The new-look Calgary Stampeders (1-0) hosted the former Stampeder quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) on Saturday night from McMahon Stadium. Calgary underwent several changes, including acquiring quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. in the offseason. The fans in Calgary were ready for this game and they were not disappointed.
First Quarter:
Calgary got the ball to start the game on their 40-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw five passes for 85 yards. He had a 23-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Davis called back due to Davis getting called for offensive pass interference.
Adams Jr. got the Stampeders to the one-yard line before Dedrick Mills finished the drive by rushing up the middle for the touchdown. Calgary took a 7-0 lead with 9:27 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 85 yards in over five minutes.
Hamilton started its first series on their 37-yard line. Bo Levi Mitchell completed two passes for 25 yards. In addition, a roughing the passer penalty on Calgary gave them an extra 15 yards. They were able to reach Calgary’s 38-yard line then kicker Marc Liegghio made a 47-yard field goal. The Ticats trailed the Stampeders 7-3 with 6:54 left.
On Calgary’s second possession of the game, running back Dedrick Mills had two carries for eight yards, and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed three passes for 20 yards moving the chains to Hamilton’s 44-yard line. Adams Jr. got them closer with a 10-yard run followed by kicker Rene Paredes making a 42-yard field goal extending their lead to 10-3 with 3:26 left.
Hamilton had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw four passes for 44 yards. Running back Greg Bell rushed for four yards, and Ante Milanovic-Litre rushed for four yards reaching Calgary’s 18-yard line to begin the second quarter down 10-3.
Second Quarter:
Hamilton began the second quarter with kicker Marc Liegghio making a 25-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Stampeders 10-6 with 14:43 left. Later in the second quarter, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 37-yard field goal, and it was a one-score game at 10-9 with 2:08 left before halftime.
For the majority of the second quarter, both offenses could not find their rhythm. Hamilton had 69 yards on offense and Calgary had 121 yards on offense.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. made some poor decisions throwing the football which resulted in two interceptions by Stavros Katsantonis and Jonathan Moxey. Katsantonis picked off Adams Jr. for a second time but Hamilton was called for an offsides penalty.
With 1:22 left, Calgary punter Fraser Masin punted the ball for 75 yards sailing over the head of Tim White and bouncing into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point for an 11-9 lead.
The turning point of the second quarter was when Hamilton tried a trick play with punter Nic Constantinou faking a punt and running with it. He only got a yard reaching their 43-yard line giving Calgary excellent field position.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw three straight passes for 37 yards to reach Hamilton’s six-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills finished the drive with two carries for six yards, and a touchdown. It was now 18-9 at halftime capping off a five-play drive for 43 yards.
First Half Stats:
Calgary had 252 yards of offense (174 yards passing, 84 yards rushing), 15 first downs, 2 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized four times for 50 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 14 of 19 passes (74%) for 174 yards, two interceptions, and one carry for 10 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had 10 carries for 59 yards, two touchdowns, and two catches for 12 yards. Wide receiver Reggie Begelton made four catches for 63 yards, while Clint Barnes made three catches for 47 yards.
Hamilton had 141 yards of offense (114 yards passing, 28 yards rushing), nine first downs, and three penalties for 25 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 13 of 17 passes (76.4%) for 114 yards. Running back Greg Bell had five carries for 14 yards and four catches for 25 yards.
Wide receiver Tim White made three catches for 34 yards, and one carry for 14 yards. The defense had two interceptions, one sack, and one tackle for loss.
Third Quarter:
The third quarter opened when Calgary kicker Rene Paredes kicked the ball in the direction of Hamilton returner Johnny Augustine. Augustine forgot the ball was alive and Calgary ended up recovering it on Hamilton’s 11-yard line.
This allowed Calgary running back Dedrick Mills to storm up the middle for a 10-yard run, and backup quarterback P.J. Walker scored the one-yard touchdown for a 25-9 lead with 13:37 left. Later, Hamilton punter Nic Constantinou punted the ball 84 yards into the endzone for a single point. Calgary now led 25-10 with 12:33 left.
Midway through the third quarter, Calgary took their time marching down the field until the drive stalled on Hamilton’s 21-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 29-yard field goal for a 28-10 lead with 1:42 left. Late in the third quarter, Hamilton punter Nick Constantinou punted the ball 80 yards into the endzone and out of bounds for another single point. It was now 28-11 with five seconds left.
On the last play of the third quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. scrambled to his right before throwing a long pass to Clint Barnes for 65 yards to Hamilton’s five-yard line to begin the fourth quarter up 28-11.
Fourth Quarter:
Calgary began the fourth quarter with Dedrick Mills bulldozing up the middle to score a five-yard touchdown. It was now 35-11 with 14:24 left. On the kickoff, Hamilton returner Isaiah Wooden ran past everyone to score a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was now 35-18 with 13:52 left of the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw six passes for 56 yards leading the offense down to Calgary’s seven-yard line. Down big, Hamilton went for it on third down but came up short, turning the ball over to Calgary.
Hamilton’s defense made sure the Ticats came away with points. Defensive lineman Mario Kendricks ran over an offensive lineman on his way to sacking Vernon Adams Jr. in the endzone for a safety. It was now 35-20 Calgary with 6:43 left of the game.
Late in the game, Hamilton’s offense used as little clock as possible going six plays for 61 yards to Calgary’s 19-yard line. Then, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a pass to Kenny Lawler, who made a couple of juke moves avoiding a couple of Calgary players to score a 19-yard touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion to make it a nine-point game but did not get it. It was now 35-26 Calgary with 2:34 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 80 yards.
Hamilton attempted an on-side kick but Calgary recovered it on Hamilton’s 35-yard line. After going two-and-out, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 38-yard field goal for a 38-26 lead with 2:15 left. Hamilton would get the ball two more times but could not score. The Calgary Stampeders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by the final score of 35-20.
Final Stats:
Calgary had 428 yards of offense (284 yards passing, 158 yards rushing), 24 first downs, and the team was penalized eight times for 85 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 19 of 28 passes (68%) for 284 yards, and three carries for 33 yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had a solid game getting 17 carries for 94 yards, three touchdowns, and three catches for 90 yards.
Wide receiver Clark Barnes led the team in receiving making four catches for 112 yards, while Reggie Begelton made five catches for 58 yards. Kicker Rene Paredes made three field goals with a long of 42 yards. The defense made 44 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three turnovers.
Hamilton had 350 yards of offense (304 yards passing, 47 yards rushing), 23 first downs, and the team was penalized nine times for 75 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 31 of 50 passes (62%) for 304 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 11 yards.
Running back Greg Bell had eight carries for 14 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler led the receivers making six catches for 87 yards, and one touchdown. Kicker Marc Liegghio made three field goals with a long of 47 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two interceptions.
Next week, the Calgary Stampeders visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 4 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub.
