STREAMING CFL PPV: Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Toronto Argonauts, July 16, 20:00 CET (8 pm, 2 pm ET)

CFL | American Football | 07/16/2022

Graphic: Igor Lazarevic

The stage is set for Saturday’s Touchdown Atlantic matchup between the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Acadia University’s Raymond Field in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Saturday’s action between the Argos and Riders will mark the first time in CFL history that a regular season game will kick off in the province of Nova Scotia.

Saskatchewan has won two games in a row, including a 41-20 victory over Ottawa in Week 5, and will be their fourth straight game against an East Division opponent.

Toronto had a bye in Week 5 after suffering a heartbreaking 23-22 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 4.

Riders head coach Craig Dickenson has been adamant on the run game being a key to the teams success this season. Their Week 5 win over Ottawa served as a perfect example, as to why coach Dickenson has leaned on the ground game.

Running backs Frankie Hickson and Jamal Morrow carried the ball a total of 21 times for 170 yards. Hickson rushed for 92 yards on five carries, and his 63-yard run in the second quarter resulted in his first career CFL touchdown.

Morrow saw took the majority of the team’s carries, rushing 16 times for 78 yards, he also caught all six of his passing targets for 67 yards in the contest.

Hickson realizes the importance of his role within the team’s offence and expects himself and Morrow to continue to improve each week.

“He’s Mario and I’m Luigi,” Hickson told riderville.com. “Morrow is a great teammate and an even better partner in crime. Right now it’s all about Toronto.”

For Morrow it comes down to executing on each and every play.

“We’re just taking it one play at a time,” Morrow told riderville.com. “When we get our number called it’s time to take advantage of those opportunities. We just want the ball and when we get it in our hands we want to be as explosive as we can be with it.”

The two should be given the ball consistently against a Toronto defence that has allowed an average of 93.3 rushing yards a game.

If the options aren’t readily available on the ground, the Riders will have no problem letting quarterback Cody Fajardo take over the game. Fajardo is coming off a 231 yard, two touchdown performance against the REDBLACKS.

The Saskatchewan pivot found receiver D’haquille Williams four times for 76 yards and a touchdown, Morrow six times for 67 yards, and Kian Schaffer-Baker three times for 48 yards and a touchdown in the Week 5 win.

If there’s an area of weakness, it’s the Riders ability to protect Fajardo, as they have surrendered a league leading 19 sacks.

Toronto has struggled against the passing game as well, allowing 311.7 yards per game through the air. With an advantageous two-headed run game and the strong right arm of Fajardo, the Riders should have plenty of options come Saturday.

ON the defensive side of the ball Saskatchewan’s allows an average of 58 rushing yards per game, the best in the CFL. That’s largely due to the play of the defensive line and their impressive group of linebackers.

Defensive linemen A.C. Leonard and Keion Adams had a sack in last week’s win and Saskatchewan leads the league with 23 sacks.

When it comes to defending the pass, the Riders are averaging 270.8 passing yards against per game, and tie Winnipeg for with a league-leading right interceptions. Playmakers in defensive back Nick Marshall and linebacker Larry Dean each record an interception against Ottawa.

It’s not all good news on defence, according to the team’s injury report the Riders will be without defensive end Pete Robertson. who has been a force all year long, leading the league with seven sacks to start the season.

The Argonauts and their fans are hoping to see the team that came out in the second half against Winnipeg and outscored the Blue Bombers 19-6.

Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 17 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns in the defeat. But his two interceptions, including a pick-six on the opening drive of the game, proved too much to overcome.

The offensive line will need to insulate Bethel-Thompson against a Riders team that has become known for their defensive prowess.

Offensive lineman Isiah Cage returns to the lineup, and head coach Ryan Dinwiddie is hoping he can provide an edge for the Argos offensive line ahead of Saturday’s game.

“Isiah brings consistency,” Dinwiddie told argonauts.ca. “He’s got a little nasty to him, you could see he had a little edge to him at practice. Hopefully he can bring a little edge to us on Saturday. They dress a lot of defensive linemen and they rotate them, so we need to do a better job protecting and we know that.”

It was the usual targets for Bethel-Thomspon against the Bombers, as he connected with receivers Brandon Banks for 95 yards and a touchdown, while receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. caught five passes for 67 yards.

If the Argos hope to come out on top, they’ll need their best offensive players to be at their best.

Cameron Phillips proved to be another valuable target in Week 4, catching five passes for 57 yards. Include receiver Markeith Ambles, and Bethel-Thompson has plenty of playmakers at his disposal.

Running back Andrew Harris took the ball 22 times and rushed for 111 yards against his former team. He now has 225 yards on the season, enough for fourth most in the league.

The Boatmen defence held the defending champions to two fourth quarter field goals in the second half the last time out.
Robert Priester had a sack and Jamal Peters picked off a pass. The Double Blue defence will need to build on that second half performance and come ready for a multi-faceted offence attack from the Riders.

History is on the horizon as both the Riders and Argos look to become the first team to win a CFL regular season game in Nova Scotia.

AFI, Visaic and the CFL

American Football International is collaborating with Visaic and the Canadian Football League to present 2022 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the topflight TSN network television broadcast.

Watch the game live here PPV. Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Toronto Argonauts, July 16, 20:00 CET (8 pm, 2 pm ET)

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