COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
Next up for Stampeders is West final Nov. 18 against Roughriders-Blue Bombers winner
The Calgary Stampeders washed away a month of futility quickly and with relative ease late Saturday at BC Place.
A 25-point first-half coupled with shutout defence paced the Stampeders to a 26-9 victory over the host B.C. Lions to cap the CFL’s regular season.
The team found success in every facet of its game, making for a dominant performance right when it needed it.
The win — finally — clinched top spot for the Stamps in both the league and the West Division, giving them that coveted bye through to the West final, in which they’ll host either the Winnipeg Blue Bombers or the Saskatchewan Roughriders at McMahon Stadium on Nov. 18. The winner then represents the division in the Grey Cup seven days later in Edmonton.
Here’s our five take-aways from Saturday’s triumph over the host Lions.
1 Must-win mentality
As much as everyone would like to think urgency can be manufactured at the drop of a hat, the Stampeders have proved it doesn’t come that easy.
Since clinching a playoff spot early last month, the team has struggled to find consistency — and looked listless far too often — during a three-game slide that began after a pedestrian effort in a Thanksgiving win in Montreal. But when push finally came to shove Saturday night at BC Place, the Stampeders turned it on, knowing they’d allowed three chances to clinch top spot and that bye to the West final escape their clutches.
The game against the Lions was the definition of a must-win in terms of earning first-place status and earning the right to host the division final. And the Stamps, showing urgency, looked every bit the part of a team facing a lastchance swing at reaching that goal by playing with pace and rhythm and executing on offence, defence and special teams.
2 Finding chemistry
With injuries decimating the Stamps receiving corps, the struggle to field a healthy, readyto-go offence has been welldocumented. Remember, the team lost Kamar Jorden, Marken Michel, Reggie Begelton and DaVaris Daniels long-term, and Eric Rogers has been in and out of the lineup with a cranky knee. Rogers missed Saturday’s tilt in Vancouver.
The result has meant bringing in new blood at the receiver position, including a couple of veterans in Chris Matthews and Bakari Grant. The rotating receivers put a ton of pressure on quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell to find chemistry with them on the fly. That’s no easy feat. But Mitchell found his groove with the new blood Saturday, torching the Lions en route to 25 first-half points. The QB had 257 of his 278 passing yards in the first half.
3 New guys to catch
For the second game in a row, Matthews sparkled in leading the Stamps in receiving yards. Against the Lions, he racked up 67 yards on three catches. His best came on a pickup between defenders while laying out for Mitchell’s pass down near the Lions goal-line in the first quarter. One play later, Stamps running back Don Jackson plunged in for the touchdown.
Combined with his five-catch performance for 113 yards in the previous game, Matthews is looking like a primary target for Mitchell. Meanwhile, Grant, another tall tree to throw at, slotted in for his first game with the Red and White, and he looked solid, hauling in four passes for 47 yards, including a key 14-yarder to keep a scoring drive alive in the second quarter. Like Matthews, the fellow American made a few sweet grabs to prove he’s a keeper even when the injured pass-catchers return to health.
4 A healthy D is the best D
The Stampeders defence pitched a first-half shutout against a Lions lineup that was pretty close to being the starting crew for next week’s playoffs. Then in the second half, the Stamps allowed just one scoring drive. The big difference from previous weeks, especially in the case of the Week 20 loss to the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was a healthy unit.
The Stampeders were blessed with the return of key defensive starters to the lineup Saturday, including linebacker Jameer Thurman, defensive tackle Derek Wiggan and cornerback Tre Roberson.
Their combined ability drastically boosts the confidence of the team, as all proved key in helping the Red and White defence live up to its billing Saturday as the best in the CFL. It’s true, the D was dynamite.
5 A shot of confidence
That three-game losing string is in the rear-view. It has to be if the Stampeders are hoping to run the gauntlet and win the Grey Cup. From here on out it is winor-go-home territory for every CFL team.
Certainly, the team was tight — whether it wanted to admit it or not — through the three losses and heading into Saturday’s tilt. So when the final whistle blew at BC Place with a win in their pocket, the players, to a man, were relieved with getting that victory.
Mitchell & Co. have been saying all along that getting the bye to the West final wasn’t as important as rediscovering that winning feeling on the cusp of the playoffs. After all, teams that limp into the post-season generally aren’t as dangerous as those getting hot at the right time. So Saturday’s victory — even if it was just one — gives the Stampeders a healthy, and timely, shot of confidence.