In his long-anticipated return to Calgary, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback, who spent the previous seven seasons with the Stampeders, had a gift-wrapped first few minutes in front of a hardy crowd of 26,542.

But with the game on the line, Burris could only watch as the Ticats botched what would have been a winning 30-yard field goal from Luca Congi on the last play of the game when holder Andy Fantuz couldn’t keep the ball from sliding off the kicking tee.

As a result, the Stamps escaped with a 34-32 win to lock up second place in the West Division and the right to host the West semi on Nov. 11 against either Edmonton or Saskatchewan.

Calgary improved to 10-6 with the win while the Ticats lost their fifth in succession to drop to 5-11, still technically alive in the playoff hunt.

Burris’s counterpart, Kevin Glenn (who was dealt to Calgary in the trade that sent Burris to Hamilton), fumbled on his second play of the game. And on his first play of the game, Burris tossed a 51-yard touchdown pass to Bakari Grant.

But the Stampeders were able to withstand that early pratfall and a few others (they turned the ball over seven times, including four Glenn interceptions) in the blizzard-like conditions.

The Stamps would fumble again immediately after the Grant touchdown (the Stamps would end up turning over the ball) when receiver Arjei Franklin, returning to the lineup for the first time since hurting his knee in the Labour Day rematch, coughed up the ball, negating Jason Armstead’s 83-yard kick return.

The Ticats were held to a punt on that drive, but extended their lead to 10-0 with a Congi field goal.

The wet ball and snow-covered field didn’t produce glittering offence, so it was up to the Stampeder defence to stem the tide, and Keon Raymond stepped up. He’d already sacked Burris twice before he picked him off and, sprung by a wonderful Derrius Brooks block, sprinted 100 yards for the pick-six.

The Stamps took their first lead a few minutes later when Glenn hit Jon Cornish for a seven-yard touchdown pass, and went into the locker-room leading 14-13.

The Ticats hung tough, getting a nervy 44-yard field goal from Congi to take the lead early in the third quarter, but the Stamps would strike with back-to-back touchdowns — a 56-yard touchdown reception from Maurice Price (his first as a Stampeder, thanks to good blocking down field from Franklin and Romby Bryant) and a Cornish seven-yard run.

The Ticats made it close by the end; Burris and Chris Williams connected on a 30-yard scoring strike, and then Burris threw the two-point conversion to Fantuz to make it 27-24 Calgary. The Stamps then were forced to concede a safety, and it was a one-point game with more than six minutes to play.

But once again the defence delivered; Fred Bennett delivered a crunching hit to jar the ball loose from Grant, Juwan Simpson picked up the loose ball and returned it 52 yards deep into Hamilton territory.

Five plays later, Bo Levi Mitchell plunged in from the one to give the Stamps some badly needed insurance.

Because Burris would answer back with a nine-play, 63-yard drive capped by Chevon Walker’s one-yard touchdown run. But on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt to possibly force overtime, Burris overthrew Williams at the back of the end zone.

The Ticats would recover their onside kick attempt, setting the stage for Congi’s unsuccessful field-goal attempt.

Burris finished the game 23-for-32 for 315 yards, two touchdowns and two picks.

Glenn, meanwhile, was 22-for-34 for 283 yards and those four interceptions.

The Stamps are back in action on Friday when they play host to the B.C. Lions, in a 7 p.m. kickoff (TSN subject to blackout, QR77) at Mc

No one was willing to doubt that fact after the B.C. Lions quarterback dismantled the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37-17 Friday night at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

“I do believe I’m a better quarterback than I was one year ago,” Lulay said, after the Lions improved to 11-4, and moved closer to securing first place in the CFL’s West Division and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. “It has to do with experience, confidence. Honestly, I don’t know statistically how it relates to last year at this time. I’m not too worried about it. I do know that, in terms of how I approach the game, week in and week out, I feel good where I’m at and the ability to help our team win.”

Indeed, Lulay put on a clinic before 26,842 fans in what was the second-to-last game in the 82-year-old stadium, which will be torn down to make way for a new one.

The wrecking ball is due to arrive in December. But Hamilton football fans can swear it was here in human form as Lulay laid waste to the Tiger-Cats, especially in the first half, when he was virtually untouchable.

After the Lions took a 21-3 lead into half-time, B.C. added a pair of field goals by Paul McCallum to take a 27-3 lead into the fourth quarter, only to surrender a 62-yard kickoff return to Onrea Jones that set up a 15-yard touchdown run by Avon Cobourne.

