The Calgary Stampeders return to action in Week 7 on the road in Hamilton as they meet the Ticats for the first time in 2012.

The Stampeders (2-3, fourth place in the West) are coming off a bye in Week 6. In their last game back in Week 5, the Stamps were beaten soundly at home 34-8 by the BC Lions. The loss dropped the Stamps into last spot in the West and their 2-3 record is the worst start to a season since 2009 and it’s the third time since 2005 they have a losing record after five games. Calgary still made the playoffs in all three of those seasons (2005, 2007, 2009) and even hosted a playoff game in 2009.

Hamilton (3-2) started the season 0-2 but has since reeled off three straight wins and is the league’s hottest team. Hamilton took a page from the Stamps’ Week 4 book by overcoming a 19-point fourth quarter deficit to pull out an improbable 35-34 win over the Riders in Week 5.

This will be the first trip to Hamilton for the Stamps since 2010 as last year’s road game versus the Ticats was played in Montcon, N.B. This year’s game will also be the last game played between the two teams at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton hopes to open a new stadium for the 2014 season.

Calgary lost big to the Tabbies in Moncton, giving up 55 points, the second highest in club history. The Stamps are 2-4 in their last six road games against Hamilton (wins in 2008 and 2010) and are 1-2 against the East and 0-2 on the road this season.

Hamilton is 2-1 at home and 1-2 when playing West teams. Week 6 and 7 are the earliest in the schedule that the CFL has placed its annual bye weeks since going to a bye-week schedule back in 2007 (usually they are Weeks 8 and 9) and Calgary is 4-0-1 in bye-week games. The Stamps are 3-0 on the road in bye-week games and 4-0 when playing in the second bye week.

THE KICKOFF

The Stamps’ Week 7 road game will kick off at 5 p.m. MDT (7 p.m. EDT) on Thursday, August 9 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton. 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 (www.espn.go.com). The game will also be seen the next day at www.tsn.ca on TSN’s video-on-demand page.

THE OFFENCE

The offence had its worst game of the season in the loss to the Lions, setting new lows in points (eight), touchdowns (zero), first downs (14), time of possession (21:10), total offence (278 yards) and rushing yards (29). Calgary also lost the turnover battle 3-0.

It was the first time all season Calgary failed to score 30 points or more in a game and the eights points scored was the lowest home total since Labour Day in 2011 (seven).

It’s only the third time since 2004 the Stamps scored fewer than 10 points at home (a span of 72 games). Calgary still ranks second in points per game (31.0) but is tied for fourth in points scored by the offence alone (28.5). Calgary is seventh in league rushing after five games, averaging 74.8 yards per game (last at 4.0 yards per carry) and has only rushed for over 100 yards in a game once, the Week 1 win over Montreal.

Calgary has a league-worst 3.8-yard rushing average on first downs and that has dragged the overall first-down average gain down to a league-low of 6.0 yards.

Calgary is 0-2 on the road in 2012 and has just 146 rushing yards combined in the two games. RB Jon Cornish had his worst game as a starter, finishing the game with minus-1 yard on six carries and has not rushed for more than 40 yards in a game since hitting 89 in the season-opener.

Cornish finished 2011 rushing for over 80 yards in five of his last seven games including 84 in Moncton against Hamilton.

QB Kevin Glenn passed for 245 yards against BC and had one pick, rating out at a season-low 80.2. He is now ranked fourth in the CFL with a 99.3 rating, a career high.

SB Nik Lewis and Marquay McDaniel continue to shoulder the load in the receiving game as Lewis led the team with six receptions for 82 yards followed by McDaniel at five catches for 53 yards (the two combined for 55 per cent of Calgary’s receiving yardage).

Lewis is off the best start of his career as he leads the CFL in receiving with 38 receptions for 444 yards and six major scores, a pace that would see him set career bests in all categories. McDaniel has climbed to 16th in the CFL and is also on a pace that would see him surpass 1,000 yards on the season.

THE DEFENCE

Calgary surrendered more than 30 points (34) for the fourth straight game and gave up over 400 yards of offence (456) for the second consecutive game. Calgary last gave up 30 points or more in four straight games in regulation back in 2004 (a streak of five games), a season in which they allowed an average of 30.6 points per game.

