The Calgary Stampeders will play their second straight divisional game at home as they face the defending Grey Cup champions, the BC Lions, to close out Week 5 in the CFL.
The Stamps (2-2, third place in the West) proved once again last week that you never leave a CFL game until it’s over as they erased a 17-point deficit in the final seven minutes to force overtime against Saskatchewan and then outscored the Riders 6-3 in the extra session to win the game by a final score of 41-38.
The 17-point deficit was the largest deficit overcome in the league this season and was a reversal of fortune for the Stamps, who had blown a 12-point lead to Montreal the previous week.
Calgary had been only 1-9 in its last 10 games in which they trailed after three quarters including 0-1 this season (Week 2 against the Argos). The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Calgary and improved its home record to 2-0 while giving the Stamps a 1-0 record within the division.
The Lions (2-2, fourth place in the West) enter the game on a two-game losing streak after opening the season with two straight wins. In Week 4, BC lost its first home game at BC Place (after winning six straight regular-season games dating back to Week 14 of last season) by a score of 27-14 to Edmonton. That loss was on the heels of a 23-20 road loss to the Riders in Week 3.
BC is 0-1 on the road this year and 0-2 against West teams. The Lions, led by rookie head coach (and former Stamps assistant) Mike Benevides, have played the Stamps tough of late, owning a 4-1 record against Calgary in the past five games overall and a 3-0 mark in the three most recent games played at McMahon.
Calgary started out 8-0 against the Lions under head coach John Hufnagel and are now 9-4 overall since Hufnagel took over as head coach in 2008. Calgary was 1-2 against the Lions last season with BC winning the only game played at McMahon by a 32-19 score.
THE KICKOFF
The Stamps stay home for Week 5 and the game with the Leos gets under way at 7 p.m. MDT on Saturday, July 28 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
This is Calgary’s second of seven Saturday games in 2012 (they are currently 0-1 after losing to the Argos 39-36 in Week 2) and the first of three Saturday home games (Toronto in Week 8 and Hamilton in Week 17 are the others).
The game will be televised on TSN and can be heard on the radio at QR77 (AM 770 on the radio dial and www.qr77.com on the Internet) and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, channel 157 and channel 160 for XM subscribers.
Fans in the U.S. can the game live via webcast on ESPN3. The game will also be seen the next day at www.tsn.ca on TSN’s video-on-demand page.
THE OFFENCE
Quarterback Kevin Glenn showed last week why he was the most important off-season addition to the Stampeders as he had his best game in red and white, leading the Stamps to the come-from-behind victory. Glenn passed for 385 yards (his best single-game total since Week 4 of 2010), four touchdowns (his most in one game since 2009) and no interceptions, rating out at a season-high 125.6 for the game.
Glenn has a QB rating of 104.7 for the season (863 yards, six TDs, three interceptions) and leads the CFL in QB rating on first down at 115.0 and QB rating in the second half at 125.0.
Calgary scored a season-high 41 points in the overtime win and has scored more than 32 points in all four games this season. Calgary leads the CFL in scoring (36.8 points per game), touchdowns (13), first downs (100) and completion percentage (70.8 per cent). Calgary is only fourth in total offence however, averaging 377.5 yards per game.
Calgary’s running game is the main culprit in the lower net offence average as the Stamps are fifth in rushing in the CFL at only 86.2 yards per game. The Stamps rushed for only 72 yards in the Week 4 win with RB Jon Cornish accounting for 39 of those yards. Cornish is seventh in league rushing with 200 yards and a 4.3-yard average, lowest of the eight starting running backs across the league.
SB Nik Lewis continued his early-season dominance last week with seven more receptions for 98 yards and three touchdowns. Lewis leads the CFL in receptions (32) and touchdowns (six) and is second in yards with 362.
SB Marquay McDaniel stayed hot with seven receptions for 75 yards (he now has 15 receptions in three games) while SB Chris Bauman also had seven catches for 86 yards, his best single-game totals since Week 1 of 2008.
THE DEFENCE
Last season, the Stampeders defence allowed an average of 26.4 points per game but in the seven losses, that average ballooned to 33.2 points per game and the Stamps gave up more than 30 points in five of the losses compared to just three times in the 11 wins.
In 2012, Calgary has given up over 30 points in three out of four games and are 1-2 in those three games. The Stamps sit fifth in points allowed at 120 (30.0 points per game) and are fourth in touchdowns allowed at 13.
The Stamps remain the toughest team to run against at 73.2 yards per game but the Riders did mange 131 rushing yards against Calgary, a season high. The Stamps have allowed one 100-yard rusher this season — Toronto’s Cory Boyd had 101 yards in Week 2.
The Stamps sacked Rider QB Darian Durant three times in the win (a season high) as DE Chris McCoy got two for the first multiple-sack game for a Stamp this season. Calgary is third in the CFL with nine sacks and McCoy shares the team lead with DE Charleston Hughes at two apiece.
