CFL
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — With the race to the 2012 post-season in full swing, three teams have an opportunity to reach the finish line this week.
The BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Alouettes can find an ‘X’ next to their names in the standings with a victory this week, coupled with a loss by the Edmonton Eskimos.
Week 15 action gets underway with the Esks hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for some Friday Night Football at Commonwealth Stadium.
On Saturday, the Stampeders are aiming to earn a share of first place in the West Division, as they travel to BC to take on the Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver.
After the action takes a brief rest on Sunday, fans will be treated to a Thanksgiving Monday double-header, beginning with the Blue Bombers travelling to La Belle Province to take on the Montreal Alouettes at Percival Molson Stadium.
Finally, Week 15 comes to a close at Rogers Centre in Toronto, with the Argonauts taking on the surging Roughriders.
Equipped with the most up-to-date storylines, roster moves, stats, milestones and trends, enjoy this week’s CFL.ca Game Notes.
By the Numbers:
Second-Down Passing: Here’s a look at a comparison of last week’s passing on second down between winning and losing clubs:
– Winning teams: 48-57, 660 yards, 84.2%, 37 completions for first downs or touchdowns
– Losing teams: 19-51, 300 yards, 37.3%, 14 completions for first downs or touchdowns
– Henry Burris was a perfect 17-17 on second down, throwing three touchdowns in the process. Of those 17 completions, 14 were for first downs or touchdowns.
– Darian Durant went 13-15 on second down, throwing for 196 yards and a touchdown.
Lucky No.7: This season, Calgary QB Kevin Glenn has started nine games, winning seven times for an impressive 7-2 record. He is the first QB to start a season as a backup and lead his club to seven wins since Michael Bishop accomplished the feat in 2008.
Big Margins: Over the last three weeks, the average margin of victory in the CFL has been 17.6 points-per-game; eight of which were decided by 10 points or more. Last week, the four winners all built leads at one time during their respective games of at least 16 points. One of the keys to this stat has been the ‘big play’, with winners earning 50 of them, while losers registering just 24.
1,000-yard Canucks: Last week, Jon Cornish became the eighth Canadian to go over the 1,000-yard rushing mark and just the second since Sean Millington in 2000. He now has 1,127 yards, the fifth-highest total ever by a Canadian-born running back, with Gerry James’ 1957 total of 1,192 next on the list. Cornish must average 62 yards-per-game the rest of the way to match Normie Kwong’s 1,437-yard total set in 1956.
BC’s Andrew Harris has 842 yards of his own, and if he reaches the millennium mark, it will be just the third time in league history that two Canadians achieve the elusive feat in the same season. Harris has a higher per-carry average than Cornish at 6.5 yards and leads the CFL with 1,419 yards from scrimmage.
Rider Revival: The Roughriders have had their fair share of ups and downs this season, with a three-game win streak to start the year, a five-game losing streak after that, and then wins in four of the last five outings to get back over .500 and just two wins shy of 1st place.
» Buy Week 15 Tickets
Friday, 9:00 pm ET: Tiger-Cats at Eskimos
Saturday, 10:00 pm ET: Stampeders at Lions
Monday, 1:00 pm ET: Blue Bombers at Alouettes
Monday, 4:30 pm ET: Roughriders at Argonauts
Top Performers:
Andy Fantuz: After a three-game stint where he collected just six catches for 79 yards (following a return from injury), Fantuz has registered 13 receptions for 185 yards over his last three outings. Last week, five of his seven catches resulted in first downs on key second down plays.
Trent Guy: It’s been an impressive two weeks for the Alouette kick returner, as Guy has earned two-straight Special Teams Player of the Week awards. The 22-year-old Louisville product has racked up 226 yards in returns over his last two outings, as well as a 129-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown.
Weston Dressler: Dressler has been playing himself even further into the hearts of Rider Nation in recent weeks, highlighted by last week’s stellar performance against the Lions. Dressler hauled in nine receptions for 160 yards and a pair of massive touchdowns.
Joe West: The first-year receiver continued to introduce himself to the league last week, as he notched his first 100-yard game in his young CFL career. In six games this season, West has tallied 317 yards and a touchdown.
Throwing the Flag:
Through 13 games, the most penalized team in the CFL continues to be the Toronto Argonauts, who have been flagged 149 times for 1,346 yards. Three other teams have lost at least 1,000 yards in penalties, as the Eskimos (1,051), Tiger-Cats (1,109) and Blue Bombers (1,071) are all closing in on the Argos.
The least penalized team are the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who prove that discipline translates into wins, as they have enjoyed wins in four of their last five outings.
Roster Moves:
The Edmonton Eskimos announced two important roster moves this week, as Kerry Joseph will reclaim his post under centre, while JC Sherritt will be sidelined with a knee injury.
Simoni Lawrence will take his spot at middle linebacker.
While the Argonauts have some time to decide whether or not Ricky Ray is fit enough to play on Monday, he still remains questionable, meaning Jarious Jackson will likely get his second-straight start.
Wedneday marked the first day that teams were allowed to expand their practice rosters. Click here for a full list of the signings.
Milestone Watch:
Henry Burris is one touchdown pass away from tying the Tiger-Cats’ single-season record of 33 set by Kevin Glenn in 2010.
