The Calgary Stampeders (4-1) visited Mosaic Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-1) with first place on the line. This game was supposed to be played on Friday night, but the game was postponed due to air quality.
First Quarter:
Calgary returner Kaylon Horton returned the opening kickoff for 36 yards to the 39-yard line. On the opening play of the game, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass was intercepted by A.J. Allen, returning it for 10 yards to the 47-yard line. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed two passes for seven yards to the 40-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 47-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 12:57 left.
Later in the first quarter, Calgary was moved the ball to the 33-yard line until Saskatchewan defensive lineman Shane Ray punched the ball out of Calgary running back Dedrick Mills’s arm, and C.J. Reavis recovered the ball on the 27-yard line. Calgary’s defense forced a two-and-out.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball up to the 27-yard line. Then, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. got the defense to freeze with a pump fake before throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Damien Alford for a 7-3 lead with 3:42 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 88 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan’s defense forced a two-and-out. Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford returned a 42-yard punt by Mark Vassett for 16 yards to the 54-yard line to end the first quarter trailing Calgary 7-3.
Calgary’s offense had 166 yards (119 yards passing, 47 yards rushing), and Saskatchewan’s offense had 14 yards (13 yards passing, 1 yard rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense continued to struggle moving the ball to the 48-yard line before going two-and-out. Calgary’s offense started on the 13-yard line. They moved the ball up to the nine-yard line, where kicker Rene Paredes made a 16-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead with 8:14 left.
Later in the second quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed a pass to Mitchell Picton. Picton gained seven yards before Calgary linebacker Derrick Moncrief forced the ball and recovered it on the 51-yard line.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the seven-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass was tipped by Saskatchewan defensive lineman Shane Ray and intercepted by Rolan Milligan Jr. He got up to run, but Calgary wide receiver Dominique Rhymes forced the fumble. There was a scramble for the ball as Milligan touched the ball just before it went out of bounds.
Saskatchewan got the ball on the 38-yard line. They moved the ball to the 36-yard line when Trevor Harris did not see Justin Sambu coming and he got creamed, forcing the ball out and Calgary recovered it on the 41-yard line.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 14-yard line. Then, Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Erik Brooks for a 17-3 lead at halftime to cap off a seven-play drive for 69 yards.
First Half Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 367 yards (295 yards passing, 86 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 19 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. They also dominated the time of possession, having the ball for 21 minutes, while Saskatchewan had the ball for 8 minutes and 58 seconds.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 20 of 25 passes (80%) for 295 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and two carries for 16 yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had eight carries for 45 yards.
Wide receiver Damien Alford made three catches for 61 yards, and one touchdown, while Erik Brooks made three catches for 45 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for a loss, one sack, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Saskatchewan had 95 yards on offense (98 yards passing, 3 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 5 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized four times for 38 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 9 of 14 passes (64.2%) for 98 yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had four carries for one yard, and wide receiver Joe Robustelli made two catches for 43 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Third Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter on the 33-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed five passes for 57 yards to the 18-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Joe Robustelli. The Roughriders trailed the Stampeders 17-10 with 10:41 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 77 yards.
Calgary started on the 29-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. spotted a busted coverage and threw the ball to Damien Alford for an 81-yard touchdown. It was now 24-10 with 9:56 left.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed three passes for 37 yards to the 44-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther attempted a 52-yard field goal, but he missed it wide right. Calgary returner Kaylon Horton returned the ball for 47 yards to the 35-yard line. The offense would go two-and-out.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense made it to the nine-yard line facing third down. They took a gamble on third down, but Calgary’s defense stopped Trevor Harris to force a turnover. Calgary had the ball on the 30-yard line to begin the fourth quarter up 24-10.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense started on the 19-yard line. They worked their way up to the 10-yard line and converted one third down. Calgary defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings sacked Harris for a seven-yard loss, backing them up to the 17-yard line. The Roughriders would reach the eight-yard line facing third down. They would not get the first down and Calgary took over.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 43-yard line taking time off the clock. Saskatchewan’s offense got the ball back with 51 seconds left. They moved the ball to the 35-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther attempted a 44-yard field goal, but he missed it wide right and the game was over. The Stampeders took over first place with a 24-10 win over the Roughriders.
Final Stats:
Calgary had 548 yards on offense (428 yards passing, 134 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 25 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 45 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 28 of 36 passes (77%) for 428 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and two carries for 16 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had 14 carries for 85 yards. Wide receiver Damien Alford led the receivers making six catches for 156 yards, and two touchdowns, while Erik Brooks made four catches for 50 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Saskatchewan had 427 yards on offense (425 yards passing, 16 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 22 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the game was penalized five times for 43 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 36 of 44 passes (81%) for 425 yards and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had six carries for 9 yards, while wide receiver Joe Robustelli led the receivers making 11 catches for 191 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 48 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Calgary Stampeders visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday at 8:30 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the B.C. Lions on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
