BC @ Calgary preview
McMahon Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jun 7, 2019 ) Calgary 36, BC 38
The Calgary Stampeders look to bounce back from a rare home loss when they host the BC Lions on Saturday. The Stampeders suffered their first defeat at McMahon Stadium in the month of June since 2004 after dropping a 32-28 decision to the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 1 and the defending Grey Cup champions, who were off last week, hope to get back on track by avenging a 26-21 loss to BC on Oct. 13, 2018.
"We feel prepared and we know we have a great opponent coming up," Calgary coach Dave Dickenson told reporters. "We've got to keep working as a group and get better." The Lions are left to lick their wounds following a 39-23 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 2. Mike Reilly, who spent the previous six seasons in Edmonton, was limited to 149 yards passing and was sacked seven times in his highly anticipated return to Commonwealth Stadium and hopes to engineer a quick turnaround as BC looks to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2011. "I believe we have the pieces that we need to make this right but it's going to take a lot of work," Reilly told reporters. "We can't sit there and hope so we've got to make it happen and we're going to figure out how to do that."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TSN
ABOUT THE LIONS (0-2): Reilly finished 14-of-27 through the air with a touchdown and an interception against Edmonton but still leapfrogged Kerry Joseph (28,097) into 17th place on the league's all-time passing list with 28,098 yards. BC bolstered its defence with the additions of defensive back Branden Dozier, who was an East Division all-star with the Montreal Alouettes after recording 84 tackles and five interceptions last season, and former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Korey Toomer. The Lions placed offensive lineman Brett Boyko on the one-game injured list due to a leg issue forcing David Foucault to move to right tackle and Hunter Steward to left guard.
ABOUT THE STAMPEDERS (0-1): Bo Levi Mitchell completed 23-of-39 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown to move past Russ Jackson (24,593) for 20th place on the CFL's all-time passing list with 24,748 yards. Calgary signed former BC Lion Jabar Westerman to the active roster after fellow defensive lineman Junior Turner suffered torn knee ligaments against the Redblacks and could be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Kick returner and backup running back Terry Williams is questionable after hurting his ankle Saturday while third-stringer Ka'Deem Carey underwent a minor procedure on his hamstring and is expected to miss the upcoming game.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Calgary has won six of the last seven regular-season meetings with BC.
2. The Lions are averaging a league-low 235 yards per game.
3. Stampeders DB Tre Roberson leads the CFL with three interceptions.
PREDICTION: Stampeders 26, Lions 23