The Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos hope to put on another show as the teams travel up the highway to Edmonton for the second game of their annual Labour Day back-to-back series.
Calgary came from behind to eke out a 31-30 win over the Eskies on Labour Day (the closest Labour Day game since 2001 when Edmonton won 33-32) and, in doing so, climbed into second place in the West, knocking the Eskimos down to third.
For Calgary (5-4), it was the first time all season winning consecutive games. It was the longest the team went before winning back-to-back games since 2007.
For Edmonton, the loss cost a first-place tie with BC and marked the fifth straight week of alternating wins and losses.
The teams have met in Edmonton on the Friday after Labour Day every year since 1990 (save for 1992 when they played the week before) and the Stampeders have owned this rematch game in recent years. Overall, the Stamps have a 10-12 record in the 22 previous games but are 5-0 in the past five and 6-1 in the past seven.
Calgary won last year’s rematch game by a 30-20 score and has won in Edmonton after (or before) Labour Day in each of its four championship years since 1992. Calgary is 4-2 in Edmonton overall under head coach John Hufnagel. Calgary is 2-2 on the road and 3-1 against the West while Edmonton is 3-1 at home and 2-2 within the division.
THE KICKOFF
The Alberta teams continue their fight for provincial bragging rights at 7 p.m. MDT on Friday, Sept. 7 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
The game will be televised on TSN and RDS2 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 see the game live on NBCSN and 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
Calgary scored 31 points in last week’s win, the first time in three weeks that the Stamps have scored more than 30 points in a game and the sixth time in nine games this season.
The Stamps evened their record at 2-2 in games decided by four points or fewer and have won two straight such contests (the 41-38 win over Saskatchewan being the other).
Calgary was just shy of 400 yards of offence on the night — ending up at 397 — and had 22 first downs. It was the fourth game in a row with more than 345 yards of offence and at least 20 first downs.
Calgary has won five straight Labour Day rematches in Edmonton and has scored more than 30 points in the last four. Over the last four rematch games, Calgary has averaged 476 yards of offence, 24.8 first downs and scored 14 touchdowns.
QB Kevin Glenn passed for 273 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Edmonton last week and is fourth in league passing with 1,985 yards, 12 touchdowns and a QB rating of 97.2.
SB Nik Lewis was once again the team’s leading receiver with seven catches for 101 yards and the veteran pass-catcher is now within 92 yards of 10,000 receiving yards for his career. Lewis has surpassed 92 yards four times this season but has done so only once in his past five games. SB Marquay McDaniel broke out of mini-slump with five receptions for 78 yards after only six combined receptions in the previous three games.
RB Jon Cornish was next with four catches for 23 yards and a touchdown, leaving Cornish fourth on the team in receptions with 23 and fifth in the CFL among running backs. Cornish also had 71 yards along the ground to bring his season total to 642 yards, second best in the league. Cornish is first in the CFL in rushes of more than 10 yards (18) and second in rushes for first downs with 30.
In his six latest games against the Eskimos, Cornish is averaging 48.6 yards and his career best game against Edmonton is a 76-yard total posted on Labour Day of 2010.
Calgary leads the CFL in rushing by non-quarterbacks with 826 yards but is sixth in QB rushing with only 134 yards and third when the two figures are combined (960 yards).
THE DEFENCE
Calgary won its first game of the season when allowing more than 300 yards passing as the Eskimos passed for 311 yards on Monday. The Stamps held the Eskimos to 78 yards rushing and 352 net yards and the Stamps are now 3-1 when holding an opponent to fewer than 100 yards rushing.
Calgary sits fourth in total offence allowed at an average of 358 yards per game and sixth in points allowed at 25.4 per game. The 30 points allowed was the highest total in four weeks given up by Calgary and the fifth time in nine games (2-3 record).
Calgary ranks fourth in pass defence (averaging 279 yards against) and gives up 8.0 yards per pass attempt, fourth best and just below the league average of 8.3. The Stamps also rank fourth in run defence (averaging 99.0 yards per game) and allow 5.2 yards per carry, again, just below the league average of 5.3.
MLB Juwan Simpson once again led the team in tackles with seven and has climbed to eighth in the CFL with 43 stops for the season. DE Charleston Hughes had six tackles (fourth on the team but first among defensive linemen with 24) and continues to lead the team with four sacks. Hughes is tied in tackles with rookie Chris Randle after Randle collected three tackles and the first interception of his CFL career.
