Good returns: Stamps’ Finch puts on show with 103-yard touchdown
Roy Finch is a man who TORONTO clearly holds himself accountable.
After giving the Toronto Argonauts the ball with fantastic field position when he fumbled the ball on his first punt return of Thursday’s game at BMO Field, Finch took it upon himself to make it up to his teammates.
The next time Finch got his hands on the ball, he wove his way through the Argos special team unit for a 55-yard kickoff return. That was just the appetizer. Early in the second quarter, Argos kicker Lirim Hajrullahu delivered a solid punt downfield. Finch caught it and then took off, delivering one of the dirtiest headfakes we’re likely to see this CFL season and then taking off for a 103-yard touchdown.
It was the second-longest in Stampeders history — Jessie Branch has the longest, a 105-yard return in 1964 — and set the team on-course for its second blowout victory in the last six days over Ontario opposition.
Finch also had a 97-yard punt return touchdown in last weekend’s massacre of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and he’s showing that after looking solid in his first year with the Stamps in 2016, he’s taken a leap forward this season.
ROUGH NEWS
The Stampeders entered the 2017 season with serious Canadian receiving depth, but they’re looking a little light in that area these days.
After losing Juwan Brescacin a couple weeks ago, the Stamps saw Lemar Durant go down with what appeared to be a knee injury in the first quarter of Thursday’s game.
Durant had just caught a 20-yard-pass but stayed down on the BMO Field grass after taking a hit.
He did not return to the game, and while there’s no word on the seriousness of his injury it could be an issue if he’s placed on the sixgame injured list.
The Stamps still have Anthony Parker and Rory Kohlert available, but might need to take a look at calling up Julan Lynch, the team’s second-round pick from the 2017 draft.
ANOTHER ONE
There can be no complaints about the work Jerome Messam put in on Thursday night.
He trucked his way to his thirdstraight big game and has left the memories of his ejection from the Stamps’ Week 4 loss to the Montreal Alouettes firmly in the rearview mirror.
He did fumble the ball for the third time this season on Thursday, though, this time giving the Argonauts the ball on the Stamps’ 13-yard line.
Messam is powering a Stampeders offence that is putting up big numbers right now, but the team’s going to need him to put in work to make sure he’s keeping hold of the ball as they prepare for the bigger West Division challenges that lie ahead over the next month.
NOTES
The Stampeders’ offensive line did a good job of opening up holes for Messam to run through, but it’s been a long time since Bo Levi Mitchell was put under as much pressure as he was Thursday. Through three quarters, Mitchell was sacked five times, with Bear Woods getting him once and Dylan Wynn and Jeffery Finley each taking him down twice … Yes, attendance at BMO Field was ugly on Thursday. No, we don’t need to talk about it before, during and after every single game … Credit to Tunde Adeleke. The rookie would have been the obvious candidate for the Argos to target in the Stamps defensive secondary, but he held his own … After being named as one of the CFL’s players of the week for his 190-yard receiving performance against the Ticats, Marken Michel had zero receptions through three quarters on Thursday. For all intents and purposes, Michel is in his first season in the CFL, so a few peaks and valleys are to be expected … The Stamps didn’t look to DaVaris Daniels early, but once Mitchell found the second year receiver he contributed in a big way. The Stamps need Daniels to step up with Kamar Jorden on the six-game injured list, and he had four receptions for 76 yards through three quarters.