It not only marks the one-third pole of the schedule, it's the biggest game of the CFL season so far.

Friday night, the undefeated Winnipeg Blue Bombers come to town to play the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, whose only loss looks a little less weird now that the Montreal Alouettes are indicating they might actually have something going on.

The Bombers are 5-0 for the first time in 59 years, and the Tiger-Cats open at 4-1 for the first time in 21 seasons. A pair of teams that once were synonymous with Grey Cup success — often in games against each other — but who currently have the two longest championship droughts in the league.

It is the sternest test yet for the Tiger-Cats, who wrote and passed a stiff exam against uber-nemesis Calgary on July 13 before heading into a bye week that ended with a return to work Sunday and Monday. But the players, and their head coach, say they don't see it as anything more than the next game on the schedule.

"Definitely, we're aware of the record and that nobody has beaten them, but it doesn't motivate us," says head coach Orlondo Steinauer. "We prepare the same way each week."

Linebacker Rico Murray adds, "We're not in competition with any team in the league, we're just in competition with ourselves, trying to be better than we were the last week."

Hamilton's offence has certainly got to be better, over longer stretches, than they were against Calgary. And better than they have been against anybody over the opening 15 minutes. They've struggled to get untracked in the first quarter all season and they're going up against a punishingly swarming — on all three tiers — defensive team that gave up a grand total of one point in hammering Ottawa over the weekend.

Hamilton's offence will need to maximize all 60 minutes against the Bomber defence, which has dominated despite the absence of linebacker Adam Bighill, the CFL's top defensive player last season, for three games. He practised Monday and should be in the lineup at Tim Hortons Field Friday night.

"He's got a nose for the ball," says Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. "Every play, if something's gone wrong for the offence, he's usually a part of that problem. We definitely have to be aware of him this week. He's a playmaker. But at the end of the day nobody is Superman out there. We've got guys, too, who can block and play the game."

As the Bombers' best linebacker enters, Hamilton's best linebacker exits. Because Simoni Lawrence's two-game suspension was finally ratified by an arbitrator during the bye week, he won't take part in any team drills but will play scout (simulating the opposition's offence and defence) teams.

"I expect him to help us get his replacement ready to go," Steinauer says.

Former McMaster Marauder Nick Shortill took Lawrence's boundary linebacker Monday, but Steinauer says that could change during the week.

Masoli paid tribute to the physicality and mobility of the Winnipeg defence and points out that they're playing well in all three phases of the game. They've got a varied offence and are getting efficient work from quarterback Matt Nichols, who had 19 straight completions against Ottawa.

Only three men have ever thrown more complete passes without a miss in the same game: Jason Maas; Ricky Ray (twice); and the guy Nichols will see here Friday night, CFL record holder Jeremiah Masoli. On Tuesday, it will be exactly three years since he reeled off a phenomenal 23 in a row in Edmonton.

"I'm sure for all the guys who've (thrown as many as 19 straight), as you're doing it, you kind of just get in a rhythm, in a zone," Masoli said. "You kind of don't even realize that you're at that clip. Then afterwards somebody tells you and it's kind of crazy.

"He was feeling it. The offence was doing what it needed to do. Obviously, his receivers were getting open for him, and his line was protecting him. They were all just executing, and that's how you get those kinds of things. And that's what happened when I did it back then."

Notes: Backup middle linebacker Chris Frey is waiting for an MRI but may be out for the season with a knee injury ... Defensive back Cariel Brooks, hurt early in the Calgary game, will be a Wednesday decision for Friday night ... Offensive tackle Chris Van Zeyl returns to the lineup after missing the Calgary game ... Guard Darius Ciraco has a stiff back but says he'll be ready for the Bombers ... The Ticats have added offensive tackle Trevon Tate to the practice roster. The 23-year-old played 53 games for the Missouri Tigers, tying a school career record for an offensive lineman.

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