Three Stars: Darian Durant, Tyron Carrier and Solomon Elimimian shine in Week Nine

Welcome back to our Three Stars series. Here's a look at the top offensive, defensive, special teams and Canadian players from Week Nine.

First star/offensive player of the week: Darian Durant, quarterback, Saskatchewan Roughriders: Durant and the Riders left it late against Edmonton Saturday, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to pull off a 30-27 win against the Eskimos. He didn't get many of the headlines, either: those went to teammate Kory Sheets, who had a great game of his own. Durant's play was the most crucial reason the Riders were able to improve to 7-1 for only the second time in franchise history and the first since 1970, though. He threw for 334 yards without a turnover, but it was his efficiency that was particularly astounding: he completed 24 of his 30 attempts, an impressively good 80 per cent completion rate. That's better than the all-time season record of 73.9 per cent (set by Dave Dickenson in 2005) and better than even the 78.3 per cent mark Ricky Ray has put up so far this year. When you're notching that many completions (and averaging 13.9 yards per completion the way Durant did Saturday), you're going to keep the chains moving effectively on offence. That efficiency is crucial in the three-down game, where you really don't have downs to waste, and that's why the former North Carolina Tar Heel has been a vital part of Saskatchewan's success this year. On the season, his 1,883 passing yards are only fourth-best in the league, but he has a completion percentage of 68.7 per cent, better than everyone except quarterbacks from the high-efficiency Calgary and Toronto offences. Durant also has 17 touchdowns against no interceptions. He's been a critical part of the Riders' attack.

(Honourable mentions: Fred Stamps, SB, Edmonton; Arland Bruce, WR, Montreal; Kory Sheets, RB, Saskatchewan.)

Second star/special teams player of the week: Tyron Carrier, punt returner/kick returner, Montreal Alouettes: Carrier was crucial to the Alouettes' wild comeback win over B.C. Thursday night. He piled up 196 yards on five kick returns, including a vital late 90-yard return for a touchdown, and added 78 yards on seven punt returns. That field position gave rookie quarterback Tanner Marsh and the Alouettes' offence space to work, and it meant that it was difficult for the Lions to capitalize on Marsh's turnovers when they did happen. Carrier, a second-year Houston Cougars product, is making a nice impact on the Montreal return game so far this year.

(Honourable mentions: Paul McCallum, P/K, B.C.; Chris Milo, K, Saskatchewan; Tim Brown, PR/KR, B.C.)

Third star/defensive player of the week: Solomon Elimimian, linebacker, B.C. Lions: The Lions came up short against Montreal Thursday, but Elimimian turned in an incredible performance himself. On the night, he had five tackles (second on the team), a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. The Hawaii alum has been a great addition to the Lions' linebacking corps since his return from the NFL last year.

(Honourable mentions: Cordarro Law, DE, Calgary; Tyron Brackenridge, LB, Saskatchewan; Robert McCune, LB, Toronto.)

Bonus star/Canadian player of the week: Paul McCallum, kicker, B.C. Lions: McCallum proved that he's still able to handle all of the Lions' kicking duties quite well with his showing Thursday, hitting all five of his field goal attempts and all three of his extra points for a total of 18 points against the Alouettes (almost half of B.C.'s scoring!). He also did well on punts, averaging 40.8 yards per punt on nine attempts. It's been a long and strange road for McCallum, who starred in junior football with the Surrey Rams, went to Scotland to play soccer, came back and had numerous short CFL stints (including one in B.C., where he couldn't edge out legendary veteran Lui Passaglia), went to Scotland to play in the World League of American Football, and then came back to the CFL with the Roughriders (interrupted by an XFL stint) and then the Lions. He's still kicking and kicking well at 43, and he's looking pretty effective so far this year.

(Honourable mentions: Henoc Muamba, LB, Winnipeg; Chris Milo, K, Saskatchewan; Shawn Gore, SB, B.C.)