Kevin Udahl/CFL.ca
TORONTO — It’s not where the Calgary Stampeders or Hamilton Tiger-Cats wanted to be at Week 20 of the season, both out of the playoffs and finishing out the schedule, but both teams are trying to find the positives in their situations.
The Ticats have won five of their past six games and are coming out of a bye week. Their focus is on taking the good momentum they’ve tapped into over the last two months and finding a way to bring it back into training camp next year.
The Stamps have had a frustrating run, having not won a game since Week 9, despite having 13 of their 16 games decided in the final three minutes this year. Ending this winless stretch is the goal, while the Stamps will look to get back to the dominance they’d shown over the league for much of the last decade.
There’s a silver lining up for grabs on Friday night. Who will come away with it? CFL.ca brings you three matchups to watch on Friday Night Football.
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BO LEVI MITCHELL VS. HISTORY
After spending the last few seasons hounded by injuries, Bo Levi Mitchell has stayed healthy in 2024 and is enjoying his best statistical campaign in six years. Mitchell’s 4,576 passing yards are a league-best this year and he’s got two games left to go over the 5,000-yard mark. That’s something the future hall of famer has only done twice in his 12-year career. Mitchell would no doubt love to add to his season totals against his former team. The Stamps’ defence as a whole has been generous this season, allowing 379.3 yards of net offence a game, which is the league’s second-worst total. Their pass defence has been better than most through this year, though, surrendering 265.3 yards per game. That’s just behind league-leading Winnipeg and Montreal.
BACKUP QUARTERBACKS GETTING INTO THE MIX
Both Scott Milanovich and Dave Dickenson have said that despite their teams missing the playoffs this year, they want to continue to try to win games before they pack it in at the end of Week 21. The challenge for both head coaches will be to do that while giving players time to evaluate how they can fit into their plans in 2025. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Milanovich said that Mitchell will get the start at quarterback, but he also wants to find time for Taylor Powell in these final two games. Milanovich said Powell had a very good training camp but was lost to injury in Week 11, which was when Mitchell’s play elevated and the Ticats made a late-season playoff push.
Dickenson is handing the offence to Matt Shiltz for the second week in a row, after having Jake Maier handle primary starting duties this year. While Shiltz wasn’t able to help the Stamps snap their now eight-game winless stretch, he managed 251 passing yards on 18-33 passing for a touchdown and an interception. Shiltz also ran five times for 64 yards in the Stamps’ loss to the Elks.
RECEIVER PRODUCTION VS. CHRIS JONES’ DEFENCE
Reggie Begelton has broken the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the third time in his career, standing as a bright spot in a dim season that’s seen the Stamps’ 18-year playoff run come to an end. If the Stamps — who are winless on the road this year — are going to end their winless streak and find a high note to close things out on, Begelton will need some help in the receiving corps.
Marken Michel (63 catches, 663 yards) and Jalen Philpot (58 catches, 603 yards) have had good seasons for the Stamps, placing second and third, respectively, on the team in receiving. One player who could step up on Friday is second-year receiver Clark Barnes. The former Guelph Gryphon will be back in his Golden Horseshoe stomping grounds and could be primed for a big game.
Standing in Begelton and Co.’s way will be a Chris Jones-driven defence that has played well since Jones came aboard in August. Stavros Katsantonis, Richard Leonard and Will Sunderland have played their part in holding opposing QBs to an average of 240 yards over their last three games, per our Stamps-Ticats preview. Some turnovers would go a long way for the Ticats, who haven’t pulled in an interception in their last two games.
