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CALGARY -- Head coach John Hufnagel hasnt always been satisfied with the performance of his Calgary Stampeders in games this season, but he cant argue with the results. Calgary tops both the league and the West Division at 9-2 and is the first team this season to secure a playoff berth. "Weve won in different fashions, but we won as a team and thats the good part," Hufnagel said Monday. "We dont always hit on all cylinders offensively, defensively sometimes were on the field too much, special teams were not as productive as wed like to be, but as a team, one phase has been outstanding to allow us to peck out wins. Thats essentially the sign of a good team." The Stampeders have worked for their wins with a constantly rotating cast of characters. All CFL teams deal with injuries in a season, but the theme of Calgarys season so far is resiliency. The employment of three different starting quarterbacks has been well documented, but the Stampeders have also been forced to cover gaps on the offensive line, at receiver and in the defensive backfield when starters went down. It begs the question how much better Calgary would be if they werent routinely plugging holes in their lineup. "Its hard to improve under those conditions," Hufnagel said. "When you have new people in your lineup, then theres an adjustment period. "Our offensive line has been a scramble all year long. Im hoping that before the season is over we can get our five in there and get a couple games underneath our belt to head into the playoffs. "Same with our quarterback position. With three different quarterbacks playing, its the same playbook, but like Ive always said, each quarterback brings their own personality." Calgarys 26-22 win over Hamilton combined with the Saskatchewans 31-29 loss to the Toronto Argonauts on the weekend allowed the Stampeders to gain sole possession of first place in the West. A 25-7 Edmonton Eskimos victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers eliminated the possibility Winnipeg (2-9) could finish ahead of Calgary in a crossover playoff scenario. The Esks, last in the West at 2-9, also cant catch Calgary because the Stampeders won the season series between the teams. The Stampeders host defending league champion Toronto, the East Division leaders at 7-2, on Saturday in a rematch of last years Grey Cup. The Stampeders are unbeaten at home at 5-0. Calgarys win over the Tiger-Cats on Friday was by no means a classic. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell struggled early, but marched the Stampeders downfield with two minutes remaining to score the eventual winning touchdown. The defence that had given up 408 passing yards to Hamiltons Henry Burris sprang to life on the last drive of the game. Sacks by Charleston Hughes and Cordarro Law helped prevent the Ticats from countering with a winning score. Mitchell, 23, was Calgarys third string quarterback in training camp. Hes won his three starts with veterans Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn on the sidelines with injuries. Hes also come onto the field to preserve wins when Glenn has gone out of the game. While Mitchell entertained reporters in the Stampeders dressing room post-game, Glenn walked by chanting "All we do is win. No matter who is playing. We just win." Hufnagel said he allowed himself scotch and a cigar post-game, but that was in celebration of his 62nd birthday. One of the teams big recent improvements is in sacks, with 23 in the last four games. Hughes and Winnipegs Alex Hall were tied for first in the league with a dozen sacks apiece ahead of Law with nine. Receiver Maurice Price has also been an impact player since his return from a hamstring injury with four touchdown catches in the three games. Running back Jon Cornish, who has achieved 1,000 rushing yards for a second straight season, and the consistency of field-goal kicker Rene Paredes, are the constants for Calgary this season. Field goals can feel like settling for less on some drives, but two misses by Hamiltons Luca Congi on Friday reinforced the importance of Paredess contributions to Calgarys bottom line. Paredes set a CFL record of 39 consecutive field goals before missing his first of the season Aug. 24 in Toronto. He was 12 for 12 in his last three games. If he can maintain his 97.2 per cent completion rate, Paredes will break the single-season record of 94.3 held by B.C.s Paul McCallum. "Rene has been exceptional with his field-goal kicking and his ability to put it through the goal posts has really determined the outcome of a lot of our football games," Hufnagel said. "One of the reasons we are in first place is because of Renes consistency." The coach expects both Glenn and fullback Rob Cote returning to full practice this week after knee and shoulder injuries respectively. Offensive linemen Dan Federkeil (groin) and Dimitri Tsoumpas (concussion) remain out. Receiver Joe West (shoulder) is close to returning, but has two games remaining on the nine-game injured list. "We know we need to improve in all areas and hopefully I can get the guys back that have been injured who have been starters at the beginning of the year and get them playing good football," Hufnagel said. "If they dont return, well get better with the guys we have." Billy McMillon Jersey . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years. Dennis Cook Jersey . 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He sits there every night, he hears me cuss out the referees every night, Casey said, laughing.Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - In-state rivals collide in a Big 12 showdown, as the ninth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks play host to the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at the Allen Fieldhouse. Bill Selfs Jayhawks return home from a two-game road trip to the Lone Star State, where they knocked off Texas (75-62) and TCU (64-61). Kansas has now won three straight games and sits atop the Big 12 standings at 6-1. Bruce Webers Wildcats have had an up and down season, reflected in the teams 12-9 overall record. KSU is 5-3 in league play, but has dropped two of its last three games, including Tuesdays 65-59 setback at home to West Virginia. This series dates back to 1907, with Kansas holding a sizable 187-92 advantage all-time. The Jayhawks have won six of the last seven meetings, 13 of the last 15 and 48 of the last 52 clashes dating back to 1994. Kansas has won the last eight meetings in the Allen Fieldhouse dating back to 2007. It was a smothering West Virginia defense that did in the Wildcats this week, as KSU turned the ball over a season-high 25 times in the six-point loss. The team did itself no favors by shooting just .367 from the floor and an ugly .571 from the free-throw line (20-of-35). Marcus Foster led KSU with 15 points in defeat. Wesley Iwundu was the only other Wildcat to notch double digits in the loss, finishing with 12 points. Kansas State has been much more effficient in terms of its offensive play on the season.ddddddddddddThe Wildcats are averaging a modest 65.4 ppg, but are doing so on a solid .457 shooting. Foster is having a strong sophomore season, pacing the team with 13.8 ppg. Seniors Nino Williams (11.7 ppg) and Thomas Gipson (11.0 ppg) complete a trio of double-digit scoring threats for Kansas State. However, the scoring pool dries up fast after that, with the fourth-leading scorer (Justin Edwards) putting up just 6.4 ppg. It wasnt the most explosive offensive performance of the season, but Kansas was able to take advantage of a poor shooting effort by the Horned Frogs (.306) and escape Forth Worth with a three-point victory and maintain their standing atop the Big 12. Frank Mason III led the charge for Kansas, converting 8-of-12 from the floor, putting up 16 points in the win. No other Jayhawk managed double figures, with Perry Ellis and Landen Lucas tying for second on the team with eight points each. Kansas hasnt exactly been an offensive juggernaut this season at 72.0 ppg on .436 shooting, but the team has played solid defense, holding foes to .402 shooting and outrebounding them by seven boards per game. Mason headlines the play at the offensive end, pacing the Jayhawks in both scoring (12.9 ppg) and assists (4.0 apg). Ellis ranks second in scoring (12.6 ppg) and is tops on the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg). ' ' '