The B.C. Lions are back in black Friday against Kory Sheets and the Riders

When the B.C. Lions secretly introduced their eye-catching "gunmetal grey" uniforms with matte-black helmets in August, the question was how often the team would use them. Despite the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the uniforms from fans and media, the Lions haven't worn them since that Aug. 17 debut game. They promised they'd bring them back for big games, though, and Friday night's home tilt against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3) certainly qualifies. With a win in this one, 9-4 B.C. would move two games clear of Saskatchewan in the race to host a playoff game and clinch the season series between the teams (an important tiebreaker). A win would also let the Lions tie 10-3 Calgary for first at least momentarily (the Stampeders host the basement-dwelling Blue Bombers Saturday night, so that tie may not last long). The Riders are desperate to end their four-game losing streak, though, and they'll have star tailback Kory Sheets back. If they can come out on top here, they'll pull even with B.C. for second place in the West and tie up the season series between the teams. It's a massive and critical meeting between the teams, so the Lions' plan to bring out the big-game duds seems only appropriate.

Friday's game will feature more than just a clash of fashion styles, though. Perhaps the most interesting battle will be the B.C. defence against the Saskatchewan offence. The Riders have put up more net yards of offence per game (385.0) than anyone this season, but the Lions' defence has allowed less yards than anyone (308.7). Despite that impressive on-the-year showing, though, the Saskatchewan offence has looked awfully weak for the last few weeks, and a large part of that has come from their inability to run the ball without Sheets. With him in the lineup, the Riders are excellent at pounding the ball on the ground to clear the way for the pass. Without him, though, they haven't been able to replace that rushing production, and that's led to a pass-wacky offence that's tried to put too much on the shoulders of quarterback Darian Durant. With Sheets back, the Riders may be able to regain their offensive balance.

However, the Lions' defence may have something to say about that. They've been very effective against the run this year, surrendering just 83.9 rushing yards per game, a league-low number. They're strong against the pass, too, allowing just 247.7 passing yards per game and notching 17 interceptions. Saskatchewan's offence has plenty of interesting weapons, including Sheets, Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf, Taj Smith, Rob Bagg and all-time CFL leading receiver Geroy Simon, who will be making his first return to B.C. in a Riders' uniform Friday night (and will be welcomed with a special video presentation about his years with the Lions). Most of those weapons didn't look all that great in last week's 17-12 loss to Montreal, though. We'll see if things change Friday. On the bright side, the Riders have Sheets back, but on the downside, they're facing perhaps the league's best defence. It should be a high-octane clash, and one thoroughly deserving of the "big-game" uniforms.