Presented by:

GAME 14 | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (10-3) at WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (9-4)

THE 4-1-1

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday; IG Field
TV: TSN, RDS-2, ESPN+
Radio: 680 CJOB
The forecast: Environment Canada is calling for rain and a high of 12C, but clearing at night with an overnight low of zero.
Vegas line: The Bombers are favoured by 4.5 points.
Home/Road: Winnipeg is 6-0 at home; Hamilton is 4-3 on the road. Friday is Hamilton’s third consecutive road game after splitting in Alberta – a 19-18 loss in Calgary, followed by a 30-27 victory in Edmonton. They did return to Hamilton to practice this week before travelling here Thursday morning.
Streaks: Winnipeg: 1L; Hamilton: 1W.
Recent history: This will be the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season. The Ticats knocked off the Bombers 23-15 in Hamilton back on July 26^th, a game in which Hamilton lost QB Jeremiah Masoli for the season with a knee injury.
Series (since 1961): The Bombers are 64-56 all-time vs. the Tiger-Cats, but just 2-5 against them here since IG Field opened.

3 STORYLINES

1. GET UP OFF THE MAT

Thank goodness for the short week, because the Bombers—and those who cover them – are running out of adjectives to describe last week’s Montreal Meltdown and the ensuing reaction over the last few days.

And ultimately, the Bombers ability to bounce back won’t be measured by the talking they’ve done leading up to kickoff, but by what happens after the ball is put on the tee Friday night against the Ticats.

“It’s not about killer instinct, it’s situational football,” said Bombers receiver Darvin Adams. “We were up by a lot of points, so time of possession and staying on the field was very important. Those are the things we tried to do, but as an offence we need to stay on the field and run the clock off more with longer drives.

“I don’t think it’s a case where we ease up on people or anything like that. It’s more situational football and being smart. It’s knowing the situations we are in and applying what we need to do.”

“You look at the first three quarters that was pretty close to (mistake-free),” added Andrew Harris. “There’s obviously a couple things, but then things just fell apart in the fourth. You look back and you try and pinpoint what the reasoning was and how it all happened. But at the end of the day momentum shifts in football games, mistakes happen in football games and we’ve got to eliminate the mistakes and play 60 minutes.”

2. STOPPING DANE, AND SPEEDY B, AND BRALON AND…

The Ticats lead the Bombers slightly in offensive points for per game – 26.7 vs. 26.2 – and throw out more weapons offensively than a Transformers flick.

Quarterback Dane Evans has done a solid job since the season-ending injury to Jeremiah Masoli – he has thrown for 2,287 yards with 11 TDs against 10 interceptions – with a good chunk of his completions going to Brandon Banks, Speedy B, who leads the league with 78 receptions for 1,039 yards and seven TDs.

Bralon Addison is about to go over the 1K mark as well, with 78 catches for 980 yards and six TDs.

“We know they can make plays from wherever and any player can make plays from Addison to (Jaelon) Acklin, to Banks, of course, to (RB Jackson) Bennett,” said Bombers cornerback Winston Rose. “Evans has been around their system for quite some time (three years) and he knows it. He’s been around veterans, so he’s got a veteran presence and he’s not going to force it.

“We’ve just got to minimize our mistakes, be focused and put the pressure on him.”

3. KEEP THE HOME MOJO GOING

The Bombers are a perfect 6-0 at IG Field, tied with Hamilton for the best home record in the CFL.

Just FYI, Winnipeg hasn’t won seven games at home since 2007, when the club finished 7-2 at Canad Inns Stadium, and the club record for home wins is eight, which has been achieved nine times.

The Bombers have three home dates remaining: Friday against Hamilton, Saturday, October 12^th vs. Montreal and Friday, October 25^th when Calgary pays a visit. Protecting home turf in the regular season could very well determine whether the Bombers are home for the playoffs or heading West.

THE QBS

• Winnipeg’s Chris Streveler is 3-5 as a starter over the last two years – 2-2 this year – and 0-1 in his career vs. the Ticats.
• Hamilton’s Dane Evans is 5-3 as a starter in his career, all eight starts coming this season after the injury to Masoli. He came off the bench in the victory over Winnipeg in late July, completing 13 of 25 for 94 yards with an interception.

3 BOMBERS TO WATCH

#19 Kyrie Wilson, LB: He was solid last week in Montreal with four tackles and a fumble-recovery TD. Had a chance to seal the deal with a potential interception on the Alouettes second-last drive, but did not knock the pass attempt down.

