Stampeders out to avenge season-opening loss when they host the Lions | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Stampeders out to avenge season-opening loss when they host the Lions

CALGARY - The Calgary Stampeders still remember the disappointing start they had to the CFL season.

Calgary jumped out to a 17-6 lead on the road against the B.C. Lions in its season opener on June 25, but the Stampeders ultimately dropped a 20-18 decision to their West Division rivals.

"Obviously, they probably felt that that game there shouldn't have been a loss for them," said Lions coach and general manager Wally Buono.

"Football is a funny game and it's 60 minutes."

The Stampeders and Lions meet up for a rematch on Friday night at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

The Stamps (2-1-1) will definitely have revenge on their minds. A win over the Lions (3-1) would vault them into first place in the West Division.

"Any time you lose to a team, you've always got to follow it up with a win," said Stamps linebacker Deron Mayo, who had seven tackles to help Calgary beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 33-18 on the road last Thursday.

"We're out to win this game for sure. The guys look sharp. Everybody seems focused for this game."

Receiver Anthony Parker agreed with his defensive counterpart.

"That's the way that football goes and we have an opportunity to make it right this week," said Parker, who had seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown against the Bombers last week. "It'll be nice to get back here in front of the home fans, have a friendly environment and I think that'll play to our advantage."

It's the first game for Calgary at home since July 1 when it beat Winnipeg 36-22.

"We also understand we have to win our home games," said first-year Calgary coach Dave Dickenson.

"I think it's important, if you're going to really win your conference, you've got to be pretty darn good at home. You don't have to be perfect, but you've got to win a good chunk of them and try to steal some on the road. We've done that, so if we can protect our house, certainly we'll be in good position to win it."

The Lions haven't played since beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders 40-27 on July 16 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. During the bye week and leading up to Friday's game, Buono has done his best to prepare his team to face a motivated Stamps squad.

"Coming to McMahon is always a tough place to play," Buono said. "The Stamps always play here very, very well. We know that as a football club. As I told our guys, if you want to be an elite team, you've got to be able to beat elite teams and Calgary has been an excellent team."

One player who has had considerable success against the Stamps is Chris Rainey, who followed up a one-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter on June 25 with a game-winning 72-yard punt return for a TD in the fourth quarter.

"It seems that way, but I'm just doing my job that's all," said Rainey in regards to his success against the Stamps. "You have to feel confident out there. You just go in with a good game plan and see how it works out."

Mayo, who also sees a considerable amount of playing time on special teams, said that he and the rest of his Stampeder teammates are definitely aware of Rainey every time he's on the field.

"He has game-changing ability," said Mayo, who cautioned that the Stamps also have to be wary of starting Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings and the rest of their offensive weapons.

"You've got to limit that guy and keep the amount of touches that he has down for sure. That goes for some of their receivers and even their quarterback can run and make big plays like that."

While the Stamps have revenge on their minds, Jennings has set his sights on leading B.C. to back-to-back wins over Calgary.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to close out the series this early against a great team," Jennings said.

"We've got a lot of respect for Calgary. They're a good football team. It's going to be a tough game, but we've prepared and we know that we have a good football team as well."

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016
The Canadian Press

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