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November 13, 2018

Standing Our Ground

Alex Singleton (49) of the Calgary Stampeders during the game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, AB on Thursday, August 25, 2018. (Photo: Johany Jutras / CFL)

There seems to be a prevailing Harry Potter-ish He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (shhhhh, the secret’s been out a while: It’s actually Lord Voldemort) vibe to Andrew Harris these days at McMahon Stadium.

“We’ve just got to focus on our keys, stand our ground and get after the running back,’’ maintained Calgary Stampeders’ defensive line coach Corey Mace, when asked about his Sunday plans to muzzle the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ prolific tailback.

“No matter who it is.”

Yes, but if that ‘who’ happens to be, you know, Andrew Harris …?

A placid smile by way of reply.

“We’ve just,’’ Mace responded, “got to be on our —-. In playoff football, the running game is super important, regardless of the weather, regardless of the opponent, regardless of whether you’re home or on the road.

“That’s the reason we’re putting a heavy emphasis on ourselves in the D-line room this week, on being ready to play Sunday from the get-go.”

Yes, yes, totally understandable, but considering we’re talking here about the CFL’s back-to-back rushing king as the guy looking to break through to the second level …

Another placid smile.

“Our guys,’’ Mace responded, “are locked in and ready to friggin’ rock, baby.

“I can promise you that.”

The Stamps reconvened Tuesday in the gathering November darkness, 5 p.m., for a casual workout to begin preparations for Sunday’s West finale versus the Bombers.

You think Bombers, and it’s Andrew Harris who immediately pops to mind.

In a split of the two-game Calgary-Winnipeg seasonal series, Harris toted the rock for only 99 of his table-topping 1,390 yards. No surprise that in the Stamps’ 39-26 conquest Aug. 25 at McMahon, Harris was completely muzzled, held to a pauper’s 13 yards on only seven tries, or 1.9 per carry. Or that in a 29-21 get-even late October Blue Bombers win out east at Investors Group Field, he’d amped that total up a degree or two, to 86.

“He’s obviously an important player,’’ said Calgary middle linebacker Alex Singleton, who might be thinking about planting a tracking device somewhere in the gear of Winnipeg’s No. 33 sometime prior to the 2:30 kick-off. “Obviously, we’re going to try and take away the run, force them to be one-dimensional, into second and long situations as often as possible.

“That’s always the game plan.

“But especially after what they did last week running the ball.”

Last week, running the ball, the Bombers marched resolutely into the teeming green cauldron of Mosaic Stadium and took out the Saskatchewan Roughriders 23-18 in the West semi-final.

The offensive catalyst that afternoon was, indisputably, Harris, slaloming and bulldozing for 153 yards and a decisive fourth-quarter touchdown plunge.

He acts as the electrical conductor for offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice’s attack. But if the Stamps are, as expected, concocting a few nothing-up-my-sleeve tricks to defuse Harris, they’re certainly not allowing the secrets to slip.

“I play him like any other running back,’’ reasoned interior D-lineman Junior Turner, one of those entrusted with gumming up the works at the Winnipeg point of attack. “The goal is to shut him down. Come out, trust what your coach says, execute the game plan, play it like any other day and everything’ll be fine.

“He’s a good back. I’m not gonna lie. He’s a great back. But I’m still going to treat him the way I do whoever it might be running the ball against us in whatever week.

“You can’t go in with the mindset of: ‘Oh, he can do this. Oh, he can do that.’ That does you no good. Just go out, be who we are as a defence, get to the ball and be physical.

“You can’t concern yourself about accolades and reputations and notoriety and all that other stuff. We just want to win the game; get to where we want to be.

“We’ll do what we have to.

“If that means shutting him down, so be it.

“It comes down to this: Winnipeg and Calgary, West Final, who’s gonna punch at ticket to the Grey Cup?

“That’s it. That’s all. That’s what matters. Nothing else.”