CFL

• Familiar foes do battle as Winnipeg visits Hamilton

  Hamilton, ON (Sports Network) - Winless on the road in three tries so far this season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats try their luck at home this weekend as they entertain the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

  Despite losing two in a row and four of the first five games of the season, Hamilton has actually jumped three spots in the most recent power rankings to fifth, but that has more to do with the inept play of other clubs in the league rather than with how the Ti-Cats performed last week.

  Against Saskatchewan last time out, the Hamilton defense did a fairly decent job keeping the Roughriders out of the end zone, but what the visitors couldn't stop was a kicking game that accounted for seven field goals and a couple of extra points that put the home team on top by a final of 37-24. Quarterback Kevin Glenn posted strong numbers with 31-of-45 passing for 425 yards and three scores, but he was also picked off twice. Having a monster game was receiver Arland Bruce who tallied an incredible 16 catches for a startling 272 yards and a pair of TDs.

  The reception total by Bruce tied a CFL single-game record previously shared by the likes of Terry Greer, Brian Wiggins and Derrell Mitchell and still the receiver and his team came out on the losing end. Perhaps even more incredible was the fact that Bruce, who on Tuesday was named the CFL Offensive Player of the Week, had more receiving yards than all of the Roughriders combined.

  As for the Blue Bombers, they again had Steven Jyles at quarterback but this time he was unable to work his magic as Winnipeg suffered the 23-20 loss at Calgary, the squad's third defeat in the last four outings. Jyles completed 17-of-30 passes for 227 yards and a score, while Fred Reid accounted for 75 yards and a touchdown on 12 rushing attempts. Terrence Edwards turned his six receptions into a game-high 162 yards and a score, while defender Odell Willis had a huge game for the Bombers as he recorded a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.

  Well on his way to a career year, Edwards already has 25 receptions for a league-leading 545 yards and four touchdowns. Thanks to a career-best 90-yard catch he is averaging a staggering 21.8 yards per grab which is easily the best mark entering the sixth week of this season. Considering the Winnipeg passing attack, split between Jyles and an injured Buck Pierce, has accounted for a total of just seven TDs thus far, it is clear that Edwards is the man to watch no matter which signal-caller is breaking the huddle.

  In their two previous meetings against Hamilton this season, the Blue Bombers have been slow starters, scoring just six and seven points in the first and third quarters, respectively. Needing time to warm up, Winnipeg has been credited with a total of 25 points in the fourth frame, accounting for almost half of the team's 56 points from the two prior encounters. Last year it was a much different story when the teams clashed as Winnipeg tallied a combined 29 points in the opening period, but just 39 points the rest of the way, including just a single touchdown in the fourth while Hamilton was dropping seven touchdowns in the final quarter on the Bombers.

  Over the years Bruce has been quite productive against Winnipeg, the team that he broke into the league with back in 2001. In 17 career meetings, the receiver has a total of 70 catches for 953 yards, yet he has visited the end zone just three times. However, only once in his last 12 games versus the Bombers has he recorded more than 65 yards receiving, so don't expect him to have another huge game like he did last week.

  The only win of the season thus far for the Tiger-Cats came against this same Winnipeg squad three weeks ago at home by a final of 28-7. That game also marked the only time this season that Hamilton has managed to hold an opponent below 23 points, which is why the club is last in the Eastern Division with 153 points allowed over the course of five outings.

  Believe it or not, these squads are set to meet again just six days from now in Winnipeg, marking the fourth and final time during the regular season that they will see each other on the gridiron. In terms of the all-time, regular- season series between the teams, Winnipeg is ahead by a count of 54-43 dating back to 1945.

  08/04 11:13:05 ET