Josh Love gets first CFL start as Stampeders resume playoff push against Tiger-Cats

CALGARY — Josh Love has waited two years to start another professional football game.



He will get his chance Saturday with the Calgary Stampeders running short on room for error.



Love will make his first CFL start when Calgary hosts the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at McMahon Stadium, replacing Vernon Adams Jr., who remains sidelined with a head injury.



The Stampeders return from their bye at 4-6 after consecutive losses to Toronto and BC. Hamilton enters at 4-7. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT.



“He's not a young guy. He's been around. He's played a lot of football,” Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said Friday. “Run the offence, smart decisions, but don't be afraid to try to make a play as well.”



Dickenson made the message even simpler: Don't play conservatively.



“Just see what you see and let it rip,” he said.



Love got his most significant action of the season when Adams left Calgary's 30-26 loss to BC on Aug. 13. He completed six of 10 passes for 58 yards with an interception. He has attempted just 18 passes during his CFL career.



This week has been different.



Instead of preparing as the backup with limited practice work, Love took the reps that come with preparing to start.



“For me to get reps this week and get those under my belt, it feels great,” Love said.



It will be his first professional start since playing in the UFL in 2024.



Love isn't interested in treating Saturday differently because of Calgary's place in the standings.



“I think any game is crucial,” he said. “You want to try to take one game at a time and win them all.”



That approach comes against the backdrop of a Calgary season that has repeatedly come down to a handful of plays.



Love noted all six of the Stampeders' losses have been decided by one score. His prescription against Hamilton was straightforward: limit mistakes, create explosive plays and finish drives with touchdowns instead of field goals.



“Feel out the game, let the game come to you, and just trust the players around me, trust the coaches,” Love said. “Just go out there and do my job.”



Calgary's offence will look different without Adams, who has thrown 22 touchdown passes against just two interceptions this season. The 11-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio would be the best in CFL history if maintained.



Dickenson acknowledged the change in quarterback could alter how Calgary calls the game.



“A little bit different skill set, a little different player, so probably call differently,” Dickenson said. “I'm sure Coach DelMonaco will call a game that he thinks fits Josh's game the best.”



The Stampeders have already seen Hamilton once this season, and the final score told only part of the story.



Calgary won 44-20 in Hamilton on Aug. 1 despite being outgained 395-338, outrushed 172-86 and finishing with only 14 first downs to Hamilton's 22.



The difference was turnovers.



Calgary won that battle 4-1 and scored twice on defence, including Kyle Wilson's fumble-return touchdown and Derrick Moncrief's late pick-six.



Dickenson hasn't forgotten it.



“Our defence pretty much took over that game and even in the end won the game for us,” he said Friday. “As an offence, we've got to make sure we play more consistent.”



The Stampeders have continued creating takeaways. Over their past four games, Calgary has forced 18 turnovers and owns a plus-10 turnover differential.



But Dickenson believes Saturday could ultimately turn somewhere else.



“I do believe this game could come down to special teams,” he said. “Can we pop a return or will they pop a return? I think that could be a big factor in this game.”



That makes the timing of René Paredes' return notable.



The longtime Calgary kicker will make his season debut after an injury suffered on the first day of training camp kept him out for the first 10 games.



“It's been rough. It's a rough year,” Paredes said. “You go 15 years with no crazy injuries and play 200-and-whatever games in a row, and to sit out 10 games, it hurt.”



Paredes said there were points during his recovery when he wasn't certain he would play again.



Now he is.



“Feels like year one right now,” Paredes said. “Pretty happy to be back.”



His return isn't an indictment of Jude McAtamney, who scored 94 points while filling the role. Dickenson said McAtamney has “had a heck of a year” and believes he has a long CFL career ahead of him.



But Paredes brings a track record few kickers can match. His 31 career field goals from 50 yards or longer rank among the highest totals in CFL history.



Calgary's special-teams strength extends beyond its kicker. Rookie Jesulayomi Ojutalayo leads the CFL with 20 special-teams tackles, recording three in each of his past three games.



Ojutalayo sits three tackles ahead of teammate Kelon Thomas, giving Calgary the top two special-teams tacklers in the CFL.



“We kind of have competition, but at the end of the day, it’s good when you have internal competition,” Ojutalayo said. “It drives success, drives you to be a better player.”



Saturday also gives Calgary an opportunity to sweep its season series with Hamilton. The Stampeders have dominated the matchup at McMahon, going 17-1 against the Tiger-Cats in Calgary dating back to 2005.



And there is another number waiting for Dickenson.



He enters the game with 99 career victories as a CFL head coach. One more would make him the 12th coach in league history to reach 100.



For a team trying to work its way back up the West Division, however, the more important number Saturday is win number five.