But Tim Brown took the resulting kickoff back 77 yards before Lions backup quarterback Mike Reilly scored on a one-yard run to give B.C. a 34-11 lead and cement the victory.

With Lulay’s evening done, Reilly took over behind centre for the final 7:37 of the fourth quarter and authored a drive that led to McCallum’s third field goal of the game, from 40 yards.

Lulay’s stat line read: 34 pass attempts, 27 completions for 343 yards and two scores.

In the first half, however, he flirted with perfection. His Hail Mary pass on the final play of the opening half fell incomplete, but it was the Ticats who should have

been saying their novenas for deliverance from the Lions QB.

It was only the second misfire in the first 20 throws for Lulay, who finished the first quarter a perfect 11-for-11 and the half with 243 yards through the air.

Strikingly, he completed 10 of 11 throws on second down and led drives of 11, 10 and 10 plays on the Lions’ first three possessions.

His initial 11-play drive ended with an eight-yard pass to Andrew Harris, advancing Lulay’s streak of consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass to 26, eight short of Sam Etcheverry’s all-time record.

After Luca Congi’s 35-yard field goal ran his personal streak to 24 straight, Harris completed an 11-play drive with his second touchdown of the half, on a one-yard run with Reilly behind centre. It was Harris’ sixth rushing touchdown of the season to go with four on pass receptions.

Earlier, Lulay had a 14-yard touchdown pass to Courtney Taylor wiped out on a holding penalty by guard Dean Valli after Taylor went airborne to steal the ball away from defender Armando Murillo.

But Taylor, playing in place of injured Arland Bruce, got one that counted with 46 seconds left in the half when he hauled in

a 17-yard pass from Lulay to put the Lions in front 21-3.

The touchdown preceded a 43-yard advance by the Lions on a pass interference call, tacked on to an unnecessary roughness infraction by Hamilton defensive back Dee Webb, who hit intended receiver Marco Iannuzzi hard, from behind, while the ball was in the air. Iannuzzi, knocked senseless, had to be aided to the locker room and the play earned this enraged Twitter reaction from TSN viewer Geroy Simon: “That was a BULLSH$&T hit by D Webb!”

Just before Taylor’s touchdown — his first in the CFL — Congi was asked to attempt a 51-yard field goal, which fell short. It was only his third miss in 35 attempts this season.

But it was symptomatic of the Tiger-Cats, who fell well short in most respects to Lulay’s onslaught.

The Edmonton Eskimos head coach assumed offensive co-ordinator duties this week from Marcus Crandell, who made a lateral move to become quarterbacks coach, and the team came up with its best offensive performance of their Canadian Football League season.

Veteran quarterback Kerry Joseph broke the 300-yard passing mark, slotback Fred Stamps had more than 200 yards receiving and a touchdown and the Eskimos’ season stayed alive with an emphatic 35-20 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night.

The Eskimos snapped their five-game losing streak with a monstrous second half and improved to 6-8 in the CFL standings. Most important, they moved ahead of the 5-9 Tiger-Cats, giving them the edge at the moment in a crossover East Division playoff scenario.

The re-vamped offence looked like its same-old self through the first half and got off to its worst possible start. Joseph’s pass for Stamps bounced off of the slotback’s hands, a helmet and into the hands of Hamilton defensive back Armando Murillo.

Fortunately, for Edmonton, its defence came to play. On the ensuing possession, defensive lineman Brandon Lang tipped a Henry Burris pass to himself and hauled it in, getting the ball back for his team. The drive resulted in a confidence-boosting 48-yard field goal at the two-minute mark for kicker Grant Shaw, who had missed four field goals since Labour Day.

Offence proved tough to come by on both sides. Burris was picked off for the second time in the half, this time by defensive halfback Chris Thompson, but the drive it produced fizzled.

Hamilton’s offence threatened to score on a pair of drives and had to settle for field goals on both. Kicker Luca Congi’s 10-yarder and 39-yarder put Hamilton in front 6-3 at 9:10 of the second quarter.

In need of some points, Joseph engineered an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that he finished with a six-yard pass to receiver Marcus Henry. Shaw’s convert made it a 10-6 game at 12:38 that the Eskimos would take into the half.

Knowing that the Eskimos have been their most vulnerable in third quarters of games this season, the Tiger-Cats roared out of the gate with a four-play, 77 yard touchdown drive. Burris hit slotback Andy Fantuz for the seven-yard touchdown, just 2:04 into the second half. Congi’s convert made it 13-10 Ticats.

