The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Week 10 is on the horizon and CFL fans should be excited for the week of football in front of them.
It all starts in Winnipeg as the undefeated Blue Bombers host the Montreal Alouettes. Will Zach Collaros and co. get their 10th win of the season or will the Alouettes hand them their first loss of the campaign?
On Friday night the Hamilton Tiger-Cats welcome the Toronto Argonauts to Tim Hortons Field as the teams play in their second of four meetings in five weeks. Last week the Argos were victorious thanks to two fourth quarter touchdowns on a blocked punt and a pick-six. The Ticats will be hoping to get their revenge with a win in front of their home fans.
Saturday night’s doubleheader begins in Calgary as the BC Lions come to town. Nathan Rourke will look to keep rolling with his Lions while Bo Levi Mitchell and his Stampeders hope to hand BC their second loss of the season.
And finally, Week 10 caps off in Edmonton as the Saskatchewan Roughriders return from their bye and travel to Commonwealth Stadium. The Elks would like to forget their Week 9 loss to the Lions as they eye a victory at home while the Riders hope to improve to an above .500 record with a win in enemy territory.
Buy Week 10 Tickets
» Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET: Montreal at Winnipeg
» Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET: Toronto at Hamilton
» Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET: BC at Calgary
» Saturday, 10:00 p.m. ET: Saskatchewan at Edmonton
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
- Reigning MOP Zach Collaros has carried over his strong play from the previous season.
- First nine starts: 2021 vs. 2022
- Completions: 184 vs. 173
- Completion percentage: 71.0 vs. 67.4
- Passing yards: 2,355 vs. 2,204
- Passing TDs: 13 vs. 17
- Efficiency: 107.9 vs. 105.4
- TD percentage: 5.0 vs. 6.8
- Team record: 8-1 vs. 9-0
- Since joining the Bombers, Collaros is 21-2 as a starter with 37 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.
THE LION KING
- Last week, Nathan Rourke was 34-of-37 passing for 91.2 per cent – establishing a new CFL record, while posting a perfect passer efficiency rating of 158.3
- His six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) set a new Canadian benchmark, breaking his own previous record of 5 held alongside Russ Jackson (1969).
- Rourke’s 477 yards was the highest single game total by a Canadian, eclipsing his own record of 433 established in Week 3.
- The last quarterback to throw for 400+ yards with five touchdown passes was Anthony Calvillo in 2011. Rourke’s performance was the 37th time in league history that the feat was accomplished.
- Gerry Dattilio holds the single season record for completions by a Canadian (194 set in 1982). Rourke has 187 through seven games, putting him on pace for 481, which would tie Henry Burris’s 2015 season for the league record.
WINNING YOUR SPURS
- Bo Levi Mitchell (32,186) needs six passing yards to surpass Henry Burris (32,191) for the franchise record.
- Career spotlight in Calgary: Burris vs. Mitchell
- Time as a Stampeder: 97-99, 05-11 vs. 2012-present
- Starts: 118 vs. 115
- Record: 71-45-2 vs. 89-24-2
- Home record: 40-17-2 vs. 47-11
- Completions: 2,267 vs. 2,469
- Completion percentage: 61.7 vs. 64.5
- Passing yards: 32,191 vs. 32,186
- Passing TDs: 203 vs. 186
- 300+ yard games: 50 vs. 37
- MOPs: 1 vs. 2
- Burris finished his career with the third most passing yards (63,639) in league history. Mitchell sits 15th behind Michael Reilly (34,805).
QUICK SLANTS
- Montreal’s Eugene Lewis leads the league in receiving yards (742), thanks in large part to a combined 277 yards on 17 catches in his last two games.
- Montreal is looking to avoid its first in-season three-game losing streak since October of 2018.
- Winnipeg will play for its 400th home victory. Since 1936 and the founding of the modern-day West Division, the team has amassed a record of 399-245-5 at home.
- With a win, Winnipeg would also become the seventh team in league history to start 10-0, while tying the team record set in 1960. Every team that has started 9-0 has reached 10-0.
- Janarion Grant has six career kick return touchdowns (5 PR, 1KO), and he is tied with Keith Stokes for the Bombers’ franchise mark. His 57-yard effort last week marked the first punt-return touchdown of 2022.
- Winnipeg’s Brady Oliveira has rushed for 202 yards with an average of 6.3 yards per carry in his last two games.
- Toronto has not swept a back-to-back set with the Tiger-Cats since 2012.
- Last week, Toronto’s Wynton McManis notched 10 tackles in a game for the second time this season. Only two other players have accomplished the feat in 2022: BC’s Marcus Sayles and Edmonton’s Nyles Morgan.
- Dating back to September 2009, the Argos are 3-14 when playing in Hamilton. The combined margin of victory in those wins: 12 points.
- Bryan Burnham returned to the Lions’ lineup last week, tallying six receptions for 82 yards, pushing his career total to 6,764. He moved past Mervyn Fernandez (6,690) and sits fourth in franchise history; next is Emmanuel Arceneaux (8,169).
- Through nine career starts, Nathan Rourke is 7-2. Bo Levi Mitchell was 8-1.
- The Stampeders are in search home victory no. 400. Since 1945, the team is 399-214-10 in Calgary. The matchup will also mark the team’s 200th game against BC, with Calgary holding a 111-83-5 advantage.
- BC and Calgary sit first and second in several key offensive categories:
- Average offensive points: BC 35.7 vs. CGY 25.7
- Average net offence: BC 447.9 vs. CGY 355.9
- Average yards per play: BC 7.7 vs. CGY 6.6
- Average rushing yards: CGY 114.4 vs. BC 109.0
- Saskatchewan is coming off a bye; teams are 6-4 on a week’s rest this season. Following their previous five byes, the Riders are 4-1.
- The Riders have not lost four straight since a stretch between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The team has won its last three games in Edmonton.
- Cody Fajardo is a career 4-0 against Edmonton.
