Not many are questioning Saskatchewan’s secondary as the CFL’s eastern semi-final against Ottawa approaches.
There is no reason to. The Riders had 19 interceptions in 18 regular season games in 2017; ten of them came from veteran Ed Gainey.
My focus turns to Saskatchewan’s interior as they prepare to face RedBlacks running back William Powell.
Powell had four 100 yard games in his last six contests. That included a 187 yard effort against Saskatchewan back on Sept. 29.
Saskatchewan tightened up against Powell on Oct 13, allowing him to run for just 58 yards in that game.
It’s almost a given that a CFL team will have to lean on the run game at some point during the playoffs on their way to a Grey Cup championship.
Kienan LaFrance had a 157 yard effort for Ottawa last year in the eastern final against Edmonton.
Powell is capable of giving the RedBlacks that same effort again on Sunday. A Rider win may come down to the play of Saskatchewan’s front seven.