Banjo Bowl

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This article was published 12/09/2010 (5537 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE BANJO BOWL

ROUGHRIDERS (6-3) at BLUE BOMBERS (2-7)

Free Press football writer Ed Tait breaks down the annual Banjo Bowl between the CFL’s two prairie rivals…

THE 4-1-1

KICKOFF: Noon, CT

THE BROADCAST/TELECAST: CJOB/TSN (blackout has been lifted).

THE POINT SPREAD: Roughriders by 4 points.

STREAKS: Riders – 1W; Bombers – 5L.

HOME/AWAY: Bombers are 2-2 at home; Riders are 1-3 on the road.

THE COACHES: Ken Miller is in his third season as the Riders boss and has a 28-16-1 regular-season record. Paul LaPolice is in his first year as the Bomber head coach and is 2-7.

FYI: The Bombers have lost six straight against the Riders dating back to the loss in the 2007 Grey Cup.

WORTH NOTING: The Bombers have faced the Riders more than any other team in their history and hold a 126-92-4 record against their western rivals… Winnipeg is just 41-57-1 since 2005; the Riders, by comparison, are 58-40-1 over that same span.

BANJO BOWL NUMBERS

THE MATCH-UP: This is the 7th annual Banjo Bowl match-up dating back to the inaugural game in 2004. The Riders are currently on a two-game Banjo Bowl win streak. Overall, the two teams are tied 3-3 in the Labour-Day sequel.

BIGGEST RIDER BANJO BOWL VICTORY: Saskatchewan 55 Winnipeg 10, Sept. 13th, 2009.

BIGGEST BOMBER BANJO BOWL VICTORY: Winnipeg 34 Saskatchewan XX, Sept. 9th, 2007.

FIVE BURNING BOMBER QUESTIONS BEGGING FOR ANSWERS

1. Can the Bombers stop the bleeding before this gets uglier?

Winnipeg is on its longest losing streak since dropping seven straight from Aug. 6-Sept. 18, 1999. That was during Year 1 of the Dave Ritchie-Brendan Taman campaign as they attempted to clean up the mess of the Jeff Reinebold era. The Bombers finished 6-12 that season and out of the playoffs.

2. Some finish in the fourth?

The Bombers have now lost four games this season by a touchdown or less and pushed Calgary, Toronto and Hamilton — all teams with winning records — to the limit but couldn’t get it done when it mattered most. Winnipeg has been out-scored 86-75 in fourth quarter this year and it’s costing them in the win column.

3. Is there a go-to man in the house?

The Bombers were awful in second-down conversions on Labour Day, completing just two of 16 opportunities. There were missed throws and some sloppy execution, but the attack is crying out for somebody to become The Man on second down — much the same way Ben Cahoon in Montreal and Dave Stala in Hamilton have done with their respective clubs. Over the first six weeks Winnipeg had a 43.3 percent conversion rate on second down, but over the last three games that number has fallen to 34.4 per cent.

4. Can Jyles crank it up a notch?

The Bombers don’t just need their QB to post some decent numbers — the 14 thrown by Steven Jyles and Buck Pierce is now just three shy of what last year’s pivots could muster — but they do need Jyles to step up to chase the most-important stat of all: a ‘W.’ In spot starts this year Jyles has rushed for 282 yards, good for 11th overall, and the Bombers need him to see the field better, be more efficient in delivering the long ball and protect the pigskin. A lot to ask? Not if he’s going to progress from someone who is forever seen as a No. 2 to a guy counted on week to week.

5. Protect thy house?

The Bombers are 2-2 at home, but need to re-establish Canad Inns Stadium as a difficult road trip for their CFL rivals. Over the last two and a half years the Bombers are just 11-11 at home, a far cry from the days when teams used to dread coming in here for fear of the wind and cold. Oh, yeah, and of the games in the fall, too.

KEY MATCHUP

THE COMBATANTS: Bomber defensive halfback Jovon Johnson vs. Rider slotback Weston Dressler.

THE STORYLINE: The Bomber coaching stafff opted to move Johnson, the veteran corner, inside last week both because Deon Beasley felt more comfortable inside and also in an effort to get their best cover man lined up against the Riders’ most-dangerous receiving threat. The result? Dressler finished the day with five catches for 77 yards, but Johnson also battled and used his speed to close on one of the CFL’s deadliest pass-catchers.

Johnson says: “I welcome the match-up, any time, any day, whether it’s (Andy) Fantuz or Dressler lining up against me I’m the type of player who wants to compete and challenge them to be the best they can be. On the inside you need to have a lot of communication with the corner, there’s more field to work with and you’ve got to come over a lot and play on the strong side and be able to be versatile because they motion and scheme guys. I love it.”

WHO HAS THE EDGE?

OFFENCE

QUARTERBACK

The understudy vs. the teacher, Jyles vs. Durant. The Rider QB may not have the sexiest numbers, but that fourth-quarter drive in the win over the Bombers last week says it all.

Edge: Riders

RUNNING BACK

The Riders’ Cates leads the CFL with 11 scores; Reid needs more touches to take advantage of a gaudy 6.2-yards per carry average.

Edge: even

RECEIVER

Even with Adarius Bowman bouncing back with a solid afternoon last week to compliment Terrence Edwards, the Riders are just way too deep at this position.

Edge: Riders

OFFENSIVE LINE

Getting Andre Douglas back to left tackle and moving Brendon LaBatte to his usual spot at left guard solidifies this unit for Winnipeg.

Edge: Bombers.

DEFENCE

DEFENSIVE LINE

We rated this as even a week ago, but the pressure off the edge by Odell Willis and Phillip Hunt has us reassessing things.

Edge: Bombers

LINEBACKERS

Still too many questions here for the Bombers. And Barrin Simpson was exceptional a week ago.

Edge: Riders

SECONDARY

More changes for the Bombers in a very unsettled position. There may be speed, but the chemistry is iffy.

Edge: Riders

SPECIAL TEAMS

KICKING

Luca Congi has hit 83.3 per cent of his field goals and Eddie Johnson has huge hang time. But Mike Renaud is a superb directional punter and Justin Palardy — four of five in two games — has been a good pick-up for the Bombers.

Edge: even

RETURN GAME

Jovon Johnson is arguably the CFL’s best punt returner; Bombers do need a spark in the kickoff return department. Riders waiting for Dominique Dorsey to find his game again.

Edge: Bombers

KICK-COVER UNITS

The Rider coaching staff was marvelling prior to the Labour Day game about the Bombers’ collective speed on these teams. But Saskatchewan is solid here, too.

Edge: Even

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca