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CFL West Report: Roughriders cream of the early crop

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07/14/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just two weeks into this young CFL season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are already living up to their billing as the best of the west. After a brilliant offensive performance in a 54-51 double- overtime win over the Montreal Alouettes, the Riders proved they can step up defensively, spoiling the Lions' home opener at their "new" field. Sure, Calgary kept pace with a win of its own to go 2-0, but Riderville has to be pretty pleased with the way their team is looking. On to the breakdown:

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

It was supposed to be all about the BC Lions and the first game at their temporary new field. Instead, the Roughriders came in and spoiled the homecoming party with an impressive 37-18 showing.

The name of the Lions' 2010 home, Empire Field, has a great ring to it, but unfortunately the moniker best describes the Saskatchewan defense for now. BC had trouble marching down the field against a dominating defensive line and secondary.

Saskatchewan allowed just 89 total rushing yards in the game, unsurprising after giving up similar numbers in its first game.

What truly made the Riders' night so special was their ability to force fumbles, limit BC's scoring opportunities, and of course get to the quarterback. Lions starter Casey Printers was forced out of the game thanks to a tackle by defensive standout Brent Hawkins.

Printer's replacement, Travis Lulay, clearly felt the pressure with two fumbles.

Darian Durant went 18-for-29 and 252 yards in the game. Solid numbers to be sure, but made more impressive by his ability to share the wealth amongst his receivers.

Durant looked like a surgeon practicing his craft, dissecting the Lions' pass defense by utilizing all his tools. Four different receivers recorded more than 50 yards.

Key offensive performer: Darian Durant. In addition to a touchdown pass, Durant ran one in the end zone for yet another great performance.

Key defensive/special teams performer: Brent Hawkins. Forget Durant, Wes Cates, and the stellar receiving corps. The best Rider player of the night was Hawkins, who had two sacks, one of which knocked Printers out of the game. He also forced a fumble and ran one in for a 47-yard TD.

Next Game: Edmonton Eskimos (0-2). A home game against a struggling Eskimos side. Put your money on the Green Nation, because the Riders appear just too powerful at this stage.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Saskatchewan may be grabbing all the attention out west, but the Stamps showed their resiliency in a tight 23-22 win over Hamilton.

With 10 seconds to go, down 22-20, it was a rookie that stole the show from veteran teammates Henry Burris and Joffrey Reynolds, while turning the page on the era of the CFL's most accurate field goal kicker Sandro DeAngelis.

Rob Maver, a 2010 draft pick who replaced DeAngelis after he signed with the Ti-Cats in the off-season, kicked a 23-yard winning field goal to steal one for his squad.

The 24-year-old helped overshadow a rather sloppy night from Burris. The Stamps quarterback did throw two touchdowns to go along with 257 yards, but also fumbled the ball and gave up an interception that was returned for 52 yards.

Key offensive performer: Nik Lewis. In a game where there were few real standouts on offense, credit has to go to the player who made the fewest mistakes. Lewis caught for 68 yards and a touchdown that gave the Stamps a 20-19 lead late in the third quarter.

Key defensive/special teams performer: Maver. Lots of options for this one: Deon Murphy with a 105 yard missed field goal return, or maybe Tom Johnson with five tackles and a forced fumble. But Maver's 3-for-3 night, capped off by a dying-seconds field goal was the difference in a game determined by special teams.

Next game: Toronto Argonauts (1-1). Calgary's light schedule would seem to continue with a trip to Toronto for a rematch of week one, though the Stamps shouldn't sleep on the Argos, who are coming off an unlikely win in week 2. If the Stamps can clean up some mistakes from their match against the Ti-Cats, expect another Calgary win.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

The most disappointing team in the west is Edmonton, which is now 0-2 after an unsurprising 33-23 loss to Montreal.

What did come as a surprise was how close Edmonton came to actually defeating the defending champs.

Leading 23-18 after three quarters, Ricky Ray did his best to deliver Christmas early to Montreal with two costly interceptions in the final frame.

The Als, thankful for the gifts, turned both into touchdowns to ultimately spoil what was a decent defensive performance by Edmonton.

Edmonton had some big stars on offense. Ray threw for 340 yards and a touchdown pass, while Arkee Whitlock continued to shine, narrowly missing the century mark with 99 rushing yards. Receivers Kelly Campbell and Fred Stamps caught for 170 and 119 yards, respectively, to do their part.

Yet these numbers don't tell the whole story. Specifically, Edmonton's inability to get the ball into the end zone.

The Esks had to settle for five field goals as the Montreal defense kicked in at the most important times.

Best offensive performer: Fred Stamps. Yes, Stamps caught the lone TD for Edmonton, but Campbell was the most dynamic receiver and was magic whenever the ball came close to him.

Best defensive/special teams performer: Derek Schiavone. The kicker, replacing the injured Noel Prefontaine, scored 17 of Edmonton's 23 points including five field goals in six attempts.

Next Game: Saskatchewan (2-0). Poor Edmonton. As if the Alouettes weren't tough enough, the Eskimos now have to travel to the harshest environment in the CFL, Mosaic Stadium. Avoiding a fourth quarter meltdown would surely help, but it's going to take a more balanced offense to squeeze out a first win. If Edmonton can draw confidence from anything, it's that they managed to win twice in Regina last season.

BC LIONS

When Casey Printers went down late in the first half, you just had a feeling Saskatchewan would ride that momentum to a decisive victory. The Riders certainly did, and the Lions were left feeling snake-bitten in a case of pure bad luck.

Travis Lulay did his best to pick up where Printers left off, getting a touchdown and nearly 200 yards in just two quarters of play. But he had trouble holding onto the ball, giving up two fumbles.

While the offense sputtered, BC's defense drowned in a sea of green as Saskatchewan took advantage of some poor discipline from the Lions.

BC was called for 16 penalties that resulted in 116 yards for the Roughriders, a bonus for a Saskatchewan team that doesn't need help with their offense.

Best offensive performer: Geroy Simon. Caught for 169 yards and both of BC's touchdowns. He had two long TD's from two different quarterbacks - 98 and 92 yards, respectively - proving that no matter who's throwing it to him, he's going to make the big play to help spark his team.

Best defensive/special teams performer: Korey Banks. The defensive back had the biggest game against the ball for the Lions, dishing out seven tackles and forcing a fumble.

Next Game: Montreal (1-1). BC generally does well when hosting the Alouettes, but how does playing at Empire Field affect the home advantage? The Lions have the weapons to continue history as Montreal has shown some weaknesses from a pass defense point of view this season. If Printers can return from injury and play to his full capabilities, a win is not out of the question.