CJ Gable has provided a boost to the Edmonton Eskimos’ running game since being acquired late in the regular season from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. His impact was felt especially last weekend in helping the Eskimos close out the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Semi-Final.

Gable could once again be a key factor for Edmonton when they take on the Calgary Stampeders Sunday in the Western Final.

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“If CJ Gable is able to get involved as much he was this past weekend (16 rushes for 107 yards and two touchdowns; four catches for 37 yards), I believe (the Eskimos) will prevail,” said CFL on TSN analyst Jock Climie.

“If you’re not getting Gable the ball it’s because you’re chasing the Calgary Stampeders. And you do not want to be chasing them. That will show that this offence is in stride and in rhythm if they can get Gable 20 touches, be it through the air or on the ground.”

CFL on TSN Matt Dunigan agreed, adding winning the battle in the trenches will be essential for the Green and Gold.

“I call them the three G’s: Get Gable Going,” Dunigan said. “You establish the line of scrimmage and big plays happen after that. Establish that line of scrimmage like they did in the last 30 minutes against Winnipeg and they have a good chance of winning the football game.”

The 30-year-old Gable, who spent the first four and a half years of his CFL career with the Ticats, was acquired by the Eskimos in early October for two players off the team’s negotiation list. In four regular season games with Edmonton, Gable rushed 72 times for 367 yards and two touchdowns. The USC product added another nine receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown through the air.

It’s been a productive run for Gable in Edmonton, but CFL on TSN analyst Milt Stegall cautioned that yards could be hard to come by against the Stampeders’ defence.

“I don’t know how many teams can march down the field against this Calgary Stampeders defence. Yeah, they lost three games late in the season, but it wasn’t because of that defence,” Stegall said, adding it would be helpful if Edmonton’s defence could gift the offence with a couple short fields on Sunday. “That defence is still top notch.”

Establishing the run game could be a key factor on the other side of the ball as well, especially given the team’s passing game down the stretch.

Mitchell threw for more than 300 yards in a game just once in his last eight regular season contests. And last year’s Most Outstanding Player had a touchdown to interception ratio of 8:6 over that span.

“They have to establish the line of scrimmage like anybody because Bo Levi Mitchell just hasn’t had the ability to push the football down the field,” Dunigan said. “So establish that run with the three different running backs, Roy Finch, Terry Williams, and Jerome Messam.”

Messam had his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season for the Stamps, finishing third in the league with 1,016 yards on 215 carries. The 32-year-old also had nine rushing touchdowns and added 183 yards through the air in the regular season.

Williams, a rookie, and Finch, a third-year pro, were both impressive in spot duty in the Stamps’ offence this season. Williams had 187 yards and three touchdowns on just 21 carries through five games with one start this season, while Finch had 114 yards on 21 carries through 13 games seeing action on offence.

Finch’s bigger impact is made on special teams. The 26-year-old had 1,200 yards and three scores returning punts this season, and another 696 yards returning kicks.

He’s always a threat to influence a game in a number of ways, and Stegall said a big game overall by Finch would be a major plus for the Stampeders Sunday.

“(The Stamps will win if) Finch has 350 total yards,” Stegall said. “And that’s not just special teams. That means they’re getting him involved in that offence. That offence has been struggling. Give him some offence, let him return some punts and kicks, he can do it. I think if they do that, they win this game.”

In a game featuring two of the league’s preeminent names in quarterbacks Mike Reilly and Bo Levi Mitchell, the ball carriers could factor as large with a trip to the Grey Cup on the line.