Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The eighth week of football in the eighth month of the year has arrived, and much like the late summer weather in some parts of the country the temperature across the CFL is rising fast.
It starts on Thursday night with some can’t-miss TV, as the Montreal Alouettes visit the Edmonton Eskimos in a battle of two teams needing a win badly. Mike Reilly leads the CFL’s No. 1 passing attack up against Noel Thorpe’s second-ranked pass defence in what’s sure to be a chess match, one that both clubs need to win stay competitive in their respective division races.
The action moves to Southern Ontario for some Friday Night Football in Toronto, where the Argos and Bombers, in perhaps an unlikely twist to some, each have a chance to make it three straight wins. Matt Nichols is 2-0 as a starter and has sparked a turnaround in the Manitoba capital, while Logan Kilgore looks to continue his early success in career start No. 2 in the absence of Ricky Ray.
A CFL double-header arrives on Saturday night, starting with a rematch between the Riders and Stampeders in Regina. Chris Jones’ team showed some fight in a 35-15 loss a week ago and will look for a better result in what’s being dubbed as the final summer game at Mosaic Stadium ever; on the other hand, Dave Dickenson’s Stamps haven’t lost since Week 1 and look to remain the league’s hottest team.
If that’s not enough, the big ticket comes immediately after with the Week 8 CFL Pick ‘Em Marquee Matchup. Zach Collaros will be back in the Ticats’ huddle to make his first start in nearly 11 months, as he leads the Black and Gold up against a powerhouse defence and a team looking to make a statement in the BC Lions.
BUY WEEK 8 TICKETS
» Thursday, 9:00 p.m. ET: Montreal at Edmonton
» Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET: Winnipeg at Toronto
» Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET: Calgary at Saskatchewan
» Saturday, 10:00 p.m. ET: Hamilton at BC
THIS WEEK IN THE CFL
Going back to back: The first of eight back-to-backs in 2016 concludes this weekend when the Stamps visit the Riders. There have been 71 such sets since 2007 with there being 34 splits (48 per cent) and 37 sweeps (52 per cent). The Stampeders have not been swept since 2004 against Edmonton while the Riders have only been swept once since 2009 (last season vs. BC), a fate they’ll look to avoid suffering in Week 8.
Stoppages on the decline: Three of four games in Week 7 clocked in at 2:46 or under, while last week’s games had only seven total challenges — the lowest for any week during the 2016 campaign. Meanwhile, three of four games recorded 19 or fewer penalties, reducing the average to 19.7 penalties per game (a 24 per cent drop from this time last season).
Red zone struggles: The offences struggled to produce in the red zone last weekend, scoring only 13 touchdowns on 29 red zone trips (45 per cent).
Closing the gap: Road teams continue to hold a substantial edge this season, winning 17 times and adding a tie in 28 games — but home teams are closing the gap after going 3-1 in Week 7.
What winning teams do: Last week, winning teams converted 38 second down conversions in all compared to 20 for losing teams (a margin of 4.5 conversions per game); all teams that won the first quarter in Week 7 went on to win the game, winners outscoring losers in the first quarter a combined 43-15; winning teams this year average 90 rushing yards per game compared to 61 per game for losing teams; winning teams allow only 1.8 sacks per game compared to losing teams, which allow 3.1 per game; and finally, winning teams average 31:41 time of possession.
The 2,000-yard club? Only three players have reached the elusive 2,000 receiving yards club in CFL history (Allen Pitts, Terry Greer and Derrell Mitchell), but Derel Walker (668 yards) and Adarius Bowman (682 yards) are both on pace to eclipse that mark.
Reilly’s pace slows: Mike Reilly’s pace has slowed after landing under the 300 passing yard mark for the first time this season in Week 7, but he still projects to throw for 6,543 passing yards — a pace that would put him second all-time on the single-season list behind only Doug Flutie’s record of 6,619 set in 1991.
» BERG VS. FERG: Does Collaros make the Ticats front-runners?
Zach Collaros is ready to make his first start in nearly 11 months vs. the Lions (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
WEEK 8 GAME NOTES
Jennings eyes ‘outstanding’ company: BC Lions pivot Jonathan Jennings has eclipsed the 300-yard mark in three straight games. If he can do it at home against Hamilton this week, he will join Most Outstanding Players Dave Dickenson, Casey Printers and Doug Flutie as the only BC QBs to pass for 300-plus yards in four consecutive games.
Sack master: BC’s Alex Bazzie leads the league with six sacks this year thanks in part to his remarkable consistency, heading into Week 8 eight a sack in every game so far this season. Bombers defensive end Jamaal Westerman has notched a sack in four of his last five games.
No answer for Carter: Montreal’s leading receiver Duron Carter has three straight games of 100 or more receiving yards. The last Alouettes player to do that was Brandon London in 2012. Jamel Richardson had four straight games of 100-plus receiving yards in 2011.
No trouble in Paredes: Calgary’s kicker Rene Paredes started the season 4-of-8 in the kicking department, however he has now hit 16 consecutive field goals, including all five attempts in a 35-15 Calgary win over the Riders in Week 7.
High-volume for Fantuz: Andy Fantuz would be a must-own player in any fantasy league that rewards points per reception, as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver has recorded at least six receptions in every game except one.
Don’t look now, but… Leading rusher Jerome Messam is 15 yards away from joining the top-75 all-time rushers. Messam has a CFL-best 404 rushing yards
Chasing history: Bo Levi Mitchell continued his streak with two TD passes versus Saskatchewan last week. He’s tied for the fourth longest streak in league history. Mitchell is also looking to extend his 300-plus passing yards streak to six in Week 8.
Eskimos and Alouettes: How badly do the Eskimos and Alouettes need a win this week? Neither team is currently in a playoff position if the playoffs began today. The last time both teams did not make the playoffs in the same year was 1971.
OK, maybe a little trouble in Paredes: The Stampeders missed another one-point convert vs. the Riders in their Week 7 matchup for the sixth game in a row. Head Coach Dave Dickenson continues to opt for the extra point attempt though, attempting two-point conversions only twice and succeeding on one of them.
Lucky No. 13? Riders linebacker Greg Jones led all defenders with 13 tackles versus Calgary in Week 7, matching Montreal’s Bear Woods’ season-high across the CFL.
Nichols has the spark: Winnipeg’s Matt Nichols has now won his first two starts after a change. The last time that has happened in Winnipeg was when Kevin Glenn took over Khari Jones September 2004.
Wild pace for Bombers linebacker: Ian Wild added nine tackles to reach 54 this season and is on pace for 139. That would be No. 2 all-time behind Solomon Elimimian’s 151 in 2014.
