By Mike Hardiman
Special to Stampeders.com

The Pregame

For the third straight week, the Calgary Stampeders will face an Eastern opponent as they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers after back-to-back games against Montreal.

The Stamps are the talk of the CFL after spotting the Alouettes a 24-point first quarter lead last week before roaring back to score 35 unanswered points and ultimately win the game 38-27. The 24-point lead erased by the Stamps was the largest first-quarter deficit ever overcome by a CFL team en route to a victory.

The win gave Calgary a 3-1 record and kept the Stamps in second place in the West Division, tied with the Lions and one game back of unbeaten Saskatchewan.

Winnipeg was beaten soundly by the Argos at home, 35-19, and have yet to win in two tries this season at its new stadium, Investors Group Field.

Calgary has owned this matchup over the past five seasons, posting a 8-2 record in the last 10 meetings between the two teams and currently riding a seven-game winning streak dating back to 2009. The Stamps have won three straight games played in Winnipeg, all played at old Canad Inns Stadium.

The Stampeders are 1-1 on the road in 2013 and 2-0 against the East while Winnipeg is 0-2 at home and has yet to play a Western team.

The Kickoff

When/Where: Friday, July 26  at 6 p.m. MDT at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg

Television: TSN, ESPN 3

Radio: News Talk 770, Sirius Satellite Channel 157, XM Satellite Channel 160

Internet: www.newstalk770.com

The Stampeders 

The Stamps were impressive in their comeback win last week and, despite giving up the early big lead, Calgary won the key statistical battles.

In all three of Calgary’s wins, the Stamps have had more 32 minutes of possession (34:18 last week), more than doubled the opposition in rushing (175 yards to 85 in Week 4) and won the turnover battle (plus-one against Montreal).

Kevin Glenn once again played a solid game, passing for 204 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the third quarter with an injury. Bo Mitchell finished up, leading the team on a touchdown drive to take the lead and finishing the game with two TD passes.

Nik Lewis once again led the team in receiving with five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. Calgary did a great job of spreading the ball around with 10 different receivers catching a pass and six different players rushing the ball.

Anthony Parker hauled in three passes for 41 yards and tied a career best for catches in a game. Jon Cornish topped the century mark in rushing for the second time in 2013 and is second in the CFL with 413 rushing yards and a league-leading 6.8-yard average.

Calgary has been less productive on the road this season however as the Stamps average only 319 yards of total offence and 21.5 points in two road games compared to 419.5 yards per game and 41 points per game at home.

The Stamps had a kick blocked for the second straight week — this time a field-goal attempt after a punt was blocked in Week 3.

Who to watch:          

Jon Cornish, RB, #9
2013 stats – 61 carries, 413 yards, 6.8-yard average, 4 total TDs – second in CFL in rushing and yards from scrimmage
Last Game –  15 touches, 129  total yards, 9.9-yard rushing average, 2 TDs vs Mtl.
2012 vs Wpg. – 37 carries, 140 yards, 3.7-yard average, 3 TDs in two games

Rene Paredes, K, #30
2013 stats – 44 points scored, 11 for 11 in converts, 11 for 11 in field-goal attempts  – leads the CFL in points
Last Game – 14 points, 4 for 4 in field goal attempts vs Mtl.  – ran his current field goal streak to 29 straight attempts
2012 vs Wpg.- 25 points scored, 6 for 6 in field-goal attempts in two games

Dimitri Tsoumpas, OG, #67
Four-time CFL All-star (2009-12) leads the Stamps’ o-line that is third in rushing and fourth in fewest sacks allowed. Winnipeg leads the CFL with 19 sacks

Fred Bennett, CB, #8 
2013 stats – 5 tackles, 1 Int, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass knockdown
Last Game – 3 tackles, 1 forced fumble vs Mtl. Chased down Montreal’s Noel Devine on a kickoff return and saved a touchdown
2012 vs Wpg.- 6 tackles, 1 Int  in two games 

The Blue Bombers                                                                                          

Winnipeg’s 1-3 record keeps the Bombers in second place in the weaker East and, despite the record, they can still be a dangerous opponent. They lead the CFL in sacks with 19 and are second in the CFL in fewest total yards allowed and fewest rushing yards allowed.

When healthy, their offence boasts names like SB Terrence Edwards (#82), a five-time 1,000-yard receiver, and WR Chris Matthews (#13), last years’ CFL Most Outstanding Rookie. The attack is currently slowed down by an injury to their starting quarterback Buck Pierce (#4) and inexperience at the backup spot, Justin Goltz (#18).

Defensively, key players are DH Alex Suber (#21), CB Jovon Johnson (#2) and DE Kenny Mainor (#54)

Who to watch:

Chad Simpson, RB #5
2012 stats – 173 carries, 1,039 rushing yards, 6.0-yard ave., 5 TDs in 14 games
Last Game –  10 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD vs Toronto
2012 vs Calgary – 27 carries, 170 yards, 6.3-yard ave., 2 TDs in two games 

Henoc Muamba, LB, #10
2013 stats – 22 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss – fourth in CFL in tackles
Last Game – 8 tackles vs Toronto
2012 vs Calgary – 7 tackles in two games                         

Alex Hall, DE, #96
2013 stats – 14 tackles, 6 sacks, 4 tackles for losses – leads CFL in sacks
Last Game – 4 tackles, 1 sack vs Toronto
2012 vs Calgary – 4 tackles, 2 sacks in one game

Stats

Here are the two teams’ offensive and defensive totals and league rankings after last week’s games

The CFL this Week

Thursday, July 25, 5:30 p.m. — Edmonton (1-3) at Montreal (1-3)
Saturday, July 27, 5:30 p.m. — Saskatchewan (4-0) at Hamilton (1-3)
Tuesday, July 30, 5:30 p.m. — BC  (3-1) at Toronto (2-2)