Adam Gagnon
CFL.ca Staff
With files from Steve Daniel, CFL Head Statistician
TORONTO — Another week of football is upon us, which means it’s time for another edition of the CFL.ca Game Notes.
The action gets underway with what is arguably the must-see game of the week, with the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders clashin in the Battle of Alberta, and of the undefeated.
On Friday Night Football, the Blue Bombers will look to rebound from a rough loss in Week 4, as they travel to Vancouver to take on a suddenly confident BC Lions team at BC Place.
On Saturday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats return to action after a week off, and will welcome the Ottawa REDBLACKS to Steeltown.
Later that night, the week will come to a close with a rematch in Regina, as the Argos make their way to Mosaic Stadium to do battle with the Roughriders.
Equipped with the most up-to-date storylines, roster moves, stats, milestones and trends, enjoy this week’s CFL.ca Game Notes.
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Thursday, 9:00 pm ET: Calgary at Edmonton
Friday, 10:00 pm ET: Winnipeg at BC
Saturday, 7:00 pm ET: Ottawa at Hamilton
Saturday, 10:00 pm ET: Toronto at Saskatchewan
By the Numbers:
Ottawa’s Home Debut – 7 Lead Changes: Last week, the REDBLACKS played their first home game and out of that came an interesting result. There were 7 lead changes, matching the most in any non-OT CFL game since September 29, 1956 when there were 8 in a 44-43 Montreal win vs. Hamilton. There were 10 lead changes in an OT game between Edmonton and Saskatchewan on October 28, 2000 (alternating possession format).
Ottawa’s Win Without a Touchdown: Last week, the REDBLACKS won 18-17 and did so without scoring a TD. The last time that occurred was on July 16, 2010 when Montreal beat BC 16-12 with four field goals, a safety and two singles. Teams have won just 15 times in the last 20 years without scoring a single touchdown.
Penalties down in Week #4: Last week the average per game was down by five (22.5) and 20 in total from Week 3 (110), though each game had more than 20 penalties.
Defences Dominate: Since 2012, the CFL-wide average for net offence per game has continued to decline as defences have emerged as our clubs’ main focus. Net offence per game in 2014 sits at 656 yards combined. That average is a 10% decline since 2011.
West vs, East in 2014: Through Week 4, Western clubs held a 10-2 advantage over Eastern opponents. The last time that Eastern clubs won the season series was 2004. No Eastern club has won on the road in 2014.
Still 3-1 & 3rd: The Bombers head into this week at 3-1 and in 3rd place in the West. In 2005, the last time they were in the West Division, after four games they stood at 0-4 and two wins out of 4th place: BC 4-0, Edm 3-1, Ssk 3-1, Cgy 2-2, Wpg 0-4.
QB Sack Rate: Since an average league-wide of 4.3 sacks per game in 2012, that rate has grown to 5.5 in 2013 and in 2014 up to 6.4 per game, an increase of 52% over 2012.
Upcoming Milestones:
– Kevin Glenn (40,299): Needs 236 passing yards to pass Tracy Ham (40,534) and move into 9th spot all-time.
– Andrew Harris (2,841): Needs 159 rushing yards to reach 3,000 for his career.
– Brandon Whitaker (2,880): Needs 120 rushing yards to reach 3,000 for his career.
– Paul McCallum (2,903): Needs 30 points to surpass Paul Osbaldiston (2,932) for #3 all-time.
– Sean Whyte (681): Needs 19 points to become the 32nd player in CFL history to reach 700 career points.
– Chip Cox (616): Needs 23 defensive tackles to match Shannon Garrett (638) for #9 all-time.
Roster Moves:
After reports started circling on Tuesday night, the Calgary Stampeders made it official on Wednesday, announcing that Jon Cornish has been placed on the six-game injured list, as he continues to recover from a concussion.
The Blue Bombers will be without DB Johnny Sears, which means Maurice Leggett will check into the lineup. Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea also said that DE Jason Vega won’t available against BC either.
In Hamilton, Zach Collaros was ruled out for the 2nd-straight week by the Ticats, meaning either Jeremiah Masoli or Dan LeFevour will start under centre against Ottawa.
Stay tuned for more updates througout the week.
Fantasy Notes:
Below is a look at the top five consensus picks by position for Week 4, according to TSN Fantasy Owners.
QB: Mike Reilly (21.1%), Bo Levi Mitchell (16.8%), Drew Willy (16.0%), Darian Durant (15.3%), Kevin Glenn (11.2%)
RB: Nic Grigsby (33.3%), Chevon Walker (18.6%), Andrew Harris (16.0%), Anthony Allen (8.2%), John White (5.0%)
REC: Adarius Bowman (49.0%), Emmanuel Arceneaux (29.4%), Taj Smith (14.0%), Kierrie Johnson (9.9%), Jeff Fuller (8.9%)
Flex:Nic Grigsby (14.1%), Chevon Walker (11.2%), Andrew Harris (9.5%), Adarius Bowman (8.8%), Emmanuel Arceneaux (5.6%)
K:Grant Shaw (32.4%), Lirim Hajrullahu (23.9%), Brett Maher (13.0%), Paul McCallum (10.0%), Swayze Waters (6.6%)
D/ST:Edmonton (37.4%), Calgary (12.7%), Saskatchewan (12.3%), Ottawa (10.6%), Winnipeg (9.1%)
