Touchdown Atlantic 2022 is unique because the game won't be in Moncton, NB. The game will finally be in Nova Scotia. Halifax? Nope. Wolfville. Just 90 km away from Halifax.
The week actually starts with the Edmonton Elks in Montréal on Thursday night. ESPN2 will suppose to carry this game but switched out for a game in August.
Calgary travels to Winnipeg for an outstanding showdown on Friday Night Football. This is the second straight week where Winnipeg is in a battle of undefeated teams.
The times shifted for the Saturday doubleheader. The Touchdown Atlantic starts at 3 pm Atlantic time, 2 pm Eastern, and 11 am in Vancouver. This is a Toronto "home game" as Saskatchewan will bring fans even to Wolfville.
Ottawa travels to Hamilton for the (sorry to say) anti-climatic conclusion early on a Saturday evening.
A reminder for our U.S. fans is that any CFL game not on an ESPN cable channel is available on ESPN+. The TSN feeds are used.
The BC Lions will get ready with brunch to watch the Touchdown Atlantic game on Saturday.
TSN
Thursday
Edmonton @ Montréal, 7:30p
Friday
Calgary @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Toronto, 2p (Touchdown Atlantic)
Ottawa @ Hamilton, 5p
Bye week: BC
CFL finally puts a regular season game in Nova Scotia
CanadianCrossing.com Nova Scotia coverage
Not a lot Ottawa could do to change the tide. The West is now 12-1 against the East in 2022 in the CFL.
Edmonton scored as many points as the Peyton Logan 122-yard missed field goal return for Calgary. Logan added a 21-yard touchdown run for the Stampeders. Linebacker Cameron Judge added a fumble recovery for a 63-yard 4th quarter touchdown.
The 1-hour plus weather delay didn't change much in terms of momentum. The Elks liberally used their 3 quarterbacks. Kai Locksley had been the leading receiver when he went into the game as the 3rd quarterback. Tre Ford injured his right shoulder early in the game. Nick Arbuckle was in the game in between injuries to other quarterbacks.
Ford could be out 4 weeks with a collarbone injury.
The Elks are 1-4, playing much better football on the road than at Commonwealth Stadium. The team now has a 10-game home losing streak dating back to the fall of 2019.
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Winnipeg and BC went in undefeated. The Blue Bombers went into Vancouver and showed in meeting 1 which team was still the best. The Lions did bring in some late first-half magic to make things fun. The teams play twice more many months down the line. They will remember this game well.
Janarion Grant started the game for the Blue Bombers with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Grant had a second kickoff return called back for a penalty, thwarting a potential $1,000,000 prize for a lucky fan.
Winnipeg ran the ball well, which kept the ball away from Nathan Rourke. Zach Collaros has been the precise, high-percentage play quarterback yet took things up a notch against the Lions. In a battle of impressive quarterbacks, Collaros made sure people remember his performance.
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Hamilton signed a new punter. He is 40 years old. Except that punter is Jon Ryan. Ryan has mixed in CFL appearances before and after the NFL career with Green Bay and Seattle. He is one of a few Canadians to throw a TD pass in a NFL playoff game.
Ryan played in the CFL for Winnipeg (2004–2005) and then Saskatchewan (2019–2021).
So why Hamilton and why now? All good questions. Ryan has been on a Super Bowl winning team (Seattle, 2014) and would love to have a Grey Cup title.
Ryan averaged 48.1 yards per punt in 28 games in his last 2 seasons.
Tiger-Cats need a good punter for home games in particular since the winds make an impact on wins and losses.
Saskatchewan does travel to Hamilton on October 7.
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The running game often is pushed to the back seat in the CFL offence game. The Saskatchewan Roughriders has a running quarterback in Cody Fajardo who can't run much these days with a knee brace.
Fajardo threw a pair of touchdowns though the running game was the star of the show.
Jamal Morrow had 145 total yards on 16 carries and 6 catches. Frankie Hickson had 92 rushing yards on 5 carries with a 63-yard touchdown run.
Nate Behar's post-game comments from last night #FridayNightFootball pic.twitter.com/ipLYy7wJzm
— Brian Swane (@BrianSwane) July 9, 2022
This would be the time of year to compare Hamilton with Dane Evans and Ottawa with Jeremiah Masoli. The two were Tiger-Cats teammates. The logical step happened in the offseason where the quarterbacks no longer had to compete with each other on the same sideline.
Both teams being 0-4 is not the best comparison point. Neither team has played a division game yet. The RedBlacks have been close in all but the last game. The Tiger-Cats should have defeated Calgary.
A cheap hit by Garrett Marino on Masoli late in the last game changes that dynamic. The fact that the TSN cameras caught Marino flexing his muscles after the cheap hit should mean a long suspension. When Glen Suitor thinks it's a cheap hit, you know how cheap that was. The move appeared to be retaliation for another cheap hit against Saskatchewan. Milt Stegall on the panel used the word "gutless."
There is a logic that Marino should sit out as many games as Masoli will. No league has done that and it won't start now. A 15-yard or a 25-yard penalty isn't enough. Feel free to punish the incidents that led up to that incident. The longest CFL suspension for on-field incidents is 2 games.
Marino will be out for 4 games under 3 different suspensions. The 2-game suspension for the actual hit matches the previous high mark. We will be curious as to whether he stays on the Roughriders once the suspensions have been served.
Masoli is expected to be out 10-12 weeks. Nate Behar did what a teammate should do.
Masoli vs. Evans was going to be the highlight of the first division game with the teams. The cheap hit delays that moment significantly.
Nick Arbuckle will finally wear an Ottawa uniform. The Elks traded Arbuckle this week for a 4th round pick in the 2023 CFL Draft. Arbuckle was set to play for Ottawa in the 2020 season but never hit the field for the RedBlacks.
The teams will meet in the "forgotten game" following Touchdown Atlantic.
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Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde with Sara Orlesky handled the backend of the Battle of Alberta in Edmonton. Rod Smith and Glen Suitor with Sara Orlesky were in Regina for the only interdivision game of the week. Nielson and Suitor with Blake Price called the big game with the Blue Bombers in Vancouver. Price was in for Farhan Lalji, who filled in for Kate Beirness on the panel.
video and logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @BrianSwane
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