The interception marked the second straight game in which the Stamps had an interception and gives Calgary a 5-1 record this season when they have at least one pick.
Calgary is minus-7 in the turnover ratio (seventh) and fifth in takeaways with 14. Calgary was minus-1 against the Eskimos on Labour Day. The Stamps have only had one game so far this year with a plus in the turnover ratio (Week 9 versus the Riders, a 17-10 win).
THE SPECIAL TEAMS
KR Larry Taylor got the bulk of the return work again last week and finished the night with 99 yards on returns (he also caught one pass for seven yards and the game-winning touchdown). Taylor has 1,557 total yards, including 780 kickoff return and 481 punt return yards.
LB Karl McCartney and LB Deron Mayo lead the team with nine special-teams tackles (fifth best in the CFL). Calgary allows only 6.8 yards per punt return (tops in the league).
P Rob Maver averaged 48.3 yards on six punts and the Calgary punter is third in the CFL with a 44.8 yard average for the year. Calgary leads the CFL in net punting with a 37.7-yard average and is second in field position gained per punt at 36.8 yards per kick. Calgary also has the smallest long gain against them — 21 yards is the longest punt return the Stampeders have allowed.
THE OPPOSITION
Edmonton dropped to third in the West with the loss and the 31 points surrendered were the second most this season given up by the Eskimos defence. The 30 points scored was also the second-highest point total by the offence as well.
Edmonton ranks eighth in net offence at 316 yards per game and is eighth in passing (247 yards per game) and fifth in rushing (90.0 yards per game).
Edmonton’s rushing numbers should improve if QB Kerry Joseph (#5) continues to start at quarterback . Joseph ran for 30 yards last week and has more than 4,300 career rushing yards. Joseph also passed for 311 yards and threw two touchdown passes in the loss.
Edmonton suddenly has an embarrassment of riches at the running back position as 2011 Most Outstanding Canadian Jerome Messam (#23) is back from his NFL tryout. Messam combines with Hugh Charles (#7, six catches for 123 yards and a TD versus Calgary last week) and Cory Boyd (#28, two-time 1,000-yard rusher) to give the Eskies the most depth at the running back spot in the CFL.
SB Fred Stamps hauled in Joseph’s other TD pass and had 88 yards on two receptions on Labour Day. Stamps is the main cog in the Eskimos passing machine and you have to go all the way down to the 26th place on the receiving list to find an Eskimos receiver other than Stamps or Charles. That spot is occupied by former University of Calgary Dino Nate Coehoorn, who is having a solid sophomore season with 23 catches for 304 yards.
Edmonton’s defence is third in points allowed at 20.1 points per game and sixth in total offence allowed at 385 yards per game but, after starting the season averaging only 14 points per game through four weeks, Edmonton has allowed 26.5 points per game in the past four games.
MLB J.C. Sherritt (#47) had eight tackles last week to bring his league-leading total to 78 but he was second on the team in the game as LB Damaso Munoz (#45) had 10 tackles. Munoz is now fifth in the CFL with 51 tackles, a pace that would see him join Sherritt at season’s end with more than 100 tackles.
CB Joe Burnett (#22) had an interception return for a touchdown (his second on the year) and now leads the CFL with four picks. Edmonton leads the CFL in interceptions with 15 — Sherritt has three picks as does S Donovan Alexander (#10).
Almondo Sewell (#90), who was the victim of a crushing block laid out by RB Jon Cornish last week, leads the team in sacks with four.
THE OTHER GAMES
If you liked all the matchups this past weekend, then you’re going to love this week as all the teams face each other again, this time in the other team’s park.
Hamilton (3-6, third place in the East) badly needs a win in Toronto on Saturday afternoon against the Argos (5-4, second place) as the Ticats have now lost four straight games.
BC (6-3, first place in the West) invites Montreal (6-3, first place in the East) to their home to see how the Alouettes fare against them away from Percival Molson Stadium in the other Saturday game.
Sunday sees another edition of the Banjo Bowl with the Riders (4-5) visiting the Bombers (2-7) with Winnipeg looking for revenge after an embarrassing loss to Saskatchewan last week.
NEXT UP
The Stampeders are back home after the short road trip to Edmonton to play host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, Sept. 14. Calgary is currently on a nine-game winning streak at home against the Bombers including last year’s 30-24 win in Week 19.
— Mike Hardiman