By Mike Hardiman
Stampeders.com

The Pregame

The Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos square off in a good old-fashioned Western showdown for first place.

Calgary (11-3) clinched a home playoff game for the fourth straight season thanks to a 23-20 win over the Tiger-Cats at windy Tim Hortons Field. The Eskimos (10-4) kept pace, eking out a 24-23 win road win over the Bombers and also clinching a playoff spot in the West for the second straight year. The teams split the previous two meetings this season, with Calgary winning at home on Labour Day by a 16-7 total and the Eskimos evening the score at Commonwealth with a 27-16 win in the rematch.

The Eskimos snapped a 12-game losing streak to Calgary with that win and are looking for consecutive wins over Calgary for the first time since 2011. The winner of this game clinches the season series and possesses the ever-important tie-breaker should the teams end up tied at season’s end.

Calgary is the only unbeaten CFL team at home at 7-0 and also leads the division at 6-1 against Western teams while Edmonton is 4-3 on the road and 5-2 against the West. 

The Kickoff

When/Where: Saturday, Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. MDT at McMahon Stadium in Calgary
Television: TSN, ESPN3
Radio: Newstalk 770, SiriusXM Channel 167
Internet: www.newstalk770.com

The Stampeders

Jon Cornish is heating up just in time for this week’s big game, posting back-to-back games of 90 rushing yards or better after rushing for just 41 yards in his first game back from injury. The Stamps have averaged 109.5 rushing yards per game over the past two games compared to 73.5 yards per game in the two previous games games Edmonton and 91.8 rushing yards per game over the season.

QB Bo Levi Mitchell has cooled off a touch of late, throwing for more than 300 yards just once in his past five games and throwing just six touchdowns compared to four interceptions. SB Eric Rogers and SB Marquay McDaniel continue to be Mitchell’s go-to guys in the passing game, combining for 130 receptions, the highest total of any team’s top two receivers. The two also have eight of the nine 100-yard receiving games registered by the Stamps this year and are the only two receivers on the team to have caught passes in each of the 14 games this year.

On defence, Calgary gave up a season-high 431 total yards to the Eskimos in the Week 12 loss, 352 of them through the air (second-highest total of the year). Calgary also lost the turnover battle, managing just one takeaway compared to four giveaways. The Stamps actually lost the battle in both games against Edmonton, going a combined minus-4 but still managed to get the split.

Since that loss, Calgary has allowed just an average of just 241 passing yards per game and two passing touchdowns while picking off four passes. Freddie Bishop III continued his sack streak last week with a sack in his sixth straight game to tie Charleston Hughes for the team lead with nine while Deron Mayo moved into sixth place in the CFL’s tackles race after a team-leading eight stops brought his season total to 65. 

Who to watch:

Jon Cornish – RB, #9
2015 stats – 103 carries, 550 rushing yards, 5.3-yard average, 4 TDs –  leads team in rushing, fourth in CFL
Last game – 14 carries, 90 rushing yards, 6.4-yard average; 7 receptions, 64 receiving yards, 9.1-yard average  – Week 15 at Ham.; led team in receiving
2015 vs Edm. – did not play due to injury

Eric Rogers – SB, #80
2015 stats – 72 receptions, 1,184 receiving yards, 66.1% reception percentage, 16.4-yard average, 7 TDs – leads CFL in receptions, receiving yards
Last game – 5 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 12.0-yard average – Week 15 at Ham.
2015 vs Edm. – 12 receptions, 117 receiving yards, 9.8-yard average – two games

Bo Levi Mitchell – QB, #19
2015 stats – 466 attempts, 305 completions, 65.5% completion rate, 3,808 passing yards, 20 TDs, 11 int.,  95.1 QB rating – second in CFL in passing yards, career high in passing yards
Last game – 40 attempts, 25 completions, 62.5% completion rate, 230 passing yards, 1 TD, 0 int.,  86.5 QB rating –  Week 15 at Ham.
2015 vs Edm. – 77 attempts, 49 completions, 63.6% completion rate, 495 passing yards, 2 TDs, 3 int. – two games

Glenn Love – LB, #36
2015 stats – 10 tackles, 9 special teams tackles, 1 fumble return – 10 games, two starts
Last game – 5 tackles, 1 fumble return – Week 15 at Ham., second start of the year
2015 vs Edm. – 3 special teams tackles – two games

Micah Johnson – DT, #93
2015 stats – 16 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 3 sacks, 3 pass knockdowns, 1 fumble return – seven games
Last game – 2 tackles, 1 pass knockdown – Week 15 at Ham.
2015 vs Edm. – 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass knockdown – two games

The Eskimos         

The Eskimos have won four games in a row, the longest current winning streak in the league, since the return of starting quarterback Mike Reilly (#13) and the win over Calgary in Week 12. The emergence of receiver Derel Walker (#87; 59 catches, 777 receiving yards) gives Reilly three big targets in the passing game, combining with slotbacks Adarius Bowman (#4) and Kenny Stafford (#7) to cause headaches for opposing secondaries.

Running back Chad Simpson has filled in for the Eskimos and has 251 rushing yards and a 5.3-yard average in six starts.

Edmonton can argue it has the best defence in the CFL, placing in the top three in most of the major defensive categories. Defensive end Odell Willis (#41) is tied for the team lead in sacks with six while defensive end Willie Jefferson (#99) has three sacks in his last three games. Middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt (#47) is second on the team in tackles with 57 and defensive backs Pat Watkins (#9), Aaron Grymes (#36) and John Ojo (#26) each have four interceptions.

Mike Reilly – QB, #13
2015 stats – 175 attempts, 103 completions, 58.9% completion rate, 1,168 passing yards, 7 TDs, 4 int., 82.8 QB rating – five starts
Last game – 42 attempts, 30 completions, 71.4% completion rate, 298 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 int.,  79.3 QB rating –  Week 15 at Wpg.
2015 vs Cgy. – 52 attempts, 27 completions, 51.9% completions rate, 442 passing yards, 3 TDs 0 int. – two games, one start

Adarius Bowman – SB, #4
2015 stats – 63 receptions, 820 receiving yards, 13.0-yard average, 5 receiving TDs – leads team in receiving, seventh in CFL
Last game – 7 receptions, 74 receiving yards, 10.6-yard average, 0 TDs – Week 15 at Wpg.
2015 vs Cgy. – 11 receptions, 197 receiving yards, 17.9-yard average, 2 TDs – two games

Dexter McCoil – LB, #45
2015 stats – 60 tackles, 5 special-teams tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 int., 4 pass knockdowns, 1 fumble return, 1 forced fumble – leads team in tackles, ninth in CFL
Last game – 5 tackles, 1 pass knockdown – Week 15 at Wpg.
2015 vs Cgy. – 13 tackles, 1 special teams tackle – two games

Stats (through Week 15)

Week 16 in the CFL

Tuesday, Oct 6 – Toronto 38 Ottawa 35
Friday, Oct. 9, 5:30 p.m. – Saskatchewan at Hamilton
Saturday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m. – Winnipeg at BC
Monday, Oct. 12, 11 a.m. – Toronto at Montreal