poor punts by Washington. Kelly found Strong on a quick slan

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As part of our coverage leading up to the 102nd Grey Cup in Vancouver, TSN. .ca takes a look at four key matchups that could go a long way in determing the outcome of Sundays game. Jon Cornish vs Tiger-Cats run defence Its the leagues best running back against the leagues top run stoppers. Cornish proved just how valuable he is, leading the league in regular season rushing with 1,082 yards on the ground despite playing in just 10 games. The former Most Outstanding Player was the only running back in the league to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing and showed hes back to 100 percent - or at least close - in the Western Final, combining for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps in response to Kory Sheets huge performance in last years Grey Cup, the Ticats committed to improving against the run this season. Led by linebacker Simoni Lawrence, Hamilton led the league in almost all defensive rushing categories. They were first in fewest yards net rushing with 1,382 (an average of 76.8 yards per game, almost 20 fewer than the second place team), and gave up the fewest first downs to the run. The Ticats were rushed on less than any other team in the league but that figures to change with Cornish in the backfield and a championship on the line. Cornish was injured for both regular season meetings between the two clubs. Zach Collaros vs Stampeders secondary Making only his second career postseason start, Zach Collaros will face three division All-Stars in the Stampeders secondary. Cornerback Fred Bennett and halfbacks Jamar Wall and Brandon Smith will do their best to make Collaros second postseason start not nearly as enjoyable as his first, but numbers suggest Collaros may have the advantage heading into Sunday. The Stamps were the second most thrown on team in the league this season, partly due to the fact they didnt do much to deter opposing offences. Calgary gave up the third most passing yards (253.1 per game) and the third highest completion percentage for oppossing QBs (63.1). For his part, Collaros averaged 250 yards passing and a 65 percent completion rate in his 13 regular season games. What Collaros will have to be mindful of however, is the turnover. The Stamps secondarys strength lies in their ballhawking ability. They had the second most interceptions in the league with 20 this season. And when they do force turnovers, they make teams pay. Calgary led the league in interception return yards with 417. Stampeders pass rushers vs Tiger-Cats offensive line If there was a stat for turnover in a position group, the Ticats offensive line would likely be among the league leaders. 11 different linemen have started for the Ticats this year, including a whopping four at left tackle alone. Only Brian Simmons and Tim ONeill have started every game for Hamilton this season, but neither has stayed at the same position all year. The Ticats did gain some continuity on the line in the second half of the season, a good thing for Collaros with two of the leagues top pass rushers coming into town. Shawn Lemon was tied for second in the league in sacks with 13 and last years sack leader Charleston Hughes, would have likely hit thirteen at least if not for missing six games in the regular season. A year after compiling 18 quarterback sacks, Hughes amassed eight in just 12 regular season games played. Brandon Banks vs Rob Maver This matchup could become Brandon Banks vs the Stampeders punt coverage team, but if Maver does his job well, Banks wont be given the opportunity to take on the rest of Calgarys special teams. Theres no question Banks, winner of two Special Teams Player of the Week awards, is the top returner in the league and has game breaking ability. He showed just how big of an impact he, and the rest of Hamiltons superb special teams, can have on a game in the Eastern Final. While its unrealistic to think Banks will have a repeat performance on Grey Cup Sunday, his return skills will go a long way in helping the Ticats win the field position battle. The Stamps best strategy may be to keep the ball out of Banks hands, and with a punter like Maver they may prove very successful at it. A West Division All-Star, and the teams nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, Maver was second in the league in punting average at 45.4, second only to Torontos Swayze Waters. . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. . It was just time for him to make a big play. Nicolas Batum had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 18 points, and the Trail Blazers overcame poor-shooting nights by two of their best players in a 94-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. .C. United on Saturday night and boost the Unions playoff hopes. Nick DeLeon scored in the 36th minute for United (3-23-6), which had ample opportunities to build on its lead but went its 10th straight match without a victory.SEATTLE -- Taylor Kelly threw two touchdown passes after missing more than a month with a foot injury, the second a 7-yarder to Gary Chambers with 3 minutes left in No. 14 Arizona States 24-10 victory over Washington on a blustery Saturday night. Playing in strong swirling wind with waves of heavy rain blowing in sideways, the guys from the desert managed the difficult conditions for their ninth straight win over Washington. Arizona State (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12) remained in control of the race in the Pac-12 South and set up a huge matchup with Utah next week in Tempe. Kelly threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jaelen Strong in the first half, but was at his best on Arizona States final drive. On second-and-goal, Kelly got his pass off as he was being pulled down by Washingtons Hauoli Kikaha. Chambers made the adjustment on the throw and hauled in his only catch of the night for the go-ahead points. Armand Perry returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown with 52 seconds left when Washingtons Troy Williams attempted a desperation throw on fourth-and-25. It was the second interception throw by Williams, making his first start after Cyler Miles suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter last week against Oregon. Washington (5-3, 1-3) suffered its second straight loss to a ranked opponent. Its the first time a Chris Petersen-coached team has lost consecutive games since the end of the 2007 season when Boise State lost at Hawaii and then to East Carolina in the bowl game. Shaq Thompson moved almost exclusively to running back with injuries thinning the Huskies ball carries. The linebacker finished with 98 yards rushing on 21 carries. Kelly was 14 of 25 for 180 yards. He was 3 of 3 for 36 yards and ran for another 12 on Arizona States final drive. Kelly also gave Washington a chancee when John Timu intercepted Kellys pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. . Arizona State also twice failed to come away with points in the second half after having the ball inside the Washington 10. But the good in Kellys return outweighed the mistakes. Kelly made his first appearance since suffering a foot injury on Sept. 13 against Colorado. Mike Bercovici filled in more than admirably with Kelly on the sidelines leading the Sun Devils to back-to-back wins over ranked opponents -- USC and Stanford -- for the first time since 1997. Kelly and the Sun Devils scored all 10 points in the first half taking advantage of poor punts by Washington. Kelly found Strong on a quick slant for the touchdown after the receiver beat Washington cornerback Marcus Peters off the line of scrimmage midway through the second quarter for a 7-0 lead. Zane Gonzalez guided through a 33-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead at halftime. But Arizona State could not extend the lead despite two huge opportunities. Early in the third quarter Williams was sacked by Viliami Moeakiola and fumbled with Demetrius Cherry picking up the loose ball and returning it to the Washington 1. But the Sun Devils were stuffed on four tries from the 1 and Washington took over Then after Timus interception return pulled Washington within 10-7, Williams was intercepted on a third down pass by Jordan Simone. The Sun Devils failed to capitalize again when Bercovici bobbled a high snap on Gonzalez 27-yard field goal attempt. The Huskies then put together their best drive of the night running on 13 of 14 plays, but Thompson was stopped for a loss of 4 yards on third-and-goal at the 2. The Huskies settled for Cameron Van Winkles 23-yard field goal and a 10-10 tie with 7:14 left. ' ' '

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