Stampeders eye .500 as Ontario road trip opens in Hamilton
HAMILTON, Ont. — B.C.’s upset in Winnipeg opened the door for Calgary.
One week after beating the Bombers 52-30, the Stampeders can pull even with them in the West by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.
B.C. beat Winnipeg 35-19 in the Week 9 opener Thursday, improving to 2-5 while dropping the Bombers to 4-4. The Lions remain last in the West and second to last in the league.
Calgary and Hamilton enter Saturday at 3-4, with both teams looking to return to .500. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. MT at Hamilton Stadium.
“We can get to 4-4 with this first one, try to generate more momentum, get over the hump,” Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said.
Elsewhere in Week 9, Montreal visited Ottawa on Friday night. The weekend concludes with the 6-1 Edmonton Elks hosting the 4-2 Saskatchewan Roughriders at 5 p.m. MT on Saturday.
The Stamps arrive in Hamilton following their most complete performance of the season. Calgary’s offence built an early lead in Winnipeg while the defence finished with four interceptions, three sacks and five knockdowns.
The sequence reflected the formula Calgary wants to carry forward: start fast, force the opponent to chase and allow the defence to attack the quarterback.
“That’s our formula for winning,” Dickenson said.
Linebacker Derrick Moncrief described the defence as being in “attack mode.” With one of the CFL’s top offences on the other side, he said the defence’s job is to stay aggressive and return the football to Vernon Adams Jr. as often as possible.
The numbers show why.
Calgary leads the CFL with 278 points scored. The Stamps have also allowed a league-high 244, making fast starts and complementary football especially important.
Adams enters Week 9 with the most passing touchdowns in the CFL (20) and he is fifth in the league with 1,989 passing yards. His 20 touchdown passes without an interception, is a CFL record for the most to begin a season.
He has also thrown at least three touchdown passes in each of his past five games.
Adams is not celebrating those numbers while Calgary remains below .500.
“That’s the stats. That’s nice,” Adams said. “But more so trying to get in that winning column every single week.”
The quarterback believes the Stamps have continued building confidence through competitive practices, narrow losses and last week’s win.
“I think we’re building at the right time,” he said.
Tyreik McAllister and Ben Labrosse provided two of Calgary’s biggest performances in Winnipeg.
McAllister became the first player in CFL history to score rushing, receiving and kick-return touchdowns in the same game. Labrosse made three interceptions in his first start of the season, tying the Stampeders’ single-game franchise record.
Labrosse is now ahead of Adrian Greene on Calgary’s depth chart for Saturday.
“Ben earned it,” Dickenson said.
Hamilton enters the matchup following a 31-18 loss in Montreal. Tre Ford will start at quarterback while former Stampeder Bo Levi Mitchell remains sidelined with an ankle injury suffered earlier this season.
The Ti-Cats also have a familiar figure preparing their defence. Defensive coordinator Brent Monson won Grey Cups as a Calgary coach in 2014 and 2018.
Adams said Monson’s familiarity with the Stampeders’ organization and coordinators should help Hamilton anticipate what Calgary wants to do offensively. He expects the Ti-Cats to give the Stamps their best shot.
Calgary and Hamilton have split their past 10 meetings, although the Stamps won both games last season.
Saturday also begins an unusual week away from home. Calgary will remain in Southern Ontario, practice at McMaster University and face the Argos in Toronto five days after playing Hamilton.
The seven-day trip offers time for team activities and bonding, but Dickenson has emphasized keeping the focus on the first game.
Moncrief called it a business trip. The goal is to return home 2-0.
Hamilton comes first.