The real polygraph test, cautions Micah Johnson, is administered between the lines on a 110-yard field, not found in a column of printed standings on some website.

“Results,’’ assures the mammoth interior D-lineman, “will lie to you.

“Don’t buy the lie.

“So much goes on in a football game. One or two plays can wipe out a lot of really good plays, can turn a good day into a bad one or a bad day into a good one.

Defensive tackle Micah Johnson (Photo by David Moll)

“And it can happen just like … that.

“You just never can tell.

“We know who they are. They have playmakers on offence. A very good quarterback. Leaders on defence.

“A lot of luck hasn’t rolled their way. I remember in Kentucky my sophomore year, we beat No. 1 LSU, beat Arkansas when they were No. 13, Georgia at No. 7.

“We beat so many top-ranked teams and still only won, I think, eight games total.

“So we knew in our hearts that we were a better team than our record indicated.

“I’m sure they” – the Hamilton Tiger Cats – “feel that same way now.”

Saturday, Legacy Night at McMahon Stadium, represents the proverbial slip-on-a-banana-peel game for the 3-1-1 Calgary Stampeders.

The Tabbies limp into town winless, licking their wounds, torched for a shade over 35 points a night in four losses. They’re hemorrhaging 418 yards passing per game and allowing opposing QBs a nifty 75-per-cent completion rate.

Their own quarterback Zach Collaros, meanwhile, is averaging only 6.6 yards per completion and his TD-to-INT ratio is an uncharacteristic 3-to-4.

A woeful start for coach Kent Austin and Co.

The Stamps – bouncing back from a loss in Montreal to dust the Saskatchewan Roughriders 27-10 last week at McMahon – wisely aren’t buying the apocalyptic party line, though.

Defensive back Jamar Wall (Photo by David Moll)

“It’s not as if they haven’t had close games,’’ echoes DB Jamar Wall. “They just haven’t found it internally yet.

“We felt we played better against Saskatchewan, looked more like our old selves, and we want to build on that.

“We won’t let our guard down. One or two things start clicking and they’re up and running again. You watch enough film and you can tell teams that are just plain struggling and ones that are a play, something good, away from getting back in the groove.

“We can’t underestimate them or it could come back on us and get ugly.”

A Ticat alumnus, Marquay McDaniel, isn’t looking at Saturday as a blank tile on the Scrabble board, either.

“Thinking it’s going to be easy, taking a break, letting up … not an option,’’ lectures the consummately consistent slotback. “You look at their personnel and I think we’re all kinda surprised by the record.

“You don’t think they’re going to be hungry for that first win? And against us here at home? I’m sure they believe they’re only one win away from getting their season turned around.

“We’re always focused on us here. Whether we’re playing a winless team or an unbeaten team.

“That’s one thing we preach, we believe in. You do that, worry only about what’s in your control, and that’s your best defence against experiencing those ups and downs.”

Receiver Marquay McDaniel (Photo by David Moll)

Understanding the mental make-up of his group, Stampeder coach Dave Dickenson isn’t anticipating any degree of drop-off in concentration or preparedness.

“We can’t afford to. I know they gave Edmonton” – a 31-28 loss to the unbeaten Esks – “everything they could handle. They’ve had a change at defensive coordinator” – Jeff Reinebold bumped up from special teams guru to replace Orlando Steinhauer, who left for Fresno State – “but it seems like they’ve got it figured out. They’re playing better on that side of the ball.

“You’ve got to win your close games. Because there’s a lot of them.

“This league is so balanced that it doesn’t take much to start making up ground.

“I believe they do have the talent to get themselves right back into the thick of it but they also know you know can’t get too far behind.

“Given the parity of the teams, it’s hard to dig yourself out of a big hole.

“So they’re going to be feeling like they’re fighting for their lives. We know they’re going to come at us with everything they’ve got.

“And we’ve got to be ready to not only match that, but exceed it.”