Elements play key roles in West and East semis, with ground game mattering in both

Heading into Sunday, there was a strong possibility the weather would play a role in the East and West divisional semifinals, and that proved to be the case. In Guelph, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' crazy 19-16 overtime win over the Montreal Alouettes had plenty of bizarre moments thanks to winds of up to 40 kilometres per hour that altered punts from 60-plus yards with the wind to barely 20 yards into it. The winds also affected the passing game, with Hamilton's Henry Burris in particular often struggling to find his receivers early on, and the conditions stifled offence (and field goals) early on, which is why Montreal led just 2-0 at the half. The weather came into play in the late game in Regina as well, with temperatures of negative 20 degrees once wind chill was factored in likely playing substantial roles in the numerous drops we saw en route to the Saskatchewan Roughriders' 29-25 triumph over the B.C. Lions. In both games, there was a renewed emphasis on the run thanks to the conditions, and the ground game proved crucial to both eventual victors' success.

The clash in Guelph wasn't a great overall day for offence of any sort, but the rushing offences definitely proved more potent than the passing games. Montreal's Tyrell Sutton had a remarkable day, collecting 142 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries (6.8 yards per carry) and adding 24 receiving yards on four catches, while Hamilton quarterback Dan LeFevour proved an excellent substitute for Burris periodically, collecting a team-high 61 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. (That's a reasonably low average of 3.4 yards per carry, but keep in mind that it includes several quarterback sneaks on second-and-inches or third-and-inches; LeFevour converted a few crucial ones there in the overtime session in particular). The Tiger-Cats couldn't establish a traditional ground game, with C.J. Gable losing six yards on his two carries, but he made up for it with the play of the game, a shoestring catch off a short pass followed by a spin move and a touchdown. The wind was a key factor throughout, with offences often struggling heading into it (and punts in particular going awry), but the Tiger-Cats did enough against the wind in the fourth quarter to take the lead late and force Montreal into a field goal just to get to overtime. In overtime, the run again came into play, with LeFevour picking up several crucial first downs and the eventual game-sealing touchdown.

In Regina, it was a similar story, but thanks to cold, not wind. The B.C. Lions dominated much of the first three quarters, leading 25-16 going into the final frame, and that was largely thanks to the play of rushing tandem Stefan Logan and Andrew Harris. Harris collected 93 yards on just 10 carries (and added 21 yards on two catches), while Logan had 53 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Quarterback Travis Lulay got into the act, too, rushing five times for 60 yards. Meanwhile, the Riders' Kory Sheets wasn't as spectacular as usual, requiring 17 carries to get 68 yards (four yards per carry), but he made big runs down the stretch in the fourth, and quarterback Darian Durant's legs proved vital, as he collected 97 rushing yards on just six carries. There were still big passing plays in this one (Lulay threw for 208 yards with a 76.9 per cent completion rate, while Durant threw for 270 with an 82.6 per cent success rate), but they were largely set up by the ground game, and a few big drops likely from the cold probably helped give the teams reservations about taking to the air.

Overall, the impact of the weather helped made these games close and memorable, and that's not a bad thing. It's been a while since we've had a lot of weather impacts in the playoffs (last year saw a cold West Final in Calgary, but every other playoff game took place indoors), and while the early game in particular wasn't always pretty, it was certainly unique. The intense wind made it a battle of field position, and the offences finally figured things out down the stretch, again largely thanks to the run. Similarly in the West, the cold definitely altered the game, but it didn't make it worse; this was still a great display of offensive execution, especially on the ground. There may be more weather ahead, too; the East final will be played inside in Toronto next Sunday, but the West one's set for chilly Calgary, and Regina gets to shine again in two weeks for the Grey Cup. Better get the toques and parkas out of the closets now, CFL fans...