After some more shaky play on offence, the Eskimos pieced together an impressive seven-play, 102-yard scoring drive to jump back in front. Hugh Charles’ 15-yard touchdown wasn’t the highlight of the series, though. That honour went to Stamps, who somehow hauled in a 42-yard pass through tight double coverage to get to Hamilton’s 42-yard line. Edmonton went in front 17-10 at 11:44, but the lead was very short-lived.

As quickly as Joe Burnett fumbled a 42-yard punt, Burris was back in and throwing a 15-yard dart to Fantuz for the touchdown. Congi’s convert went through at 13:27, giving the Ticats a 20-17 lead.

As the clock shifted into the fourth quarter, the Eskimos’ offence fought back. Stamps was instrumental in Edmonton’s eight-play, 86-yard drive, going over the 100-yard mark in receiving for the first time this season. Joseph made his seven-yard touchdown pass to Matt Carter look easy. Shaw confidently sent the convert through at 2:32 to put his team in front 24-20.

The offence kept coming. They got to the 10-yard line halfway through the quarter and got three more points from Shaw and his 17-yard field goal. His second field goal of the night put the Eskimos up a full major, 27-20.

A refreshed defence came out and made another big play. Thompson picked off Burris for his second interception of the night, spoiling a touchdown-destined play. Joseph set up on the 48-yard line and threw a spot-on bomb to Stamps again that went straight to the end zone. Quickly back out for the convert, Shaw made it a 34-20 game.

A Hamilton turnover on downs translated to a Shaw 53-yard single that wrapped the scoring on the night.

Edmonton Journal

The sting of Saturday’s 19-18 loss to the Lions — the Eskimos’ fourth loss in a row — likely returned on Sunday as the Saskatchewan Roughriders held on to top the Calgary Stampeders 30-25.

That win bumps Saskatchewan to 6-6, a game ahead of the 5-7 Eskimos, who are now alone at the bottom of the Canadian Football League’s West Division.

If the mood of the Eskimos’ locker-room on Saturday night was any indication, their bottom-feeder status being hammered home on an off-day isn’t much help.

“We have to be more consistent on offence,” said a dejected Fred Stamps, once again an afterthought in the Eskimos’ offence.

Stamps had one catch for 11 yards on Saturday, his lowest output of the season.

“We have to have that mentality, that dogged mentality,” he said. “Credit to the defence, they played a good game. We just have to be better on offence.”

The Eskimos’ strong first half wasn’t much consolation to Stamps, who went over 1,000 yards in receiving each of the last three years. He has yet to have a 100-yard game this season and is in his least productive year since his 2007 rookie campaign.

The Eskimos had a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter against B.C. and took a 15-9 lead into the third quarter, only to manage three points in the second half.

Unsatisfied with the end result, Stamps shrugged off the first 30 minutes of play.

“We still have a lot … so much room for improvement. In the second half of the season, this is not going to get easier. It’s going to get tougher the more that we go,” he said.

On the other side of the room, linebacker J.C. Sherritt sat slumped in his stall in a towel, trying to wrap his head around the team’s latest shortcoming.

“It just hurts,” he said. “It hurts. I think this is the fourth game we’ve lost by two or less and that’s what it is. It just hurts right now.”

Sherritt had eight tackles against the Lions, bringing his league-leading total to 101, just 26 takedowns away from Calvin Tiggle’s 18-year-old CFL record for single tackles in a season.

As the most productive member of a defence that’s holding opponents to 22.9 points per game, he said the defence didn’t do enough against the Lions. They allowed one touchdown on the night, on a drive where tailback Andrew Harris ran 49 yards to Edmonton’s six-yard line. Quarterback Travis Lulay threw to slotback Geroy Simon to finish the drive.

“We shouldn’t have let them score that touchdown, that’s what we had to do,” Sherritt said. “At the end of the day, we had to keep them out of the end zone and we didn’t.”

Sherritt said he should have stopped Harris before he got to the six-yard line.

“That’s a play I should make, always. You can always do more,” he said.

“We just needed to score one more touchdown,” Eskimos quarterback Steven Jyles said.

His final drive came to a close at the Edmonton 42-yard line with less than a minute to play. A miscommunication resulted in Jyles throwing the ball 20 yards past receiver Nate Coehoorn, who was blocking for the called play and had no idea the pass was going in his vicinity.

“We just have to execute better offensively. I have to execute better offensively,” Jyles said.

The clock is ticking on the Eskimos. If the playoffs started today, Edmonton would squeak into the East Division as a crossover team with its opponent being former Edmonton QB Ricky Ray and the Toronto Argonauts.

