Ticats.ca Staff
The Tiger-Cats (0-2) get back to work on Friday night as the team heads to hostile McMahon Stadium to take on the Calgary Stampeders (2-0) at 10 p.m ( AM900 CHML/ TSN). Friday night’s matchup will mark the first time in club history that the Tiger-Cats have opened the season with three straight games on the road.
After suffering a nailbiting loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in week two, the Tiger-Cats come off of a bye week looking to put their first notch in the win column this season while Calgary looks to extend their win streak to three games.
TIGER-CATS HISTORY vs. CALGARY
Here’s a look at the history between the Tiger-Cats and Stampeders…
| WINS | LOSSES | TIES | PTS FOR | PTS AGAINST | |
| ALL-TIME | 30 | 55 | 0 | 1,888 | 2,403 |
| LAST 10 (TOTAL) | 2 | 8 | 0 | 244 | 304 |
| LAST 10 (vs. CGY on the road) | 1 | 9 | 0 | 227 | 333 |
| IN 2013: | 0 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 61 |
HEAD-TO-HEAD
| JEREMIAH MASOLI TIGER-CATS QUARTERBACK |
CALGARY STAMPEDERS DEFENCE |
|
|
Head coach Kent Austin announced earlier this week that QB Jeremiah Masoli will get his first career start on Friday,. In the Tiger-Cats week 2 loss to Edmonton, Masoli put together 118 yards and a touchdown in relief of injured Zach Collaros. Austin expressed his confidence in Masoli saying, “Jeremiah understands the offence, he can get rid of the ball and he understands his reads, he can throw in to crowds and make plays on his feet when he needs to.” Masoli, who saw limited action in 2013, went 9-of-12 passing for 137 yards and three touchdowns in two quarters in the pre-season this year. |
Defence has been the name of the game for the Calgary Stampeders in their first two games. Through 120 minutes, Calgary’s defence has given up just one touchdown to their opposition – a 1-yard plunge from Montreal’s Steven Lumbala in the final seconds of their week one matchup. Last week, the Stamps ‘D’ continued to hold strong as they limited the Argonauts to five field goals, three of which came in the red zone, in their 34-15 win. Calgary has allowed an average of justv 258.5 passing yards per game, and leads the league with an average gain per pass of 6.2 yards.
|
DEFENSIVE COMPARISON
The Tiger-Cats and Stampeders defences have been impressive through two games. Check out how both teams match-up defensively so far this season…
PLAYERS TO WATCH
WR Andy Fantuz: Ticats receiver Andy Fantuz will make his 2014 debut this week vs. Calgary after being sidelined for the first two games with a concussion. In his last two games vs. the Stamps, Fantuz had a total of 13 catches for 186 yards and a touchdown – an average of six catches for 93 yards per game.
WR Greg Ellingson: Greg Ellingson will make his first start of the season on Friday. Before missing the final six games of the 2013 regular season, Ellingson lead the league in receiving. He went on to lead all rookie receivers in the CFL in receptions (52) and yards (800) in 2013.
DE Eric Norwood: In two games vs. Calgary in 2013, Eric Norwood compiled seven defensive tackles and a quarterback sack. Five of Norwood’s tackles came in the Tiger-Cats second meeting with the Stampeders in 2013.
LB Taylor Reed: Newcomer Taylor Reed will get his first taste of CFL action against the Stampeders as the man in the middle of the Tiger-Cats front seven. Reed, who joined the Tiger-Cats practoce roster on June 27, spent time with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as well as the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots.
GAME NOTES
- In four career games vs. the Calgary Stampeders, Ticats K/P Justin Medlock has hit 9-of-9 field goal attempts (100%) with a long of 52 yards. This season, Medlock has hit his lone field goal attempt from 22 yards.
- Since 1995, there have been 93 different quarterbacks make their debut CFL QB start. Their record is a combined 30-62-1 (.328). This week, Jeremiah Masoli will be the first QB to make their first start this year.
- In 2013, Ticats running back C.J. Gable compiled 185 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown on 21 carries while hauling in a total of 10 passes for 144 yards in two games vs. Calgary. In each of the Tiger-Cats two games, Gable put together a 100-yard performance.
- This week is the first time since 2009 that Hamilton will be coming off a bye week and playing a team that played the week before. In their games following byes from 2010 to 2013 they always played a team that also had a bye.
- Marc Beswick is eight special teams tackles away from tying Rob Hitchcock’s team record of 122 special teams tackles.