In 2012, Calgary is fifth in points allowed at 30.8 per game and last in touchdowns allowed at 16. The Stamps are third however in total offence allowed (353.6 yards per game), third in passing yards (288.4 yards) and fourth in rushing yards (90.8 yards).

Calgary has allowed only one 100-yard rusher (Cory Boyd back in Week 2) but has allowed a total of more than 100 yards in three of five games.

The Stamps defence has averaged 21.4 points allowed against the Ticats in the last five games played in Hamilton, with 24 points being the highest amount given up.

DB Brandon Smith led all tacklers against the Leos with nine (a team high so far this season) followed by MLB Juwan Simpson, who had seven, his season high.

Corey Mace had his first sack of the year and a forced fumble but Calgary failed to record a takeaway for the second time this season.

Simpson and Smith lead the team in tackles with 22 (eighth best in the CFL) followed by rookie CB Fred Bennett with 21. Hamilton is third in fewest sacks allowed with nine while Calgary is third in most sacks with 10. 

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Calgary gave up a touchdown off a turnover on downs in the third quarter against the Lions when they failed to pick up a first down on a fake punt.

K Rene Parades was perfect again in field goals (two for two) and is 11 of 12 on the season. He is currently on a streak of nine straight field goals.

Paredes dropped to third in league scoring with 47 points and is second in field-goal accuracy at 91.7 per cent.

KR Larry Taylor had his streak of 200-yard games of combined yards broken at three and was held to a season-low total of 86 yards. Taylor is still second in the CFL in combined yards with 1,132.

P Rob Maver averaged 44.5 yards per punt against BC, the fourth time in five games he has averaged more than 44 yards. Maver averaged over 48 yards per punt in his first two games and last week’s average was his best since Week 2.

THE OPPOSITION 

Hamilton is 3-0 in its last three games and the offence, led by former Stamps QB Henry Burris (#1) is the main reason. Hamilton leads the CFL in points scored (32.4 points per game) and has averaged 36.6 points per game over the past three games.

Hamilton is third in total yards per game (393.6) and is first in yards per pass attempt (8.8 yards) and second in yards on first down (an average of 7.6 yards).

Burris, Calgary’s all-time leading passer, sits third in CFL passing with 1,540 yards but leads the CFL after five games with 15 touchdowns passes (to only three picks) and a rating of 118.3. Burris posted back-to-back games of over 300 yards passing and four TDs (to zero picks) in his past two starts.

Hamilton is stacked on offence with plenty of weapons including RB Chevon Walker (#29), second in rushing with 367 yards and two touchdowns, SB Andy Fantuz (#83), 23 catches for 237 yards and two majors, and SB Chris Williams (#80), who ranks third in league receiving with 24 catches for 418 yards and four touchdowns.

Williams is also a huge threat on special teams with three return majors already this season and a league-best 15.6 yard average on punt returns.

The Cats defence is another story however as Hamilton sits last in the CFL, allowing an average of 33.4 yards per game. The Tabbies are also eighth in total offence allowed (426.4 yards per game), touchdowns (16), rushing yards allowed (127.6 yards per game) and average gain per rush allowed (6.7 yards).

Hamilton is eighth in sacks with only six and interceptions with three and is fourth in takeaways with eight. LB Rey Williams (#9, 29 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery) and LB Jamall Johnson (#28, 26 tackles, one sack) are active linebackers, placing third and fourth respectively in tackles, while rookie DE Brandon Boudreaux (#91) has half of the team’s total of six sacks.

Former Eskimo DE Greg Peach (#90), former Argo Kevin Eiben (#35) and former Stampeder CB Geoff Tisdale (#31) are other Ticats of note on defence.

THE OTHER GAMES

Week 7 is the second of two bye weeks in the CFL schedule and, as such, there is only one other game this week.

Saskatchewan (3-2) is on the road in Edmonton to take on the Eskimos (3-2) on Friday night. Edmonton is 8-2 in its past 10 games at home against the Riders, with seven of those games being decided by a touchdown or less.

NEXT UP

The Stamps are back home for another game against an Eastern opponent (their fifth in seven games) as the Argos come to town on Saturday, Aug. 18. Toronto beat the Stamps 39-36 back in Week 2 in Toronto and swept the Stamps in 2011, including a 23-21 win at McMahon in Week 1.

— Mike Hardiman