Still, Hamilton is only a game behind Edmonton. If the Eskimos can’t pull out of their current nosedive, they’ll have the displeasure of being eliminated from a playoff race in each division.

“We just have to find a way to win games. We have to,” said Sherritt. “Whatever, at the end of the day, you have to find a way to get to the playoffs and we’re going to do what we can to get there.”

Edmonton Journal

Trent Guy established a team record with a 129-yard field-goal return early in the third quarter. The touchdown helped pace the Als to a remarkably easy and one-sided 31-10 victory over the Toronto Argonauts Sunday afternoon, before 23,209 Molson Stadium spectators.

Swayze Waters was attempting a 41-yard field goal for the visitors. But the normally reliable Waters missed wide left. Guy, a Canadian Football League rookie, found some blocking and returned the ball down the right sideline for the touchdown at 4:13, providing the Als with a 24-7 lead.

The team record of 125 yards was shared by Tim Maypray and Ezra Landry, both on field goal returns. Maypray accomplished the feat July 1, 2010, against Saskatchewan – five years after Landry turned the trick against Edmonton on July 8. It was the first field goal returned for a touchdown by the Als since Maypray’s 118 yarder, also against Toronto, Aug. 6, 2010.

This game was critical for both teams. With the victory, the Als seemingly now control their own destiny in the East Division. Montreal, with six wins in its last seven games, remains in first place with an 8-4 record. The Argos, in the midst of three successive road games, have now lost two straight and are 6-6. Both teams have six games remaining in the regular season, including a game next month at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

For the second consecutive week, the Als had the good fortune of playing a team forced to use its backup quarterback.

Saskatchewan had rookie Drew Willy replacing the injured Darian Durant. Toronto veteran Ricky Ray left in the first quarter with a knee injury after colliding with one of his linemen. He was replaced by Jarious Jackson, the former British Columbia backup, who was ineffective.

The Als scored on their opening possession, a seven-play, 92-yard drive, that culminated in a 40-yard pass-and-run touchdown to Victor Anderson, replacing the injured Brandon Whitaker. Whitaker will miss the remainder of the season with a torn knee ligament.

It marked the fourth consecutive game in which the Als have scored on their first offensive series, and the sixth time this season.

Sean Whyte increased Montreal’s lead to 10-0 with a 12-yard field goal at 10:38, but Waters got the Argos on the scoreboard with a 34-yard field goal at 14:19.

Ten minutes into the second quarter, the Als went on a seven-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass to Guy and a 17-3 lead.

Waters connected from 36 yards at 12:39 to complete the first-half scoring.

Calvillo passed for 228 yards in the opening 30 minutes. But he was intercepted twice in the second half, eventually replaced by Adrian McPherson with the Als comfortably ahead.

Following Guy’s electrifying score, Waters missed a 35-yard attempt for a single.

Anderson made it 31-7 with a five-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, after Calvillo connected with S.J. Green for a 47-yard catch. Green surpassed 1,000 yards for the season.

Whyte conceded a safety at 10:00 of the fourth quarter before Waters added a 60-yard punt single.

Montreal’s next game is Friday night, at Hamilton.

Montreal Gazette

The Als have overcome numerous injuries this season to significant members of their team, always knowing the player was eventually going to return. But the stark reality is tailback Whitaker won’t return this season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last weekend. He’ll eventually undergo surgery and has been lost for the remainder of the year.

Gone is his 5.1-yard rushing average and 631 yards, even if he was unlikely to lead the Canadian Football League on the ground for a second consecutive season. Gone is the 516 yards he gained on 49 receptions, tying him for second overall on the team. When the Als’ receivers were covered, quarterback Anthony Calvillo knew he generally had a safety valve in Whitaker – a security blanket who invariably would be open, coming out of the backfield, in the flat.

“One of our most explosive players,” Calvillo said, shrugging. “I’m going to miss his intensity and explosiveness. He made plays from all over the field. The coaches designed plays where they released him and he’s not blocking. He’d be our first- or second-read. When he outflanks someone in the flat or catches the ball in open field, he makes plays happen.”

Whitaker missed one game earlier this season, last month, at Edmonton. His replacement, rookie Victor Anderson, performed more than admirably, gaining 102 yards on 18 carries, while catching three passes for 32 yards and scoring a touchdown in the Als’ victory. And there are those within management who will swear, of all the candidates brought to training camp last June, Anderson was the next-best blocker, behind Whitaker.

