A much anticipated showdown between provincial rivals will go on Thursday night without one of the marquee attractions. As the Calgary Stampeders announced that Running Back Jon Cornish is on the shelf for at least six more weeks. Not good news for the Stamps who struggled to score points last weekend without their dominating back to carry the load.
The absence of Cornish in the Stamps backfield might make things a little easier for the still undefeated Eskimos, who will be looking to push their record to 5 and 0 by the time Monday rolls around. To achieve that, the Esks will most likely need to put a few more points on the scoreboard, a place that they have held back on in the late twenties over the first four weeks.
Break 29 and someone is probably going to be taking two points home at the end of the night.
The BC Lions hold the Friday Night Football spotlight this week, looking to keep on with their winning ways as they play host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Blue landed hard after their impressive start to the season, handled with ease by the Eskimos last week and struggling to score as they lost 26 to 3 decision to the Esks.
The task won't get any easier against a Lions team that seemed to shake off its early season lethargy last week in a convincing victory over the Als, a game which provided for two stars of the week on offensive play. Defensively the Leos shut down the Als, leaving little opportunity for Montreal to make any kind of charge, the Bombers will most likely have seen that review and made their notes as to where they need to make the key plays should they hope to get back on the winning track.
Saturday was supposed to be the Grand Opening of the new stadium in Hamilton, however construction delays leave the place still looking like a collection of Tim Bits scattered in a box, sending the Ti-Cats to McMaster for a match up with the RedBlacks.
The original plan most likely included a large contingent of Ottawa fans planning to make the trip to the Steel City, but one imagines that there is no kind of math that will deliver the projected crow of some 25,000 to a stadium that might hold 6,000 at best. Making Saturday on fairly long day of explanations we imagine for the TiCat front office.
As for the work on the field, the Cats have suffered any number of miscues on the field in the opening weeks leaving them to still be seeking out their first win of the year, the task won't be an easy one against a very competitive RedBlacks, who haven't quite looked like an expansion team in most of their outings thus far.
Ottawa comes into Hamilton with a win behind their backs after their home opening victory and all the drama associated with last minute drives and field goals. The RedBlacks will be looking to build on that momentum.
Week Five wraps up with the Toronto Argonauts making the trek to Regina to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders, two teams that have been playing rather inconsistent football to launch the 2014 season.
Saskatchewan comes off the bye week with more than few lessons having been reviewed about their mental mistakes and costly discipline issues late into the games.
The Argos on the other hand have lost two in a row and will be in a snarling kind of mood after having let Ottawa off the hook last week to sneak past the Double Blue for some last minute heroics.
For both Ricky Ray and Darian Durant, week five provides the opportunity to get back into an offensive rhythm, something that both have struggled with in recent weeks.
Below, we'll provide the scoreboard for the week, as well as any items of note from the first week of the brand new season.
Thursday, July 24-- Calgary 26 at Edmonton 22 ( 40,066 )
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )
Video Highlights-- Calgary / Edmonton
Game Recap-- Advantage Calgary: Stamps remain perfect in win over Esks
Stats Pack-- Calgary / Edmonton
Game Reviews:
12 Men--
Calgary Sun-- Calgary Stampeders just get by Edmonton Eskimos in CFL win
Calgary Herald-- Stamps win battle of undefeated teams, claiming ninth straight over Eskimos
Edmonton Sun-- Edmonton Eskimos edged by Calgary Stampeders for first loss of CFL Season
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos haunted by poor gambles in loss to Stampeders
National Post-- Calgary Stampeders edge Edmonton Eskimos to keep perfect season alive
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Friday, July 25-- Winnipeg 23 at British Columbia 6 ( 25,316 )
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )
Video Highlights-- Winnipeg / British Columbia
Game Recap-- Hajrullahu, Bombers leg out a win over Lions
Stats Pack-- Winnipeg / British Columbia
Game Reviews:
12 Men--
Winnipeg Sun-- Blue Bounce back with big win over B. C.
Winnipeg Free Press-- Blue puts the boots to Lions
Vancouver Province-- Blue Bombers 23, B. C. Lions 6: Multiple turnovers blight Leo's inept performance
Vancouver Sun-- Arceneaux' bold talk less convincing after 23-6 loss to Blue Bombers
CBC Sports-- Lirim Hajrullahu boots Bombers past Lions
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Saturday, July 26-- Ottawa 23 at Hamilton 33 (At McMaster) ( 6,500 )
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )
Video Highlights-- Ottawa / Hamilton
Game Recap-- LeFevour lifts Tiger-Cats to home win over RedBlacks
Stats Pack-- Ottawa / Hamilton
Game Reviews:
12 Men--
Ottawa Sun-- 'This one is going to hurt'
Ottawa Citizen-- Injuries, loss sting RedBlacks
Hamilton Spectator-- Lefevour outstanding in much-needed Ticat victory
Toronto Sun-- Ticats beat RedBlacks for first win of season
Globe and Mail-- Lefevour impresses in debut as CFL starter, leading Ticats to win
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Saturday, July 26-- Toronto 9 at Saskatchewan 37 ( 32,621 )
CFL.ca Game Preview-- ( video )
Video Highlights-- Toronto / Saskatchewan
Game Recap-- Ford and a stellar defence help Riders take care of Argos
Stats Pack-- Toronto / Saskatchewan
Game Reviews:
12 Men--
Regina Leader Post-- Ford shines as Riders swarm Argonauts 37-9
Toronto Star-- Argonauts mystified by QB Ray's current funk
Toronto Sun-- Argonauts fall into last after blowout loss against Roughriders
Canada.com-- Ford rushes for three touchdowns, Riders beat Argos 37-9
Globe and Mail-- Will Ford leads Roughriders to rout of Argonauts
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