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Three Stars: Henry Burris, Charleston Hughes and Antoine Pruneau top Week Five

Three Stars: Henry Burris, Charleston Hughes and Antoine Pruneau top Week Five

Moving on with our Three Stars series, here's a look at the CFL's top offensive, defensive and special teams performers in Week Five, where many of the best showings came from Friday's Ottawa-Calgary clash

First star/offensive player of the week: Henry Burris, quarterback, Ottawa Redblacks: There were plenty of impressive offensive performances this week, but Burris' showing Friday stood out. The Temple product and long-time CFL veteran completed 28 of 43 passes (65.1 per cent) for 389 yards and three touchdowns and led Ottawa to a 29-26 win over the Calgary Stampeders despite the Redblacks only posting 33 rushing yards (11 of which came from Burris himself on four scrambles). Burris was particularly effective at finding Chris Williams, who he'd previously played well with in Hamilton in 2012, hooking up with him on seven passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, but he also spread the ball around to seven other receivers. The 40-year-old Burris is in his 15th CFL season, and he's had some ups and downs this year, but he turned back the clock Friday and showed he can still be a great quarterback in this league at times, which is a very good sign for Ottawa.

(Honourable mentions: Chris Williams, WR/KR, Ottawa; C.J. Gable, RB, Hamilton; Eric Rogers, WR, Calgary.)

Second star/defensive player of the week: Charleston Hughes, defensive end, Calgary Stampeders: Yes, Hughes and the Stampeders came up short against Ottawa Friday, but he delivered a terrific performance in a losing cause. The Northwood alum had five tackles, a week-high three sacks and a forced fumble. The 31-year-old Hughes is in his eighth CFL season, and he's become one of the league's most-feared pass rushers. He proved that yet again Friday night.

(Honourable mentions: J.C. Sherritt, LB, Edmonton; Aston Whiteside, DE, Ottawa; Rico Murray, DB, Hamilton.)

Third star/special teams player of the week: Antoine Pruneau, linebacker/cover team, Ottawa Redblacks: Pruneau has turned into a terrific linebacker for Ottawa, but he's also a force on special teams. The second-year Montreal product had a tied-for-week-high three special teams tackles Friday night against Calgary, and he was a key part of limiting Stampeders' return man Tim Brown (who had 71 yards on four kick returns and 59 yards on five punt returns).

(Honourable mentions: Richie Leone, P/K, B.C.; Kendial Lawrence, PR/KR, Edmonton; Rene Paredes, K, Calgary.)

Bonus star/Canadian player of the week: Andrew Harris, running back, B.C. Lions: Harris was a key presence for B.C. in Friday's late game against the Toronto Argonauts, rushing 12 times for 72 yards (6.0 yards per carry) and two touchdowns and adding six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown (9.5 yards per reception). His play was a key part of getting the Lions out to a 21-0 lead. They weren't able to hold on to that in the end, eventually falling 30-27, but Harris was perhaps their best player on the night.

(Honourable mentions: Antoine Pruneau, LB/ST, Ottawa; Andy Fantuz, SB, Hamilton; Rene Paredes, K, Calgary.)

Watch 55-Yard Line for next week's Three Stars, and if you'd like to nominate a candidate during the week's games, contact me via Twitter or e-mail. Thanks for reading!