By Mike Hardiman
Stampeders.com

The Pregame

The Calgary Stampeders play their second straight road game as they visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this week. This is the first of two times the Stamps will play back-to-back road games in 2015, the other being in Weeks 14 and 15.

The Stampeders (6-2) took hold of sole possession of first place in the West last week with a 34-31 win in Regina over the pesky Roughriders while the Bombers are coming off of a bye. This makes it the second straight week that Calgary is playing a team coming off their bye (and third time overall) and the Stamps are 2-0 in those games after wins over Montreal in Week 6 and last week against the Riders.

Winnipeg (3-5, third place in the West) lost the last game they played, a 27-20 home defeat at the hands of the Argos in Week 8. Calgary has found Winnipeg a friendly place to play of late, winning five straight games in the Manitoba capital dating back to 2010 including a 33-23 win at Investors Group Field in 2014. The Stampeders are 1-2 on the road and 2-0 when playing Western teams this season while Winnipeg is 2-2 at home and also 2-2 within the West Division. 

The Kickoff

When/Where: Saturday, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m. MDT at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg
Television: TSN, ESPN3
Radio: Newstalk 770, SiriusXM Channel 167
Internet: www.newstalk770.com

The Stampeders

Calgary beat the Bombers at home in Week 4, scoring 26 points in the process.

The Stamps averaged 22.8 points per game scored in their first six games but have turned it up a notch in the past two games, averaging 41 points per game en route to their two highest point totals of the year. Calgary had its lowest total offence output of the season against Winnipeg at 288 yards.

Calgary’s offence has room to improve in a couple of key stats — they are sixth in the CFL in the red zone at 52 per cent (13 touchdowns in 25 appearances) and sixth in second-down conversions at 44.7 per cent (80 conversions in 179 attempts).

The Stamps offence also continues to start slow with only 38 first-quarter points (and just 11 in the past three opening quarters) but recover well with a CFL-best 95 second-quarter points.

Calgary’s defence by comparison is fifth in the CFL at 57 per cent in the red zone (allowing eight touchdowns in 14 appearances) and second in second-down conversions, allowing the first down just 44.9 per cent of the time. The Stamps defence has allowed 76 second-half points, a sign of being able to make adjustments as the unit has 73 first-quarter points.

LB Deron Mayo leads the team in tackles with 35 (15 in his past three games), a pace that would see him set a career high. The Stamps forced four Bomber turnovers and the offence scored 15 points from those takeaways in Week 4, both the second-highest totals of the year. 

Who to watch:

Eric Rogers – SB, #80
2015 stats – 39 receptions, 660 receiving yards, 16.9 yard average, 7 TDs; leads team in receiving; leads CFL in receiving yards and TDs; scored TD in six straight games
Last Game – 7 receptions, 105receiving yards, 15.0 yard average, 1 TD – Week 9 at Saskatchewan; led team in receiving, third 100-yard receiving game of 2015
2015 vs Winnipeg – 4 receptions, 71 yards, 17.8 yard average, 1 TD – Week 4 at Calgary; led team in receiving

Matt Walter – RB, #14
2015 stats – 45 carries, 220 rushing yards, 4.9 yard average, 1 rushing TDs
Last Game – 20 carries, 110 rushing yards, 5.5 yard average, 0 TDs – Week 9 at Saskatchewan; second career 100-yard rushing game
2015 vs Winnipeg – 1 carries, 6 rushing yards, 6.0 yard average, 0 TDs – Week 4 at Calgary

Tory Harrison – RB, #34
2015 stats – 17 carries, 80 rushing yards, 4.7 yard average, 0 rushing TDs
Last Game – 2 carries, 15 rushing yards, 7.5 yard average, 0 TDs, 2 receptions, 38 receiving yards, 19.0 yard average, 2 TDs – Week 9 at Saskatchewan; scored first touchdown of CFL career
2015 vs Winnipeg – did not play, on practice roster

Joe Burnett – DB, #24
2015 stats – 9 tackles, 3 tackles for losses, 1 interception, 2 pass knockdowns, 1 fumble return – started last three games at corner
Last Game – 3 tackles, 1 pass knockdown – Week 9 at Saskatchewan
2015 vs Winnipeg – no stats – Week 4 at Calgary

Micah Johnson – DT, #93
2015 stats – 4 tackles, 1 sack – two games played
Last Game – 2 tackles – Week 9 at Saskatchewan
2015 vs Winnipeg – Did not play, injured

The Blue Bombers                                               

The injury bug has bit the Bombers of late, like a lot of teams in the CFL, and has left Winnipeg without starters QB Drew Willy, RB Paris Cotton and SB Darvin Adams, all of whom played in the Week 4 loss to Calgary.

QB Robert Marve (#16) will get his second career CFL start and will hand the ball off to rookie RB Cameron Marshall (#32) and former Eskimos RB Tyler Thomas (#24). The Bombers have hit the 100-yard mark in rushing in three of their past four games but had only 76 yards along the ground against Calgary.

Winnipeg’s leading active receiver is SB Nick Moore (#17) with 33 catches for 352 yards. Winnipeg has not passed for 300 yards in a game since Week 1 but the 289 passing yards against Calgary is the team’s second-highest total of the season.

Winnipeg has improved on its defensive stats since they last met the Stamps but is still in the bottom third in most of the major defensive categories. Former Dinos MLB Sam Hurl (#10) has played well in the middle beside standout rookie Khalil Bass (#47) and former Stampeder Chris Randle (#8).

DE Jamar Westerman (#55) leads the team with six sacks and four tackles for losses but the team needs more out of its veteran D-line as it is last in the CFL in sacks with 15. The Bombers’ strength on defence is its secondary featuring rookie CB Johnny Adams (#20), who is tied for the league lead in interceptions with four, and veterans Demond Washington (#7) and Maurice Leggett (#31).

Robert Marve – QB, #16
2015 stats – 36 attempts, 22 completions, 61.1% completion rate,  252 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs,  68.3 QB rating – one start in 2015
Last Game – 29 attempts, 18 completions, 62.1% completion rate, 203 passing yards, 1 TD , 1 INT,  80.3 QB rating –  Week 8 vs Toronto
2015 vs Calgary – did not play

Cameron Marshall – RB, #32
2015 stats – 52 carries, 244 rushing yards, 4.7 yard average, 2 rushing TDs; leads team in total touchdowns with 4
Last Game – 14 carries, 55 rushing yards, 3.9 yard average, 0 TDs – Week 8 vs Toronto
2015 vs Calgary – 1 carry, 0 rushing yards, 0.0 yard average, 0 TDs – Week 4 at Calgary

Khalil Bass – LB, #47
2015 stats – 44 tackles, 1 special teams tackle, 1 tackle for loss, 3 sacks, 1 pass knockdown, 2 fumble returns – leads team in tackles, fourth in CFL tackles
Last Game – 9 tackles – Week 8 vs Toronto
2015 vs Calgary – 5 tackles, 1 fumble return – Week 4 at Calgary

Stats (through Week 9)

Week 10 in the CFL

Thursday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m. – Montreal 26 at Hamilton 23
Friday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. – Toronto 15 at Edmonton 38
Sunday, Aug. 30, 2 p.m. – Saskatchewan at Ottawa

Bye – BC