Calgary and Edmonton tee it up once more

Sep 3, 2014 - 3:34 PM Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the top teams in the CFL get together for the second time in less than a week, as the Edmonton Eskimos host the Calgary Stampeders at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night.

These same two squads hooked up for their annual Labor Day Classic on Monday as well, with the Stamps putting up a 28-13 victory at home. The win was the fourth straight for a Calgary team which now has the best overall record in the league and is two points ahead of both Edmonton and Saskatchewan in the West Division standings.

A key figure in the win for Calgary just days ago was running back Jon Cornish, as he ran for 163 yards and a score for the winning side. Cornish, who had missed six full games and part of another due to a concussion, averaged close to 10 yards per carry in his third straight game against Edmonton with at least 100 yards on the ground.

For his efforts, Cornish was named both the CFL Offensive Player of the Week and the league's top Canadian, the latter being an accolade that he has now won a staggering 22 times in his career.

Continuing his strong play since becoming the starting quarterback for the Stamps late last season, Bo Levi Mitchell hit on 18-of-29 passes for 252 yards and a score, with Anthony Parker's lone catch of the day leading to a 27-yard major for the hosts.

As a team, Calgary finished with 457 yards of total offense, compared to only 299 for the visitors who saw their three-game win streak come to an end.

Stepping in for Mike Reilly at quarterback, Matt Nichols converted 18-of-30 passes for 203 yards, but was unable to orchestrate a touchdown drive on Monday. Adarius Bowman was his favorite target with eight catches for 123 yards, both of which were game highs.

The only major for the Eskimos on Monday came from Otha Foster, who was credited with a 57-yard return on a blocked punt in the first quarter.

Even though the passing attack for the Esks has been shaky at times this season, Bowman continues to be the stabilizer as he leads the league with 57 receptions for 742 yards and has already landed in the end zone five times. But as well as Bowman has performed, it still doesn't disguise the fact that Edmonton doesn't have a true, go-to ball carrier as of yet.

John White, a running back from Utah, could have been the one to fill that need since he does have a team-best 334 yards and a score on 51 rushing attempts, but he is currently on the six-game injury list. Kendial Lawrence tried to fill some of the void earlier this week when he ran for 65 yards on 11 carries, but he is still a bit rough around the edges.

Honestly, Reilly had been the most reliable ball carrier for the Eskimos with his 320 yards on 40 attempts, but that just meant he was taking away opportunities from his running backs to establish themselves, and at the same time put himself in harm's way as he absorbed extra hits outside of the pocket from defenders who were more than happy to get in a few added licks.

Edmonton is still scoring a solid 25.2 ppg on the season, thanks in large part to 23 field goals which has the squad tied for second in the league at the moment. Unfortunately, the hosts for this week are going up against a visitor that leads the CFL with 27.9 ppg.

Perhaps more notable for the matchup this time around is the fact that these are two of the three teams in the league allowing less than 300 yards of offense per game to the opposition. Edmonton leads the category with 292.5 ypg permitted, while the Stamps are close behind with an average yield of 295.3 ypg.

Another key stat that shows both clubs near the top is that of turnovers. Calgary currently has a plus-11 in the turnover department, second behind only Saskatchewan (plus-14), while Edmonton is third on the list with a plus-four. However, it should be noted that the Eskimos have the most aggressive pass defense that has recorded a league-best 13 interceptions, something Mitchell will have to keep in mind when he looks down the field.

The Esks own a 123-91-3 advantage in the series with Calgary, taking into consideration only regular-season meetings dating back to 1949. However, the Stamps have won 10 straight encounters and 16 of the last 18 thanks to the victory just five days ago.