This Week in the CFL – Opening Week

Stats and storylines heading into this week’s action

BREAKING IT DOWN

• Of the 502 players on CFL rosters, 69 are entering their first year in the league (13.7 per cent).
• Edmonton has the most first-year players (14) and Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Toronto and Winnipeg have the fewest (six).
• Players entering this season have an average of 38 games or approximately three years of CFL experience.
• One third of CFL roster players have come via U SPORTS (171).
• Winnipeg has the oldest roster with an average age of 28.9. Edmonton and Calgary have the youngest at 27.6.
• Of the 54 CFL Divisional All-Stars from 2022, 49 are on CFL rosters.

PAST FIVE SEASON OPENERS

• Winnipeg | 4-1
• Ottawa | 3-1-1
• Toronto | 3-2
• Saskatchewan | 3-2
• Montreal | 2-3
• Calgary | 2-2-1
• Edmonton | 2-3
• BC | 2-3
• Hamilton | 1-4

PIVOTAL PERFORMANCE

• Bo Levi Mitchell | 117 starts | 90-25-2
• Zach Collaros | 97 starts | 61-36
• Trevor Harris | 96 starts | 48-46-2
• Cody Fajardo | 44 starts | 27-17
• Vernon Adams Jr. | 35 starts | 21-14
• Nick Arbuckle | 22 starts | 9-13
• Taylor Cornelius | 20 starts | 4-16
• Jake Maier| 12 starts | 7-5
• Chad Kelly | 1 start | 0-1

CENTURY MARK

• Ticats QB Bo Levi Mitchell needs 10 wins to reach 100 in his career. If he accomplishes the feat this season, he would be aged 33 years (and 239 days or fewer), making him the second youngest to reach the milestone.
• Ages of quarterbacks when they reached 100 wins:
  • Ron Lancaster | 33 years and 10 days
  • Tracy Ham | 33 years and 271 days
  • Anthony Calvillo | 34
  • Matt Dunigan | 35
  • Damon Allen | 36
  • Ricky Ray | 36
  • Kevin Glenn | 37
  • Henry Burris | 38
  • Danny McManus | 38

MOVE ON UP

• Adam Bighill (817) needs 17 tackles to pass Solomon Elimimian (833) for 6^th all-time.
• Simoni Lawrence (658) needs five tackles to pass Calvin Tiggle (662) for 12^th all-time.
• Henoc Muamba (610) needs 29 tackles to pass Shannon Garrett (638) for 17^th all-time.

QUICK SLANTS

• Thursday’s season kickoff between the Lions and the Stampeders will be the earliest the CFL season has ever begun. 2022 previously held this distinction with a start on June 9.
• Lewis Ward (88.7 per cent), René Paredes (87.6 per cent), and Sean Whyte (87.1 per cent) enter the season as the CFL’s all-time leaders in field goal success rate (min. 150 attempts).
• Calgary’s Paredes (1,944) is 56 points shy of becoming the 10^th player to reach 2,000 career points.
• Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell (188) is 12 passing touchdowns away from becoming the 13^th QB to reach 200 in his career.
• Winnipeg’s next victory will be Mike O’Shea’s 83^rd win, moving him into a tie for 13^th alongside Jack Gotta (83).
• With one more touchdown pass, Zach Collaros will become the 25^th quarterback to reach 150 in his career.
• Nic Demski (284) needs 16 catches for 300 in his career.
• Ottawa has won 10 of its last 11 games in Montreal. Prior to that streak, Montreal had won six straight at home against Ottawa.
• Ottawa’s Nigel Romick (99) sits second among active players in Special Teams Tackles.
• Entering his fifth season, Montreal’s William Stanback needs 84 rushing yards for 3,000 in his career.
• Edmonton’s Chris Jones has had two previous stints as a head coach. In his second season on both occasions, he led his team to the playoffs, including a Grey Cup victory with Edmonton in 2015.
• Manny Arceneaux (8,931) needs 69 yards to reach 9,000 in his career. He enters the season with 617 receptions.