Calgary Stampeders prepared for a fight in rematch with wounded Elks

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It would be oversimplifying things to say that whoever wants it more is going to win the Labour Day rematch between the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders.

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Of course there’s more to it than that.

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But grit and toughness and an insatiable desire to win certainly won’t hurt when the two teams take the field on Sunday.

When you play back-to-back games against the same team over a five-day period, at some point that’s going to require that you dig deep and fight through pain and exhaustion and just go out there and make a play.

It’s the beauty of the way the CFL sets up its annual Battle of Alberta – at least for those of us watching from the stands or on TV.

“You’ve got to fight, you’ve got to want it, you want to just try to carry any momentum you just built four days prior into what you’re walking into now,” said Stamps quarterback Jake Maier. “They’re going to know our stuff, we’re going to know their stuff, so it really is a battle of wills in my opinion and then when you do get the opportunities to win your one-on-ones and make your plays, you really have to.”

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After falling behind, the Stampeders made a furious fourth quarter comeback in the Labour Day Classic and wound up with a desperately needed 35-31 win.

Offensively, they started clicking in the second half and scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to sneak out the win.

Defensively, after struggling to contain Elks quarterback Tre Ford through much of the game, they stepped up in a big way and came up with some pivotal stops late in the game.

It was a close, hard-fought win, but they earned it.

Now, it’s about carrying that forward into a game that – again – they can hardly afford to lose if they want to make any sort of run at overtaking the Saskatchewan Roughriders and finishing in third-place in the West Division.

Neither team will have had time to make any major changes to their game plan between Monday and Saturday. Rest and recovery will have been as much a point of emphasis as anything else this week.

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And when they take the field, it’s going to be about executing and putting up a fight.

It always is at this point, but it’s especially true when you’re playing a team twice in five days and are as familiar with one another as the Stamps and Elks.

“We definitely tried a few things today, I didn’t feel like we executed them well, so maybe the rematch sometimes is grit,” Stampeders GM/head coach Dave Dickenson said after his team’s lone practice of the week, on Thursday. “Try to find something deep in you and battle and hopefully it goes our way.

“I think it would be tough to believe we’re not ready to fight at this point in the season and where we’re at (in the standings). I think both teams will play very desperate, meaning that we kind of know where we’re at. The whole point was try to win at home and try to steal one on the road. We’ve got that opportunity so let’s see what happens.”

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Being up for the fight isn’t something the Stampeders have generally struggled with this season. More often than not, the results haven’t gone their way. But with the exception of one or two games, they’ve generally been up for the scrap in most of their matchups, even if they wound up on the losing end.

Will that alone be enough to earn them a win in Edmonton? Maybe not, but it won’t hurt, either.

“We’ve definitely learned how to fight this year,” said Stamps linebacker Micah Awe said. “If it needs to go to overtime, we’ve been there before. If it needs to come down to the last play again, we’ve been there six or seven times. That’s the thing we have.

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QUICK HITS

The Stampeders are banged up. Although nobody’s using it as an excuse, they currently have 16 players on the six-game injured list. That’s no joke … Dedrick Mills won’t be playing on Saturday. The running back suffered a head injury in the Labour Day Classic and was removed from the lineup. LeVante Bellamy will take his place backing up Ka’Deem Carey … The Stamps had seven total changes to their roster between the two games. Most notable are the changes to the defensive backfield, where Shaq Richardson, Michael Griffin and Titus Wall are all out and Nick Taylor, Brad Muhammad and Bailey Devine-Scott draw in.

daustin@postmedia.com

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