Head To Head: Tiger-Cats at Stampeders

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-2) vs. Calgary Stampeders  (3-2)
Game 6 | Saturday, August 6 @ 9:30 p.m., EST
McMahon Stadium – Calgary, Alberta

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV BROADCAST:  TSN featuring Rod Black (play-by-play) and Glen Suitor (analyst)
RADIO BROADCAST:  AM 900 CHML featuring Rick Zamperin (play-by-play) and John Salavantis (analyst)

THE MATCH-UP

Saturday’s game will be the first of two regular season meetings between the Tiger-Cats and the Stampeders in 2011. This match-up will be the 80th meeting between the two teams since 1950, with the Stampeders holding an 50-29-0-1 advantage in the series. Calgary has won seven out of the last ten contests between the two squads and the Tiger-Cats have not won at McMahon stadium since 2004.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are riding high on a three-game win streak, outscoring their opponents by a score of 106-60 during the streak. Last week, the Ticats hosted the defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes, defeating them 34-26, in an entertaining contest at Ivor Wynne Stadium. With Kevin Glenn establishing a rhythm with his young receivers and the Ticats defence stifling the likes of Darian Durrant and Anthony Calvillo, the Cats will look to ride their wave of momentum into Calgary, snapping their winless drought at McMahon Stadium.  

The Calgary Stampeders come into Saturday’s affair looking for their first win at home this season. Uncharacteristicly, the Stamps have lost both of their contests at McMahon this year, but have won all three of their road tilts. Calgary has only scored 11 points in the first quarter of their games in 2011, but have posted 43 points in the fourth quarter, finishing strong and making games interesting. The Stamps offensive line has allowed 15 sacks this season, a league worst, an achilles heel that the Tiger-Cats front seven will be on a mission to exploit. Calgary’s big men up front will have to protect their quarterback if they wan’t to win. 

This will be the sixth meeting between head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille and John Hufnagel. Bellefeuille has a career record of 22-27 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 1-4 record against the Stampeders. Hufnagel has a career record of 39-19-1 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 5-1 record against the Ticats. It is also worth noting that Tiger-Cats defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin coached the Stampeders secondary for the past three seasons before making the switch to Hamilton this off-season. Also, former Tiger-Cats offensive coordinator Mike Gibson, who served as the Ticats OC for the past two seasons, is now in Calgary as the Stampeders running backs coach.  

2011 STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Total Offence Per Game	350.4 (4th)	365.8 (3rd)
Rushing Offence Per Game	99.0 (6th)	109.4 (3rd)
Passing Offence Per Game	263.4 (5th)	280.2 (4th)
Total Defence Per Game	339.0 (3rd)	305.0 (2nd)
Rushing Defence Per Game	93.6 (4th)	88.8 (3rd)
Passing Defence Per Game	271.2 (4th)	229.2 (2nd)
Points Per Game	26.4 (3rd)	23.4 (6th)
Opponents Points Per Game	22.4 (3rd)	23.4 (4th)

2011 INDIVIDUAL STATISTIC LEADERS

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kevin Glenn #5 / QB / Hamilton
After a shakey start to the season, Glenn has rebounded nicely during the Tiger-Cats three-game win streak. KG has thrown for 832 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions since July 16th, forcing critics to forget about his four interceptions to start the year. Glenn has been effective over the past three weeks, using his feet to keep drives alive and standing strong in the pocket, taking a hit to make a play when he has to. Glenn arrives at McMahon Stadium on Saturday needing 237 yards to reach the total of 30,000 career passing yards, a significant milestone for the grizzled veteran. The Stampeders have the second ranked defence against the pass this season, so Glenn and his receivers will have their work cut out for them.     

Marcus Thigpen #8 / RB/SB/KR/PR / Hamilton
As a rookie in 2010, Thigpen scored a touchdown on the Stampeders in four different ways. In two games against Calgary, Mr. Versatile had 56 yards on the ground and a touchdown, 47 yards receiving and a touchdown and ran back a punt return and a missed field goal return, both for touchdowns. Thigpen, who is fourth in the league in combined yards this season, is still looking for his first return touchdown of 2011 after coming very close countless times through the first five weeks. Wherever Thigpen lines up on Saturday, expect the Tiger-Cats to get the ball into his hands, as the Indiana product has a knack for burning the Stampeders. 

Henry Burris #1 / QB / Calgary
When the Tiger-Cats defence faces Burris on Saturday, they will have to account for both his arm and his legs. Smiling Hank has been making it difficult on opposing defences so far this season, throwing for 1140 yards and six touchdowns through the air. But what’s more of a concern for the Cats is what Burris has done on the ground. The All-Star quarterback has rushed for 167 yards through the first five games, the eigth highest rushing total in the CFL. He also has a 9.3 yards per rush average, the highest among any player in the league with a minimum of 10 carries. Burris also had his way with Hamilton last season, throwing for 549 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in his two games against the Ticats. Burris is also on the verge of passing Tom Clements on the CFL All-Time Passing Yards list, needing only 93 yards to move into eigth place.         

Keon Raymond #25 / DB / Calgary
Raymond, the Stampeders strong side half back, is a playmak
er. He’s got two interceptions this season, including a 66-yard touchdown, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The 5’10”, 190 lbs Raymond uses his speed and open field tackling ability to hunt down opposing pass catchers, packing a punch when he makes a hit. Raymond will spend the majority of the game defending Ticats receiver Dave Stala, who has four touchdowns in the last two weeks. The Stamps will rely on Raymond to neutralize Hamilton’s strong side slot receivers on Saturday, a task that many have had difficulties with.        

KEY MATCH-UP
Marcel Young vs. Romby Bryant
With Calgary’s All-Star receiver Ken-Yon Rambo out of the lineup on Saturday with a strained achilles, the brunt of the Stampeders receiving load will be transfered onto fourth year pass catcher, Romby Bryant. Unfortunately, for Black and Gold fans, the name Romby Bryant is all too familiar. The 6’1″, 191 lbs receiver torched the Ticats secondary last year in Week 18, catching five balls for 131 yards and three touchdowns at McMahon Stadium. In response, the Cats will deploy rookie cornerback Marcel Young as their answer for Bryant. Young, who has 13 tackles and two interceptions on the season, has received heaps of praise from his defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin so far this season. Young has the ability to close the gap between himself and opposing receivers quickly, is able to locate the ball in the air well and has dependable hands. As the game unfolds Saturday evening, the battle between Bryant and Young will be one to keep tabs on.