Photo courtesy of Mijen Multimedia

For the fourth time in five seasons the VI Raiders and Langley Rams will meet in the post season this Saturday in Nanaimo.

This will be the eighth meeting in the playoffs between these two teams with, all games hosted at Caledonia Park in Nanaimo.  The Raiders lead the all-time playoff series 6-2 outscoring the Rams 268 - 99.  

They first met in 2005 when the Rams claimed a 29-14 upset win.  Their only other win was the 2012 Cullen Cup, 20-13, on route to hosting their first ever Canadian Bowl.

The Raiders have shutout the Rams twice in the playoffs, once in the 2007 semi-finals (53-0), the other in the 2011 Cullen Cup (44-0).

All-time the Raiders and Rams have played 30 times, with the Raiders winning 24 of them.  They have outscored the Rams 1095-528.

This season the Raiders swept the seasonal series outscoring the Rams 46-32, however it was the Rams offence that outdueled the Raiders totaling 782 yards compared to the Raiders 648 yards.

Both teams like to throw the ball, Liam O’Brien of the Raiders completed 27 of 47 for 463 yards and threw a pair of majors.  Both Dustin Rodriguez and Arthur Fabbro caught the touchdown strikes.

The ground game however was slowed against the big Rams front seven.  The Raiders collected 261 yards on the ground, led by O’Brien’s 20 carries for 93 yards and Nathan Berg’s 11 rushes for 90 yards.  Berg only played in one of the two games.

The big question will be, can the Raiders offence give O’Brien time to throw?  The Rams collected 15 sacks against the Raiders this year, led by Brock Gowanlock’s 5.5.  

Defensively the Rams created five turnovers in the seasonal series, but just one the last time they met, on September 26th in Week 9.

For the Rams offensively, they have also primarily used the passing attack against the Raiders this season.  They have used both Dylan Tucker and Devoun Hallums who have combined for 593 yards on 41 completions and three touchdowns.   Back in Week 9 Khalik Johnson had eight receptions for 102 yards.

As in any game, establishing the ground game is critical for both teams and this semi-final features two of the best running backs in the Conference, both with the name Nathan. The Rams Nathan Lund rushed 74 times for 621 yards and five majors, while the Raiders Berg carried 82 times for 588 yards and three touchdowns in an injury plagued season.

This semi will also feature 10 BCFC All-Stars.  The Rams have six, while all four of the Raiders are on the defensive side, including two defensive backs.

Kick-off is set for 1:00pm at Caledonia Park on Saturday.  The winner moves onto the Cullen Cup championship game next weekend.