LIVESTREAM CFL: Calgary Stampeders @ Ottawa REDBLACKS, July 27, 01:30 CET (1:30 am, 7:30 pm July 26 EDT)

| American Football | 07/26/2024

OTTAWA — The Ottawa REDBLACKS and Calgary Stampeders have certainly made things interesting in their respective divisions.

On Friday night, they’ll look to take the next step in their climb to the top.

Calgary cooled off the red-hot BC Lions in Week 7 with a 25-24 victory.

Ottawa is attempting to win three-straight and are a victory away from surpassing their 2023 total after downing the Edmonton Elks last week.

RELATED
» Depth Charts: CGY | OTT
» Game Notes: Stampeders at REDBLACKS

Jake Maier enters the game with confidence after picking apart the Lions for 307 yards and three touchdowns. As Maier goes, so does the Stampeders offence, making his ability to find his receivers downfield important against the REDBLACKS.

And he’ll have options to his left and right despite no Stamps player ranking among the top 15 in yards.

With no clear-cut top target, Maier looks the way of Clark Barnes, Reggie Begelton, Marken Michel and Jalen Philpot with regularity. The pass game by committee approach will surely be a test for the Ottawa defensive backs.

Watch live. Calgary Stampeders @ Ottawa REDBLACKS, July 27, 01:30 CET (1:30 am, 7:30 pm July 26 EDT)

It’s a REDBLACKS secondary well equipped to deal with a plethora of options, though. Alonzo Addae and Damon Webb are among the top defenders in the league and have a supporting cast not short on talent with Deandre Lamont and Sherrod Baltimore helping to hold opposing offences to 268.3 yards a game.

When the Stamps run game is utilized, it’s Dedrick Mills’ responsibility to find holes on the ground. He’ll be trying to do so against a defence that’s in the middle of the pack in rushing yards against.

The statistics may not pop off the page but Bob Dyce’s defensive front is as capable as any at stopping the run.

Defensive linemen Bryce Carter and Lorenzo Mauldin IV bring a combined six sacks into the game, while linebacker Adarius Pickett is a dual threat.

Still without a win away from McMahon Stadium at 0-3, Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson knows his team needs to find a way to control the game as they hit the road on a short week.

“We know if we win our games at home, we’re in the playoffs,” Dickenson told reporters. “You have to just try to keep seeing what you can do on the road and find a winning streak. I think obviously that’s the goal is to try to now get on the road and see if we can come up with a win.”

Offensively for Ottawa, quarterback Dru Brown is continuing his evolution as a starting quarterback.

He’ll need to limit his turnovers and find top receivers Justin Hardy and Kalil Pimpleton to have success. Pimpleton has produced back-to-back strong games, catching nine passes for 209 yards in that span.

Bearing down on Brown’s group of receivers is a balanced Stamps secondary.

Defensive backs Demerio Houston and Tre Roberson lead the way with a combined five interceptions.

With an intriguing battle expected when Brown looks deep, the play of running back Ryquell Armstead could be the difference in the REDBLACKS finding the end zone.

Armstead put up 53 yards and a touchdown against Edmonton and ranks in the top five in the league in yardage on the ground.

Keeping tabs on Armstead is the job of defensive linemen Josiah Coatney, Clarence Hicks, Mike Rose and James Vaughters at the line of scrimmage. So far in 2024, they’ve allowed 103.2 yards per game.

Defensive coordinator Brent Monson has been pleased with the play of Hicks in particular and is looking forward to seeing how he develops each week.

“I think he’s been getting better every day, he’s putting the work in,” Monson told Stampeders.com. “There’s a lot of new things we throw at him, and he’s been doing a good job at getting the ball when it’s been thrown to him, has an interception, and he’s doing good on his one-on-one pass rush reps. His quickness and abilities, doing all the right things, and he’s just been finishing.”

Calgary can put themselves in the conversation as a top team in the West with a win.

A victory for Ottawa not only moves them to 5-2, but keeps them undefeated at home.

Watch live. Calgary Stampeders @ Ottawa REDBLACKS, July 27, 01:30 CET (1:30 am, 7:30 pm July 26 EDT)

Today's CFL is more than just our great game of football. It's fans sharing their excitement for what they see on the field, and what they experience off it. Stay up to date on all the non-stop action at CFL.ca.