Three Stars: Dexter McCoil, Joe West and Tim Brown shine in Week Nine

Moving on with our Three Stars series, here's a look at the top performances in Week Nine.

First star/defensive player of the week: Dexter McCoil, linebacker, Edmonton Eskimos: Remarkably, the two touchdowns McCoil scored in Saturday's win over Toronto were the highest total from any non-quarterback. In fact, only one quarterback matched that total; that would be the Argonauts' Ricky Ray, and Ray got the worst of that exchange, with McCoil picking him off twice personally (with one return for a touchdown) and then returning an Odell Willis interception-and-lateral for another touchdown. It says something about the state of offence this year when a defensive player delivered the best offensive showing.

There were a ton of great individual defensive showings this week, including Winnipeg DB Maurice Leggett's three picks, Willis' two sacks, a pick and a lateral, and B.C. LB Solomon Elimimian's 11 tackles and two sacks, but McCoil's scoring production helped separate him from the herd. He had a terrific game overall, too, recording five tackles and the aforementioned two picks and proving a crucial part of the Edmonton defence that held Ray in check. The CFL rookie out of Tulsa has been having a great year, recording 25 tackles, four picks and a sack to date and turning into an important piece of Chris Jones' outstanding defence.

(Honourable mentions: Maurice Leggett, DB, Winnipeg; Odell Willis, DE, Edmonton; Solomon Elimimian, LB, B.C.)

Second star/offensive player of the week: Joe West, wide receiver, Calgary Stampeders: West certainly provided the most notable story of the weekend, playing Sunday against Ottawa shortly after learning his brother was shot to death. He also provided the best offensive showing of the week; West's 129 yards (on four catches) were a higher total than anyone achieved rushing or receiving this week, and they even topped the passing yards recorded by 12 out of the 18 quarterbacks who saw action this week (including three starters). In an atrocious week for offence across the board, UTEP product West still managed to find a way to shine.

(Honourable mentions: Will Ford, RB, Saskatchewan; Kendial Lawrence, RB, Edmonton; Nic Grigsby, RB, Winnipeg.)

Third star/special teams player of the week: Tim Brown, PR/KR, B.C. Lions: The Lions came up short on guarantee night against Saskatchewan Sunday, but Brown did his best in a losing effort. His 75-yard punt return for a touchdown early on was one of B.C.'s brightest moments. On the night, the Temple product had seven punt returns for 138 yards and the touchdown, and he added four kickoff returns for 139 yards. That's a terrific showing from a guy who wasn't even expected to be in the lineup initially thanks to the team's ratio issues. The Lions took a gamble by keeping Brown in just as a returner, and he rewarded them richly Sunday.

(Honourable mentions: Swayze Waters, P/K, Toronto; Chris Milo, K, Saskatchewan; Grant Shaw, P/K, Edmonton.)

Bonus star/Canadian player of the week: Chris Getzlaf, slotback, Saskatchewan Roughriders: The Riders' passing offence produced just 190 yards in Sunday's win over B.C., but Getzlaf had over a third of them, catching five balls for a team-high 78 yards. The Regina alum made clutch grab after clutch grab and helped Saskatchewan eke out a narrow win. Since recovering from an early-season injury, Getzlaf has 19 catches for 270 yards, and he's been crucial to the Riders' winning streak, which has now reached five straight games.

(Honourable mentions: Jon Cornish, RB, Calgary; Chris Milo, K, Saskatchewan, Grant Shaw, P/K, Edmonton.)

Thanks for reading! You can submit nominations for the Three Stars feature to me during the week's games via Twitter or e-mail. Check back at 55-Yard Line after the week's games for the results.