CALGARY 鈥� Not much has gone right for the Calgary Stampeders this season, but head coach Dave Dickenson wants a strong finish from his team.
Since defeating the Toronto Argonauts 27-23 on Aug. 4, the Stampeders (4-10-1) have been mired in a woeful 0-6-1 stretch that has seen them fall out of the CFL playoff picture.
Although it will be too little, too late for his team, Dickenson has high hopes that the Stampeders can end their slump when they take on the Edmonton Elks (5-11) on Saturday at McMahon Stadium.
鈥淲e just haven鈥檛 had the year we want,鈥� said Dickenson. 鈥淲e do want to try to finish as strong as possible and play to win. Edmonton or any other opponent, it really doesn鈥檛 matter to us at this point.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e in the same boat as us. I think both teams will play hard. It鈥檚 still professional football. I do believe it鈥檚 going to be one of those games that should come down to that last three minutes. We need to start winning some of these and hopefully this is the game we do it.鈥�
Meanwhile, the Elks lost 28-24 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last Saturday to see their faint dreams of locking down a playoff spot disappear.
鈥淲e know we don鈥檛 get the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we get an opportunity to do a job and at the end of the day there鈥檚 so many other players out there that wish they were sitting in these seats, even if they didn鈥檛 have a chance to make it to the playoffs,鈥� said Edmonton interim head coach Jarious Jackson.
鈥淭ake advantage of your opportunities. We still have two opportunities left to go out and win football games. Let鈥檚 try to finish on a high note.鈥�
Both Dickenson and Jackson will turn to their backup quarterbacks to lead their respective teams on Saturday in the third instalment of the Battle of Alberta this season.
Matt Schiltz will start under centre for the Stamps, while Tre Ford will be at QB for the Elks.
Schiltz relieved starting quarterback Jake Maier against the Lions and completed four-of-five passes for 99 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown strike to Reggie Begelton.
鈥淚t does kind of whet your appetite and give you a little taste,鈥� said Schiltz of getting into game action against the Lions. 鈥淎nd you always want a little bit more, so it鈥檒l be good.鈥�
Schiltz would like nothing more than to help the Stamps avenge a pair of losses to the Elks earlier this season 鈥� a 35-20 setback in Calgary on Labour Day, followed by a 37-16 drubbing by the Elks five nights later in Edmonton.
鈥淚t would be awesome,鈥� Shiltz said. 鈥淟ike I said before, it鈥檚 the most important game because it鈥檚 the next game, and regardless of how the season is going or how it will go, we want to go out there and win.
鈥淲e鈥檙e professional athletes. We get paid to do it. But it鈥檚 a blessing to do it 鈥� to go out there to compete and win every day.鈥�
Ford shared a similar sentiment.
鈥淵ou get the opportunity to play football for work,鈥� said Ford, who last played on Sept. 21 in a 27-14 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity regardless of if playoffs are out of the picture or not, so we鈥檝e always got to be grateful for that."
With quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson not dressing for the game, Ford will be tasked with trying to lead the Elks to their third straight win over the Stamps.
鈥淚t would be nice to go 3-0 against them,鈥� Ford said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really play the other two, so for me it鈥檚 really the first time playing them this year. As a team, to go 3-0 would be really dominant in the battle that we have against them.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press