Anderson was renting the job at Edmonton. But starting Sunday afternoon at Molson Stadium against the Toronto Argonauts (1 p.m., TSN, RDS, CJAD Radio-800) it’s his position to lose. Anderson did it against the Eskimos. Now he must perform on a consistent basis or he’ll be replaced. That’s the nature of the pro sports beast, Anderson potentially on a shorter leash, given his rookie status.

“You can’t hang your head and be sad,” veteran guard Scott Flory said. “We have so much confidence Victor will do a great job. He’s smart, athletic, quick and fast. He knows what he’s doing.”

And he’s certainly well prepared, according to head coach Marc Trestman. Trestman, who always has a pulse on his team, said he hasn’t detected any discernable difference in the team’s psyche, knowing one of the best players won’t return. But Trestman also realizes the true measure of Whitaker’s impact, and the significance of his loss, won’t be ascertained until season’s end.

“This team has a great mindset. We’ve tried to turn it into a psychological positive,” he said. “I think our team will capture the moment. I expect they will. I judge our team daily by how they practice and work. I haven’t seen our team flinch. I’ve not seen any kind of flinching, through all the adversity we’ve had.”

While plenty of football remains to be played, the Als could control their own destiny with a victory on Sunday. Montreal, 7-4, has a two-point cushion atop the East Division over the second-place Argos, 6-5, Toronto already having won once this season at the McGill University venue. An Als win would open a two-game lead with six to play, but the Argos would be first should they prevail, not to mention clinching the season series between the teams.

“This game doesn’t determine who plays in the championship,” said a wary Trestman.

When the Als and Argos met in late July, Calvillo passed for 317 yards, but only one touchdown, in a 23-20 loss. The Als moved the ball and controlled most of the offensive statistics, but saw drives break down and settled for four Sean Whyte field goals. Whyte’s 54-yard attempt on the game’s final play fell short, or overtime would have been required.

Calvillo also threw a critical second-quarter interception, while scrimmaging from the Toronto 23, the ball pilfered by 6-foot-5 defensive back Pat Watkins.

“They don’t disguise much and play man,” Calvillo explained. “They always come up with new blitzes. They’ll have at least two or three news ones that can surprise you. We have some new formations to help our receivers get open.”

Going against primarily a man defence, it’ll be up to the Als’ receivers, all of whom possess great height, to win any potential contested throws. While Brian Bratton’s sidelined with a hyperextended knee, the productive Brandon London returns after missing three games with a knee injury.

“Playing bump-and-run gives (Toronto’s) defence another click to get to the quarterback because you’ve got to hold the ball a hair longer,” Trestman explained. “If it’s a tight throw, you’ve got to make a contested catch. You’ve got a chance for big plays, but you’ve got to take care of the quarterback for another click and be accurate with your throws.”

The Als also have to guard against getting burned by the elusive Chad Owens, one of the CFL’s most-dynamic players. Owens leads the league with 2,695 all-purpose yards. That includes 938 through the air, with five touchdowns; 1,108 on kickoff returns and 573 on punt returns. When these teams last met, Owens had a 40-yard punt return. He didn’t score a special-teams touchdown, although he did get two scores on passes from Ricky Ray.

“Stay in your lane,” said Marc-Olivier Brouillette, part of Montreal’s punt-coverage unit. “Even if the ball’s on the other side of the field, and you want to be part of the play, you have to remain disciplined.

“A guy like Chad, in the blink of an eye, the ball will be back to where you were supposed to be and you’ll be in the wrong position.”

Montreal Gazette

Toronto Argonauts were the latest visitor from the East to come up dry against the home team, as the Lions defeated the Argos today, 28-23, before 28,526 fans under the open roof.

The Argos haven’t won on the West Coast since July 9, 2002, when Lions GM and VP of football operations Wally Buono was coaching in Calgary.

A week earlier, the Lions maintained mastery in their den against the Montreal Alouettes, who haven’t won at BC Place since 2000. Montreal’s only victory since that time was a 16-12 decision over the Lions at temporary Empire Field two years ago.

The win kept the 8-3 Lions in first place in the West Division, one game ahead of the 7-4 Calgary Stampeders. The loss dropped the Argos’ record to 6-5. Toronto fell a half game back of the idle Montreal Alouettes (6-4) who play host to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday.

Today’s victory, however, wasn’t without its anxious moments for the Lions, who took a 28-16 fourth-quarter lead on one-yard touchdown plunge by fullback Rolly Lumbala and appeared on their way to a comfortable victory.

But a 52-yard touchdown pass from Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray to Chad Owens, with 4:48 left in the game, made it close. The touchdown was the first scored by the Argo offence in two games against the Lions. Toronto was held without a touchdown in an 18-9 Lions’ victory Aug. 6 at Rogers Centre.

