24.5 (6th) | 29.2 (3rd) |
| Opponents Points Per Game | 26.0 (3rd) | 27.6 (7th) |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Arland Bruce / WR / Hamilton
Bruce was able to find holes in the Riders secondary the last time these two teams met on July 31st. Bruce tied a CFL record with 16 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He will no doubt get some extra attention from the Roughriders defence but that may not stop Bruce, the CFL’s leading receiver in 2010. Kevin Glenn will be looking towards one of his most reliable targets in this game.
Stevie Baggs / DE / Hamilton
Baggs will make his first appearance in a Tiger-Cats uniform against his former team on Saturday night. Last season with Saskatchewan, Baggs led the league with 12 sacks and was named a West Division All-Star. He will certainly bolster a Ticats defence that is tied for third in the league in sacks with 29, two sacks behind league leader Calgary.
Andy Fantuz / WR / Saskatchewan
Fantuz had a big game last weekend against the Calgary Stampeders as he caught 10 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown. Fantuz provides a big target for Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant and will be difficult to limit for the Tiger-Cats secondary. Fantuz can play physically and in space so the Ticats will need to get creative, perhaps with double teams, to shut him down.
Wes Cates / RB / Saskatchewan
Cates has made a habit of finding the end zone with the Roughriders this season. He has 12 rushing touchdowns already this season and has also added one receiving touchdown. Cates is the number one option in the Roughriders offence when they get close to the goal line so look for the Tiger-Cats to try to shut him down and force Darian Durant to find other targets.
KEY MATCH-UP
Tiger-Cats Secondary vs. Roughriders Passing Game
The key match-up in tonight’s game will be the Ticats secondary against the Roughriders passing game. The Roughriders found their groove on offence last weekend against Calgary, scoring 43 points and throwing for 500 yards just one week after only scoring two points against Winnipeg. The Roughriders are ranked first in the league in passing but seem to struggle on the road much more than they do at home and it will be important for the Tiger-Cats defence to not let Durant find the rhythm that he gets when playing at Mosaic Stadium. The Roughriders are averaging just over 335 passing yards per game at home but only average 286 passing yards per game on the road. If the Tiger-Cats secondary can keep the Riders offence off the field by shutting down the passing game, the Ticats could find themselves in a great position to beat the Riders on Saturday night.
