Head 2 Head: The Running Backs

Bursting onto the scene this season, rookie running  back Chevon Walker has taken advantage of his opportunity to show his abilities, after incumbent Ticats RB Avon Colborne went down to injury.  Walker has not disappointed, taking the league by storm with his series of long runs.

At 5 foot 10, Walker is not exactly the most physically daunting player; but what he lacks in size he makes up for in pure speed.

Through two weeks of the CFL season, Walker sits number two in rushing yards with 169 and one TD.  Where Walker’s numbers truly pop off the page is that he’s done all this on only 18 carries; giving Walker an average of 9.4 yards per carry, good for top spot in the league.

Walker has also proven to be a dangerous weapon for QB Henry Burris through the air, as he has totaled 153 yards on 8 receptions.  Those catches were highlighted by a 95-yard screen pass TD against the Lions in week 2 which the CFL nominated as #2 in the top 10 plays of the week.

The Boatmen however, have been especially strong against the run this season allowing only an average of 62.5 yards per game on the ground.  Containing the big play threat that Walker provides the Ticats will be instrumental in getting the win on the road in Ivor Wynne.  

Coming off a game in week one that had the Toronto media talking about his lack of involvement in the offence, Cory Boyd put those critics to bed with his performance on Saturday versus the Stamps.  Boyd went off for 101 yards on 20 carries with 1 touchdown.  He also added one reception for 7 yards in the passing game.

The Argos went to Boyd multiple times throughout the game and it helped establish a great tempo for the offence.  With the Stamps defence forced to respect the Argo running game, the pass game opened up and Ray and company went to work.

This week, Boyd enters the game at number three in the league in total rush yards with 149.  That breaks down to 5.3 yards per carry with 27-yards as his longest run of the season.

With Ricky Ray in town, Boyd has also been thrust into the passing game as his 11 total receptions through two games is already half way to his total from last season of 22.  His career highs in the receiving game are 38 catches for 363 yards and with Ray under centre it’s possible that Boyd will surpass those numbers by season’s end.

Boyd has had success against the Ticats in the past as last season in week 18 he went for 105 yards on 18 carries, adding a touchdown.

In the first two weeks of the season, the TiCats run defence has allowed an average of 164-yards against on the ground, so Boyd should be involved early and often once again come Saturday at Ivor Wynne.