Ray actually had the Argos in position for the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute of the game, but his end-zone pass to Ken-Yon Rambo was caught by the receiver out of bounds. On third down from the Lions’ 25-yard, Ray had the ball punched from his grasp by Khreem Smith, and Adam Bighill recovered the fumble to end the Argo threat.

Lions quarterback Travis Lulay threw a pair of touchdowns in the first half to give the Lions an 18-7 lead and increase his stature in the CFL record book.

His first TD, to Shawn Gore, covered 39 yards, with Gore out-legging Argo defenders to the goal line. He didn’t make it over the stripe, but the ball did, giving the Lions an 11-7 lead. It was the 22nd consecutive game in which the Lions quarterback has thrown a touchdown pass, moving him past Anthony Calvillo and into second place all time. Sam (the Rifle) Etcheverry holds the CFL record of 34 straight games with at least one touchdown pass.

While Lulay had trouble in the first half connecting on deep passes, that wasn’t evident as time wound down.

After Tim Brown returned a missed field goal attempt by Toronto’s Swayze Waters to the B.C. nine-yard line, Lulay drilled a pass upfield to Gore for a gain of 48 yards. With 0:05 left on the clock, Lulay then threw up a jump ball to the end zone that Arland Bruce collared for a 20-yard touchdown, out-leaping Argos defender Ahmad Carroll.

The Argos’ only touchdown was of the weird and wonderful variety. Toronto defender Pacino Horne stripped the Lions’ Andrew Harris of the ball following a 10-yard completion, Kevin Huntley picked up the fumble, and legged it toward the B.C. goal line, only to be caught from behind and stripped of the ball by the Lions’ Marco Iannuzzi. But in at attempt to swat the ball back to a teammate, Iannuzzi played the bouncing ball to Toronto’s Matt Black, who took it in two yards for the score.

Geroy Simon, after missing last Saturday’s game against Montreal with a hamstring injury, had six catches for 117 yards, the first time he has gone over the 100-yard mark since the league opener on June 29.

A 24-yard catch in the second quarter, which helped set up a 32-yard Paul McCallum field goal, was the 973rd reception of Simon’s career, moving him into the No. 3 position all-time. Only Ben Cahoon (1,017) and Terry Vaughn (1,006) are ahead of him.

Vancouver Sun

The Montreal Alouettes are in a prolonged drought — 0-for-11 — since their last win at BC Place Stadium in 2000, the only time in his CFL career, which began with the Las Vegas Outlaws in 1994, that quarterback Anthony Calvillo has won under the dome. His career record as a starting quarterback at BC Place: 1-14.

For the Toronto Argonauts, who’ve gone through a considerable number of quarterbacks without the pedigree of Calvillo, a visit to Vancouver has been no day at the beach either. The Argos haven’t won here since July 9, 2002 — when Lions GM and VP of football operations Wally Buono was still coaching in Calgary.

But it’s a new day, under a new roof, with new turf, for the Argos, most of whom are seeing the renovated stadium with the flip-top lid for the first time at Saturday’s 4 p.m. kickoff against the Lions. That group of BCP newbies, however, doesn’t include Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray, who enjoyed a couple of his finest hours as an Edmonton Eskimo when the dome was hermetically sealed.

In 2005, Ray defeated the Lions in their den, 28-23, in the West Final, and then quarterbacked the Esks to the 93rd Grey Cup title with a 38-35 win over Calvillo and the Alouettes.

While Ray doesn’t have a winning record at BC Place against the Lions, it does, nonetheless, look sterling in comparison with Calvillo’s.

Since 2002 — his first year with the Eskimos — Ray is 5-8, throwing for 3,725 yards, 20 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, with a passer rating of 91.9 and a completion percentage of 65.5 per cent (as computed by CFL statistician Steve Daniel).

Not great, but not bad either.

“I’ve had more opportunities to play in this place than Anthony,” Ray said Friday. “And, I don’t know, it’s a shorter trip [from Edmonton]. It’s a lot different than coming all the way cross country. But I’ve had some success in this building, against some very good teams, throughout my career, while I was playing in Edmonton. It’s been difficult to win games here. But I have been able to win games here.”

Historical precedents aside, Ray is more focused on recent history. He threw three interceptions, was sacked four times, and didn’t direct the Argo offence to a single touchdown in an 18-9 defeat to the Lions at Rogers Centre on Aug. 6.

