August 18, 2014

Mitchell not taking credit for 9-1 start to his career

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Max Campbell | Stampeders.com Staff

Bo Levi Mitchell improved to 9-1 as a CFL starter in a 30-20 victory on the road against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Eastern Washington product was 19 of 27 for 271 yards to go along with both a passing and rushing touchdown.

Connecting with seven different receivers in total, he pointed out his appreciation for the multiple threats available at his disposal game-in and game-out.

“We have a very scary set of receivers,” Mitchell said following the win. “You probably don’t see it in the stats, but it’s just because we don’t focus on guys. We’re not trying to get the ball to any single player — we’re just making sure we get out there and get the ball to different guys and let them make plays.”

The third-year pivot also commented on the defensive scheme he faced on Saturday, which gave him a variety of looks from start to finish. Although he was brought down behind the line of scrimmage on four occasions, Mitchell was able overcome the challenges he was presented with and capitalize on some crucial Ticat mistakes.

“They started coming with different guys,” explained the Katy, Texas native. “They didn’t pressure as much in the first half and we picked them apart a little bit. When they did pressure, we took advantage of it. Then they started mixing up when they were going to pressure and we’ve just got to make sure that as an entire team, 12 guys, that we’re all blocking the right way and guys are getting open on routes and I’m putting the ball in the right place.”

Mitchell also praised his own defence which not only gave Calgary superior field position, but also created three turnovers, including a key interception by DB Jamar Wall with under two minutes left in the final frame.

“They give us the ball in good field position all the time, and that’s a big thing in this game,” Mitchell acknowledged. “They held these guys in a very productive offence. It was big for them to step up and make a huge play like that at the end of the game to win it, and not put it on the offence to make the play. It was great.”

Although Calgary never trailed from start to finish, Mitchell still wants to see an increase in offensive production to begin the second half of games going forward. Hamilton twice managed to cut the Stamps’ lead to three in the fourth quarter, and Mitchell feels that was simply too close for comfort.

“We’ve got to make sure we come into the second half and we come out strong, fast, physical, and don’t see the scoreboard,” stressed Mitchell. “We’ve got to make sure that we’re pushing and putting more points on the board.”