#1 Darvin Adams, WR: Pulled in four passes for 44 yards and a TD and also connected with Andrew Harris on 74-yard pass completion that was the Bombers’ longest play from scrimmage.

#17 Chris Streveler, QB: He was good on 19 of 22 pass attempts last week for 180 yards with one TD and one interception while rushing for three TDs. He’s always been a dangerous threat along the ground and if his passing numbers can continue to improve the Bombers offence could be that much more dynamic.

X FACTOR

#94 Jackson Jeffcoat, DE: The Bombers are stacked at the end position, with Most Outstanding Defensive Player candidate Willie Jefferson, the under-rated Craig Roh and Canadian rookie Jonathan Konbgo. Getting Jeffcoat back from injury adds to that group and gives the defence another dominant tackler/rusher to offset how they move Jefferson around from end to end, tackle to tackle along the front seven.

NOTABLE:

The Bombers are making three changes to their 46-man roster this week: Coming on are DE Jackson Jeffcoat, OL Cody Speller and LB Brandon Calver. A star at Wilfrid Laurier, Calver played 17 games for Montreal last year and five more this year before being released and picked up by Ottawa, where he suited up for one contest. Coming off the roster are DE Craig Roh and OL Geoff Gray, who have both been moved to the one-game injured list, and OL Asotui Eli.

JUICY NUMBER | 12

Rushing TDs for Chris Streveler this year, establishing a new record for a Bombers QB. Matt Dunigan previously held the mark with 11, set in 1993. The CFL record, FYI, is 14, set in 1991 by Doug Flutie and tied last season by James Franklin. Montreal’s Vernon Adams, Jr. has 11.

MILESTONE WATCH

Andrew Harris needs 16 rushing yards to hit the 1K mark for the third consecutive season. He is also attempting to become the first Bombers running back to win three straight rushing titles.

“I’ve got a great O-line, great teammates and a great coaching staff that contribute to anything I’ve been able to do on the field,” said Harris. “It’s a product of your environment and the people you’re surrounded by and hard work. It’s something I’m definitely proud of, but we’ve got to keep it going here and a thousand yards is a great accomplishment, but first place is the goal right now.”

A SALUTE TO CAMERON

The Bombers will add hall-of-fame punter Bob Cameron to the Ring of Honour on Friday. You can read our story about Cameron here, but one bit that did not make the piece involved his connection with former head coach Cal Murphy.

Murphy, you may recall, became the Bombers head coach in 1983 during a time when Cameron still didn’t quite feel secure about his job with the team.

“Cal got the job in 1983 and I was still living with my parents (in Ancaster),” Cameron recalled. “So I decided to drive to Winnipeg to make a good first impression with him.

“He was no bulls—t. He said, ‘Listen, Cameron, you don’t need to suck up to me. Here’s what I want you to do: I want you to kick the ball as high and as far down the field as you can, and we’ll get guys to cover it. That’s all you have to worry about.’ That did so much for my confidence. I loved Cal.”

FYI

• With a victory on Friday the Bombers would reach the 10-win mark for the fourth consecutive year – a feat not accomplished by the franchise in 32 years dating back to 1984-87.
• The Bombers became the first team in the CFL to score on their first four possessions since the league began tracking drive charts and possessions in 2005.
• The Bombers were 11 of 13 in second-down conversions in their first eight drives last week, but converted just two of their last seven opportunities.
• Hamilton QB Dane Evans has a 79% completion rate with six TDs and four interceptions in his last three games and has averaged 379 yards passing over that span.
• Bombers DE Willie Jefferson leads the CFL with 10 pass knockdowns and six forced fumbles and is second in sacks with 11 – Saskatchewan’s Charleston Hughes has 13. Hamilton’s Ja’Gared Davis is third with 10 – nine of them coming in the last four games.
• Mike Miller of the Bombers leads the CFL in special-teams tackles with 20; teammate Kerfalla Exumé is second with 18.

RETRO NIGHT

Finally, don’t forget Friday is Retro Night at IG Field, as the clock is turned back with old-school tunes and retro concession prices that include 12-ounce fountain drinks for a buck, $2 popcorn and $3 hot dogs.

The Bomber Store will have all retro merchandise on sale at a 25% discount and there will be a halftime performance by the band Jenerator.
The tailgate area will have fire pits and hay bales and there will be warm-up stands on the concourse offering hot chocolate, coffee and Baileys.