LB Malik Jackson picked off Durant late in the fourth quarter (the Riders’ first turnover of the season) to set up a Calgary touchdown. It was the first pick by a Calgary linebacker this season. The Stamps are second in the CFL with five picks (they had 16 last season, fifth best) and are on pace for 22 this season.
CB Fred Bennett led the team In Week 4 with five tackles and leads the team on the season with 18. CB Jamar Wall had four stops in his first CFL start (replacing the injured Keon Raymond) while rookie LB Marvin White made his Stampeders debut, wearing No. 20, the first Stampeder to wear that number since Hall-of-Famer Doug Flutie back in 1995.
DB Quincy Butler is putting together a nice season with an interception, two tackles for loss, four pass knockdowns and 10 tackles in four games.
THE SPECIAL TEAMS
K Rene Paredes scored 15 points in the win last week and leads the CFL in scoring with 41 points. Paredes went four-for-four in his field-goal attempts in Week 4 and is now nine of 10 on the season (a 90-per cent accuracy rate, second best in the CFL). Paredes has been perfect inside 40 yards (six-forpsix) and is tied for the league lead with three field goals made of more than 40 yards.
KR Larry Taylor racked up 251 more all-purpose yards and now leads the CFL in that category with 1,046. He’s on pace for 4,700 all-purpose yards, a total that would shatter the CFL record of 3,840 set by Pinball Clemons in 1997.
With 539 kickoff return yards this season, Taylor is also on pace to break the CFL record of 1,805 set by Ian Smart of the Lions in 2008.
P Rob Maver is second in the CFL with a punting average of 45.3-yards (minimum 25 punts) and the Stamps are second in net punting at 37.2-yards per punt.
Calgary leads the CFL in punt coverage, allowing only 6.3-yards per return and a league-low longest return of 21 yards.
THE OPPOSITION
The Lions have dropped two straight games and, after scoring 33 and 36 points in their opening two wins, BC has scored just 20 and 14 in the two subsequent losses. This follows the script written by the Lions last season — BC scored an average of 28.4 points per game in 2011 (second in the CFL). During the 10-1 streak that they closed the regular season with, the Lions scored 28 or more points in all 10 wins and just 10 points in the only loss. In 2012, BC averages 26.5 points per game and sits sixth in league scoring.
QB Travis Lulay (#14), the 2011 CFL MOP, is fourth in passing with 1,116 yards and third in touchdown passes with six but leads the league in interceptions with five and is sixth amongst starters with a rating of 89.0. Lulay does lead all quarterbacks in rushing with 152 yards rushing, eighth best overall, and the Lions lead the CFL with 134.8 rushing yards per game.
RB Andrew Harris (#33) does the heavy lifting for the Leos’ offence, leading the CFL in yards from scrimmage with 536 and has two touchdowns to show for his efforts. Calgary held Harris in check last season, limiting his totals to just 120 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in three games.
After Harris’ 24 receptions (tied for tops amongst running backs), SB Geroy Simon (#81) is next with 16 catches for 252 yards (no TDs) and Calgary-born Marco Iannuzzi (#87) is fourth with 11 receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns, with all of his stats coming in his past two games.
On defence, the Lions are third in points allowed (25.5 per game), third in fewest touchdowns allowed (eight) and second in net offence allowed (291.2 yards per game). The Lions have held opponents to less than 28 points in three of four games this season.
BC has plenty of familiar names on a veteran defence including DE Keron Williams (#9, league-leading five sacks), LB Anton McKenzie (#42, sixth in tackles with 21) and DB Korey Banks (#24, a four-time CFL All-star) as well as a few younger players making some noise. MLB Adam Bighill (#50) is fourth in tackles while DE Khreem Smith (#94) has three sacks, tied for second best in the CFL.
KR Tim Brown (#35) is third in punt returns with 16 returns for 254 yards and has one punt return major so far this year, an 81-yard score in Week 2.
THE OTHER GAMES
Week 5 starts on Thursday with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-4, last place in the East) finally playing their first home game of the season as they host the Edmonton Eskimos (3-1).
Friday Night Football features an matchup between East rivals Montreal (2-2) and Toronto (2-2) in Montreal.
The other game in the Saturday doubleheader is Saskatchewan (3-1) playing at home against the Hamilton Ticats (2-2).
NEXT UP
After a bye week, the Stampeders head back out on the road and back East to take on the Hamilton Ticats on Thursday, August 9 in their last game at old Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Calgary, 0-2 on the road this season, won its most recent game in Hamilton by a 23-22 score back in 2010. The two teams played Hamilton’s home game against the Stamps in Moncton last season, a game won 55-36 by the Ticats.
— Mike Hardiman