CFL: Young stars fuel excitement on the road to the 100th Grey Cup

Toronto Argonaut Chad Owens, Hamilton Tiger-Cat Chris Williams and Edmonton Eskimo J.C. Sherritt are all on pace to obliterate marks set by some of the game’s legendary names.

“In a year when we are so busy celebrating our history, you can’t lose sight of the fact that the heyday of the CFL may be right now, with great players doing great things in exciting games,” said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.

“In fact, when you look at the ages of the guys who are lighting it up in the CFL, you have to conclude our future is every bit as bright as our past is proud.”

Owens is on pace to gain 4,405 combined yards – 565 more yards than the 3,840 yards that Michael “Pinball” Clemons achieved in 1997. And Owens is attempting to do something no other CFL player has ever done: lead the league in kick return yards AND receiving yards in the same year. He trails the Montreal Alouettes’ S.J. Green by only 47 yards after ten games.

Williams set the record for most kick returns for touchdowns in a CFL season with six – at the halfway mark of the year, eclipsing the record of five previously held by Henry ‘Gizmo’ Williams, Keith Stokes and Bashir Levingston. In fact, there have been 11 kick return touchdowns this year in the CFL, three more than all of last season.

And Sherritt is on pace for 155 tackles – 26 more than Argo Calvin Tiggle in 1994. Sherritt is averaging 8.6 tackles per game.

Sherritt is 24 years old, Williams is 25, and Owens is 30.

Still, you could argue that 2012 will be remembered for great finishes as much as great performers. The CFL has had 16 games decided by four points or less – that’s more than in all of last season, when we had 15. There have been three walk-off field goals for victories in the past three weeks – and only two all of last year. 68 per cent of games this year have been decided in the last three minutes – a trend that has consistently grown since 2009, when only 40 per cent came down to the final three minutes. And eight teams have come back to win after trailing after three quarters, one more than in all of 2011.

All of this excitement may be driving the CFL’s improved metrics: after ten games, average attendance (28,348) is up 1,000 fans per game from this time last year, television ratings for the CFL on TSN are up four per cent, and ratings for the key demographic of males 18-34 are up 38 per cent.

Almost lost in the glare of the spotlight trained on Owens, Williams and Sherritt, are other major CFL storylines.

A Canadian, the Calgary Stampeders’ Jon Cornish, age 27, leads the CFL in rushing with 827 yards -147 yards ahead of any other player. The last Canadian running back to lead the league in rushing was former Ottawa Rough Rider Orville Lee in 1988. He is also on pace to threaten the record for most rushing yards by a Canadian set by Norm Kwong in 1956 with 1,437 yards.

Two Canadians are bidding to become only the second Canadian to lead the CFL in yards from scrimmage: B.C. Lion Andrew Harris, 26, currently stands second and Cornish is at number 4. The only Canadian to ever achieve this feat was the great Terry Evanshen with 1662 yards in 1967.

BC Lions quarterback Travis Lulay, 28, has now thrown a touchdown pass in 21 straight games. That’s the second longest streak in league history – all-time greats Anthony Calvillo and Doug Flutie reached the same plateau, behind Canadian Football Hall of Famer Sam “The Rifle” Etcheverry, who threw touchdowns in an incredible 34 games in a row.

And the Toronto Argonauts, responding to an opportunity to host the 100th Grey Cup at home this November, could move to a record of 7-4 and grab a share of the overall lead in the CFL with a win at BC this week. They haven’t been atop the overall standings this late in the year since 1997 they were 9-2 after 11 games. A year ago, the Argos were 2-8 after ten games.

“Here’s the most exciting number of all: each team has eight games, almost half of their schedule, left to play,” Cohon said. “We’re on pace to have a season worthy of our great league in the year of the 100th Grey Cup – and worthy of the tremendous fans who make everything we do possible.”