Yet, in the intervening period, the Toronto attack, under Ray and first-year head coach Scott Milanovich, has continued to evolve. Two veteran receivers missing from that August long weekend game — Maurice Mann and Ken-Yon Rambo, the former Stampeder — are at Ray’s disposal now. Rambo has four games of 100-plus yards in his career against the Lions. He’s also been shut out three times.

“In certain areas, we’re a little bit better,” Ray said. “I’m getting a little more comfortable with those guys. Last week was a good example [a 45-31 win over the Tiger-Cats on Sept. 8]. We were getting some big plays off our running game, with [Chad] Kackert back there. Riggs gives us that ability as well. He’s got the speed to do it. Looking back at the first time we played ’em [Lions], we just turned the ball over too much. They’re a good team that’s tough to play against. But when you hand them the ball … for us, it’s about protecting the football, and making the plays when we need to.”

Riggs is Gerald Riggs Jr., the replacement for the injured Kackert, who had a breakout game against the Ticats (172 yards rushing, six catches for 67 yards, three touchdowns). He’s also beginning to break down, which is why Riggs made the trip west and Kackert didn’t.

At Tennessee, where he played collegiately, Riggs was known as “Seabiscuit” — and the thoroughbred analogy is an apt one. In the horse racing game, just like football, bloodlines matter. Riggs’ dad, Gerald Riggs Sr., was a first-round draft pick, a three-time Pro Bowler and scored 69 touchdowns in an NFL career with the Falcons and Redskins.

“He’s [Riggs] waited patiently. He’s anxious for his opportunity,” Milanovich said. “I think he’ll play well.”

Curiously enough, it’s not Riggs’ running that concerns Lions defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell. It’s Ray’s.

Mitchell admits he knows nothing about the new Argo running back. The Lions’ defence prepared all week to face Kackert. Now they’re faced with an imponderable, although the Lions are fully aware of what Ray can do.

“No disrespect to the guy [Riggs], I just don’t know who he is,” Mitchell admitted. “Ricky Ray, he can move a lot better than Calvillo. I respect who they are. Both are professionals and execute very well. But Ricky Ray is mobile, he can move with his feet and he can cause trouble.”

Indeed, Ray ran for 135 yards in a game against the Lions, two years ago at temporary Empire Field, when the B.C. defence neglected to “spy” the Eskimo quarterback.

Now an Argo, Ray knows his way around this mysterious area. He’s not about to disappear into the CFL’s Bermuda Triangle.

 Vancouver Sun

Playing against a listless Winnipeg Blue Bombers team that mailed it in for most of the evening, Calgary slotback Nik Lewis hit the 10,000-yard plateau and 700-catch plateau on the same play in the second quarter, one of a pile of offensive highlights in what turned into a rare Stampeder rout, a 44-3 triumph before a crowd of 28,247.

With the win, Calgary extends its season-long win streak to four games, improving to 7-4, tied temporarily for first place in the West Division with the B.C. Lions, who have a game in hand.

The Bombers, meanwhile, suffered their fourth straight loss and dropped to 2-8, the worst record in the league.

Lewis made a statement early; he started the game 77 yards shy of 10,000 (three catches shy of 700), and his first catch — indeed, the Stamps’ first play from scrimmage, saw him take a short pass from Kevin Glenn and immediately break a tackle by reigning defensive player of the year Jovon Johnson en route to a 52-yard gain.

He made his historic catch in the second quarter, and would end the game with seven catches for 131 yards.

Calgary rolled to a 27-0 lead at the half and hit cruise control for the final 30 minutes. CFL rushing leader Jon Cornish, who finished the night with 53 yards, had touchdown runs of 18 and three yards.

The Stamps also showed some special-teams trickery in the first quarter when holder Bo Levi Mitchell shovelled a short pass to Rob Cote, who did the rest, scampering 26 yards up the middle through a passive Winnipeg defence — a mirror image of the play the Green Bay Packers executed for a touchdown on Thursday night against the Chicago Bears.

LaMarcus Coker on a spectacular 52-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and Johnny Forzani on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Glenn (who finished the night 17-for-23 for 298 yards to move past Dieter Brock into 12th place on the CFL’s all-time passing yardage list before giving way to Bo Levi Mitchell in the fourth quarter), along with two field goals from Rene Paredes, a conceded safety by the Bombers and a Rob Maver punt single rounded out the Calgary scoring.

The Bombers broke the shutout in the third quarter with an 11-yard field goal from Justin Palardy.

The Stamps have an extended work week as they don’t return to action until a week from Sunday when they visit Mosaic Stadium in Regina to take on the Roughriders in a 2 p.m. kickoff (TSN, QR77 TRadio).

