Stage set for clash with Stamps
Running back’s breakout performance, sack happy defence scuttle Boatmen
The Edmonton Eskimos bounced back from a disappointing 20-10 loss to the Montreal Alouettes by returning home for the first time in a month to whip the winless Toronto Argonauts. And they did it in front of the biggest crowd Commonwealth Stadium has seen all year, with an announced attendance of 30,368.
Coming into the game, the Eskimos had lost two of their last three, but came out on top with a dominating defensive performance to defeat the basement-dwelling Argos 26-0.
With the win, the Eskimos improved to the same 4-2 record the rival Calgary Stampeders sport after a come-from-behind win over the Ottawa Redblacks in Thursday’s early game.
That sets up the first round of the Battle of Alberta as a second-place showdown Saturday at Mcmahon Stadium. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves with the first pre-labour Day tilt between Alberta’s Canadian Football League teams in five years, here’s what we learned in Thursday’s game:
1.
COREY CHAMBLIN MUST HATE COMING TO EDMONTON
Where, oh, where to start on the Argos’ woes? How about right up top with head coach Corey Chamblin, who is 0-for-his-last-15, dating back to when he was head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2015? Or how, back then, he was also on the receiving end of an Eskimos shutout when his Riders put a goose egg on the scoreboard at Commonwealth Stadium on Sept. 26, 2014, when they were beaten 24-0? Then again, the Argos probably hate travelling to any CFL city right now, considering they’re on a 13-game road skid, including all nine of last season’s away games.
2.
PENALTY PROGRESS
The football gods must have been smiling down on Eskimos cornerback Josh Johnson and safety Jordan Hoover. Both defensive backs had an interception taken away by a penalty on teammates last weekend in Montreal. And both turned right around and came up with two of Edmonton’s three picks against Argos quarterbacks on Thursday.
Defensive half Money Hunter snagged the other, as the Eskimos committed nine penalties for the second week in a row. They surrendered 85 yards on flags, compared to just 63 yards on seven infractions by Toronto.
Unfortunately, those same gods decided not to redeem Eskimos receiver Kenny Stafford, who for the second time in as many weeks, had a touchdown taken off the board by a penalty.
3.
BOUNCE BACK
The Eskimos spent the last four weeks losing a game where they were held out of the end zone, only to bounce back with a victory against an opponent they then kept out of the end zone, and then repeating the process over again. Wild stuff, to be sure.
After a 2-0 start to the 2019 schedule, the Eskimos lost their first game of the season 28-21 to a Winnipeg Blue Bombers squad that surrendered seven field goals.
Edmonton followed up with a 33-6 win over a B.C. Lions club that scored just two field goals.
The Eskimos then fell in Montreal, where three field goals and a missed single accounted for all of their points, only to completely shut the Argos off the scoreboard on Saturday.
Talk about bounce-back performances. Now if they can only avoid starting out on the receiving end of the trend …
4.
SHAQ ATTACK
It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was effective. Second-year Eskimos running back Shaq Cooper played his first game of the season, starting in place of the injured C.J. Gable.
It didn’t begin well, with Cooper fumbling the ball away on Toronto’s two-yard line on Edmonton’s opening possession. Then, in the second quarter, he was on the receiving end of a backward pass from Trevor Harris where the quarterback was charged with a fumble after the ball bounced incomplete and was scooped up by Argos defensive tackle and Holy Trinity Catholic high school product Cleyon Laing.
None of it stopped Cooper from coming up with a career high 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
5.
SACK ATTACK
The Eskimos won Saturday’s sack battle 4-0, adding to what was a league-leading 19 sacks on the season coming in.
On the flip side, Edmonton’s pass protection has gone five of six games without surrendering a sack, and has allowed a grand total of one sack on the season so far.
Kwaku Boateng led the way, bagging two quarterback takedowns Saturday to move into a tie for the team lead with Mike Moore at four apiece, while Nick Usher added to his sack tally to sit tied for third on the team with Almondo Sewell at three apiece.
Kendall Vickers came up with his first CFL sack Saturday.