THE CANADIAN PRESS
| Tiger-Cats (9-7) @ Calgary Stampeders (11-5) Regular Season Game 17 Friday, October 29 @ 10:00 p.m. McMahon Stadium – Calgary, Alberta |
BROADCAST INFORMATION
| TV BROADCAST: |
National broadcast on Wendy’s Friday Night Football on TSN |
| Play by play: Chris Cuthbert / Colour: Glen Suitor |
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| RADIO BROADCAST: | AM 900 CHML, simulcast on Y108 (Listen Live) |
| Play by play: Rick Zamperin / Colour: John ‘Coach Sal’ Salavantis |
THE MATCH-UP
Tonight’s game will be the second of two regular season meetings between the Tiger-Cats and the Stampeders in the 2010 season. The Stampeders won the first meeting between the two teams back in week two at Ivor Wynne Stadium, using a late Rob Maver field goal to beat the Ticats 23-22. The match-up will be the 79th meeting between the two teams since 1950, with the Stampeders holding an 49-29-0-1 advantage in the all time series. Calgary has won the last two meetings and seven out of the last 10. Calgary has won five in a row and eight out of the last 10 meetings between the two teams at McMahon Stadium.
The Ticats come into tonight’s game having won three in a row for the second time this season, defeating Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal during the streak. The Tiger-Cats defence has not allowed a touchdown in 10 quarters and the team overall has outscored opponents 106-17 during the streak. Calgary comes into tonight’s game having lost four out of their last six after starting the season with a 9-1 record. Last week, Calgary overcame a 20 point deficit but still lost to B.C. 36-31. Calgary has already secured a berth in the Western Final, while the Ticats will secure home-field advantage for the Eastern Semi-Final with a win or an Argonauts loss tonight.
This will be the third meeting between head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille and Jim Hufnagel. Bellefeuille has a career record of 19-23 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 1-3 record against the Stampeders. Hufnagel has a career record of 34-17-1 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 4-1 record against the Ticats.
2010 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
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Total Offence Per Game |
379.8 (4th) | 432.7 (1st) |
| Rushing Offence Per Game | 92.6 (8th) | 147.8 (1st) |
| Passing Offence Per Game | 306.4 (3rd) | 303.0 (4th) |
| Total Defence Per Game | 377.5 (4th) | 336.2 (1st) |
| Rushing Defence Per Game | 110.9 (4th) | 92.7 (1st) |
| Passing Defence Per Game | 289.6 (8th) | 270.8 (4th) |
| Points Per Game | 27.2 (4th) | 33.5 (1st) |
| Opponents Points Per Game | 23.2 (1st) | 25.2 (3rd) |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kevin Glenn / QB / Hamilton
Glenn is closing in on two major milestones and could reach both of them in tonight’s game against Calgary. Glenn sits just 275 passing yards away from 5,000 yards for the season and is one touchdown away from 30 touchdown passes on the season. It will be just the second time he has reached 5,000 yards passing in one season and it would be the first time in his career he’s thrown for 30 touchdowns in one season. Glenn’s 66.1% completion percentage this season is also the best of his career. Glenn may need a big game for the Ticats to put points on the board, as they are going up against the league’s number one rush defence.
Marquay McDaniel & Dave Stala / WR / Hamilton
McDaniel and Stala are neck in neck in closing in for 1,000 yards on the season. McDaniel needs just 82 yards to reach 1,000 and Stala needs 45. Both of these receivers have been go-to guys on key second downs situations this season and look for that to continue tonight. The Ticats will need to have an effective passing game against the Stampeders tonight and McDaniel and Stala will have opportunities to make big plays.
Joffrey Reynolds / RB / Calgary
Reynolds was mostly left out of the Calgary offence last week against B.C. as the Stampeders trailed by 20 points early on in the game and relied on throwing the ball to get themselves back into it. Reynolds recorded just eight rushing yards on four carries last week and Calgary ended up losing 36-31. For the Ticats, the key will be containing Reynolds. In every Calgary loss this season, Reynolds has been held to under 50 yards rushing.
Nik Lewis / WR / Calgary
Lewis has turned into Henry Burris’ go-to receiver over the past couple of weeks and for the majority of the season. Lewis leads the Stampeders in receptions and receiving yards this season and is coming off a monster game last week. Lewis caught seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions. The Ticats will need to make Burris look for another receiver in order to keep Lewis out of the flow of the game. If Lewis is able to make a few big plays tonight, it could be the difference between victory and defeat for the Ticats.
KEY MATCH-UP
Tiger-Cats Passing Game vs. Stampeders Secondary
The key match-up in this game is the Tiger-Cats Passing Game against the Stampeders Secondary. The Tiger-Cats come into the game with the league’s third ranked pass offence going up against the league’s fourth ranked pass defence. However, the Stamps have the league’s number one overall defence because of their ability to defend the run. If the Ticats can’t get the running game going early on, they might need to rely on Glenn and the passing offence to get the job done tonight. The Stampeders are talented in the secondary, tied for second in the league in interceptions with 21. Former Ticats cornerback Dwight Anderson and Brandon Browner will be looking to make game changing plays for the Stampeders as well. For the Ticats to be successful tonight, they will need big games from Glenn, McDaniel and Stala. If Cobb and the offensive line can manage to get the running game going early on, the passing game could flourish tonight in Calgary.