Extra Points — Stampeder scratches were DE Kenny Pettway, OLs Mark Dewit and Edwin Harrison and Chris Bauman . . . DE Justin Phillips hurt his knee on the opening kickoff and had to be carted to the locker-room.

Calgary Herald

At least, for the last time in its current, cramped, charming-if-you-like-Spartan configuration. And to frame Ivor Wynne as “Spartan” is to put a thick coat of polish on a badly outdated football park.

The 29,600-seat stadium, the closest one can ever come to entering a time warp in the Canadian Football League, will be demolished at season’s end, to be replaced by a modern structure expected to open for the 2014 CFL regular season.

The Eskimos, having dropped a pair to the Calgary Stampeders and three of their last four games, are focused on taking care of details they have become chronically sloppy about — tackling, time-count violations, the kicking game, little things like that.

They beat the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton last season, but the Eskimos have lost six of their last 10 games at the bandbox, and they really could use a victory to give their 2012 playoff push a little oomph.

Still, several members of the Eskimos entourage may take a moment or two pre- or post-game to reflect on some of the spectacles that have unfolded in Hamilton, over the years.

Edmonton head scout Ed Hervey, for one, one has vivid memories of his first visit to Ivor Wynne, back in 1999, when the Tiger-Cats laid a 54-8 butt-whipping on the Eskimos.

“Their team was pretty much stacked,” Hervey said. “They had Danny Mac [McManus], Darren Flutie, Joe Montford, Gerald Vaughn.

“I wasn’t sure how good we were, but at the end of the game, I was definitely convinced how good they were.

“I thought they were one of the greatest teams that I ever played against. They completely wiped the floor with us.”

Ivor Wynne is a mighty intimate venue at the best of times, let alone when you’re being manhandled. Hervey recalled another game in which Eskimos defensive back Cordell Taylor was struggling, which he heard about first from assistant coach Dan Kepley, in full view of the grandstand, of course.

“The fans picked up on it and they started calling his name, ‘Tay-lor, Tay-lor, Tay-lor,’” Hervey said. “All of a sudden there was this entire section just calling his name out.’

Taylor stewed silently for a while, but eventually faced the stands and hollered, “You think that bothers me? It doesn’t bother me!”

Which was the cue for the Ivor Wynne faithful to give the stricken defensive back a standing ovation, in a sarcastic, golf clap sort of way.

Eskimos tailback Cory Boyd reckons the Ivor Wynne fans are among the most creative hecklers in the CFL.

“They get personal, they do their research,” said Boyd, who played two-and-a-half seasons for the Toronto Argonauts. “They go back to when you were in high school, if you had a girlfriend, whatever.

“They’re pretty creative.”

In Boyd’s case, he remembers the Hamilton fans using material from a TSN documentary series about the Toronto Argonauts that revealed he had purchased a schmancy vehicle to tool around Toronto in.

“They told me I wouldn’t be able to pay it off until I was about 35,” Boyd said. “It was pretty cool, they just knew all about my purchase, how much my payments were, it was just crazy.”

Which also sums ups the 1996 Grey Cup game at snowy, windblown Ivor Wynn between the Argonauts and the Eskimos, a vivid memory for head coach Kavis Reed, who has worked in the Hamilton stadium as a coach, and visited there in his days as a defensive back for Edmonton.

“That was my first Grey Cup as a player, my second year in,” Reed said. “I remember the snow and the great atmosphere that Ivor Wynne presented for us.”

This was the game in which Eskimos receiver Eddie Brown caught a TD pass that ricocheted off his foot, “the fumble that wasn’t a fumble and that wasn’t a first down” Reed said, referring to a controversial third-down gamble by Toronto quarterback Doug Flutie that changed the outcome of that Eskimos loss.

“There were so many things that made that game an instant classic,” Reed said.

The challenge in Hamilton will be to construct a modern facility, while retaining the intimacy and rough-hewn charm of Ivor Wynne.

Asked to summarize Ivor Wynne’s appeal, Reed said: “Eclectic. When you walk in there and you see a lot of things from decades past, from the seats to the design to colours, it has that special feel about it.

“You really do feel the presence of Ticats past and the games that were there before. It has a historical presence of the games that were played there, the names on the wall, you can feel the Ben Zambiasi’s and all those guys as you play.

“With the fans being so close to you and everyone [both teams] being on the same sideline, it brings back the nostalgic part of football.”

But, again, that’s something to muse on after the game on Saturday.

Edmonton Journal