In the Canadian Football League (CFL) playoffs this weekend, two teams managed to punch their ticket into the Eastern and Western Final for next weekend:
Western Semi-Final:Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23, Saskatchewan Rough Riders 18
Andrew Harris ran for 153 yards on 19 carries, but had an important fourth quarter touchdown that really helped to lift Winnipeg over Saskatchewan to advance in the playoffs. Harris was especially strong as the game wore on, picking up 126 yards in the second half. Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols completed 16-of-22 passes for 169 yards, and threw a critical touchdown to Drew Wolitarsky.
The Blue Bombers won their first playoff game since 2011, and now will travel to Calgary to take on the Calgary Stampeders to see who moves on to the Grey Cup.
Eastern Semi-Final: Hamilton Tiger-Cats 48, British Columbia Lions 8
Clearly, this one was not much of a contest, destroying the Lions to advance to Ottawa next weekend and take on the Renegades. The Nature Boy, Ric Flair, showed up and fired up the crowd with his trademark "Woo!" Maybe that was what helped Hamilton crush the clearly over-matched Lions, who hardly lived up to their franchise name in this one.
Hamilton QB Jeremiah Masoli has been excellent all season, and showed why on Sunday. Masoli completed 14-of-19 passing for 259 yards and three touchdowns. That is why he is the East Division nominee for the CFL's outstanding player award.
The Tiger-Cats opened the game with three straight touchdown drives, the first time that any team had managed that feat in a CFL playoff game in more than three decades, en route to a 28-0 halftime lead, effectively putting the game away. Overall, Hamilton amassed 450 total yards on offense, and British Columbia simply was overwhelmed and could not do anything to slow the Tiger-Cats down.
With the win, the Tiger-Cats now will travel to Ottawa to take on the Renegades, with the winner earning the right to advance to the Grey Cup in Edmonton.
No comments:
Post a Comment