CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO -- Friday's game will be the first of three regular season meetings between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts in the 2010 season. The two teams split their four games last year, but the Ticats retained the Ballard Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the season series.

This Week #8 match-up will be the 207th meeting between the two teams since 1950, with the Hamilton Ticats holding a 117-85-2-2 advantage in the all-time series.

One of these teams' two-game winning streaks will most likely be snapped on Friday night. The Ticats have beaten the Blue Bombers in back-to-back weeks in their first of three home-and-home stanzas this season. The Tabbies are embarking on the first of two straight games against their provincial rivals from Toronto and will face the Edmonton Eskimos on back-to-back occasions in October.

Looking back on week six, the Argos defeated the Esks 29-28 at Commonwealth Stadium and followed that up with an impressive 37-22 win against the Montreal Alouettes at home last week.

Now for as much good press as the Argos have received for their triumphant victory over the Als a week ago, Jim Barker wants nothing more than for his team to forget it ever took place. A tactic used primarily for teams that come up on the losing end of a particular game, the Argonauts head coach wants to make certain that his team focuses on nothing else but the upcoming battle with the Ticats on Friday night and that includes not only last week’s victory, but also the upcoming bye week.

“We are focused on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Friday night, period,” said Barker when asked about how his team performed last week and how crucial the home-and-home series is with the ‘Cats. “It’s about being better this week than we were last week.”

Barker and his squad are taking on a Ticats team whose biggest threat is arguably the league’s best player right now in former Argos SB Arland Bruce III. Bruce enters Friday with a league-leading 45 catches for 744 yards and five majors and when asked about how one prepares to defend such a player, Barker responded by saying, “You don’t. You try and tackle well because you are not going to stop him – he is as good as there is.”

Bruce has seen both sides of the Argos/Ticats rivalry and although Barker has witnessed his fare share in his first two stints with the Argos, this will be the first time in 11 years that he will be directly involved.

“I have a healthy respect for them (Hamilton),” Barker said with a smile. “(Ivor Wynne) is a very difficult place to play, so fortunately they are coming to our place this time and that is why this game has been so important.”

The place that Barker refers to is Rogers Centre which has been a tough place for visiting opponents to play in 2010. Including pre-season, the Argos are undefeated at home this year boasting a 4-0 record in the regular season. Perhaps in their favour is a Ticats team that is 1-3 on the road this year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Kevin Glenn / QB / Hamilton
Glenn has had some big games already for the Ticats this season, throwing for over 300 yards in four out of the first seven games this season. The match-up between the Tiger-Cats offence and the Argonauts defence could allow Glenn to throw his fifth 300 yard game of the season. With plenty of options in the passing game to look to, Glenn should be able to move the ball effectively down the field against the league's 8th ranked pass defence.

Arland Bruce / WR / Hamilton
Bruce will return to the Rogers Centre to face his former team for the third time as a member of the Tiger-Cats. Bruce has been piling up the yards over the last three weeks to become the league's number one receiver. In the last three weeks, Bruce has caught 29 passes for 533 yards and four touchdowns. He will be sure to get some extra attention from the Argonauts defensive backs in this game. In three games against the Argonauts with the Ticats, Bruce has caught 21 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns.

Cory Boyd / RB / Toronto
Boyd has been on a tear since entering the league this season as a rookie running back. Boyd is the league's leading rusher as he's rushed for 711 yards and four touchdowns already this season. Boyd has rushed for over 100 yards in four of Toronto's seven games this season and when he does, the Argonauts are 4-0. In the three games that Boyd hasn't reached 100 yards, the Argos are 1-2. Stopping Boyd could mean stopping the Argonauts win streak tonight for the Ticats.

Byron Parker / DB / Toronto
Parker is, most likely, the Argos defensive back that will draw the assignment of covering Bruce tonight. The veteran cornerback sits in a tie for fifth in the league in interceptions with two. Parker returned an interception for the game-winning touchdown in the final minutes of the Argos Week #4 victory over the B.C. Lions and also had one last week against the Alouettes. Parker always has big play ability on defence and if he makes one tonight, it could kill any momentum the Ticats have going.

KEY MATCH-UP:

Tiger-Cats Passing Game vs. Argonauts Secondary

The Tiger-Cats have a key match-up in their favour in the game tonight, going up against an Argonauts pass defence that surrenders an average of 335 pass yards per game. This could suit Glenn and the Ticats offence, who have relied on the passing game this season and have the league's second ranked passing attack. Although the Ticats may be able to move the ball effectively against this Argonauts secondary, Toronto's defensive backs are tied for the league-lead in interceptions with nine. With no one Argos player having more than two interceptions this season, each member of that secondary has the ability to create a turnover. Glenn threw two interceptions last week against the Blue Bombers, both of which turned into Blue Bombers touchdowns. If Glenn can make good throws and keep the ball away from the defensive backs, the Ticats could find themselves lighting up the scoreboard tonight.

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Rogers Centre as the Argos close out Football Week in Toronto on Rivalry Night. For tickets, please call 416-341-ARGO (2746).

This will be the first meeting between head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille and Jim Barker. Bellefeuille has a career record of 13-20 as a CFL head coach in the regular season, including a 2-2 record against Toronto. Barker has a career record of 19-24 in the regular season and holds a 3-2 record against the Ticats.

Argo Roster Notes: LB Raymond Fontaine comes back on the roster while LB Kyle Jones returns to the PR…WR Jeremaine Copeland and OL Cedric Gagne-Marcoux have both been added to the injured list while DB Michael Grant and WR Jeffery Webb return to the lineup.