The Calgary Stampeders (5-1) visited Princess Auto Stadium on Friday night against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-2). The Stampeders came into this game on an eight-game road losing streak to Winnipeg. In those eight losses, seven of them were lost by single digits. That would all come to an end on Friday night.
First Quarter:
Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval returned the opening kickoff for 19 yards to the 40-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira had two carries for 11 yards, backup quarterback Chris Streveler had two carries for three yards, quarterback Zach Collaros completed two passes for 14 yards, and a face mask penalty on Calgary moved the ball to the 27-yard line.
On second down, Calgary defensive lineman Miles Brown bulldozed past an offensive lineman to sack Collaros for a 10-yard loss. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 46-yard field goal, giving the Blue Bombers a 3-0 lead with 10:20 left.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 32 yards to the 38-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills got Calgary closer to the endzone with a 17-yard run, and Vernon Adams. Jr threw a 12-yard pass to Tevin Jones. A roughing the passer penalty on Winnipeg defensive lineman Cameron Lawson placed the ball on the four-yard line.
Calgary third-string quarterback Quincy Vaughn rushed for three yards to the one-yard line. Then, he scored the touchdown, but took an unnecessary penalty when he hit defensive back Redha Kramdi on the back of the helmet after the play. Calgary led Winnipeg 7-3 with 6:51 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
On the kickoff, Winnipeg returner Tray Vaval returned the ball for 27 yards to the 54-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 50-yard line, and kicker Sergio Castillo made a 57-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers trailed the Stampeders 7-6 with 5:15 left.
Two plays into Winnipeg’s next drive, quarterback Zach Collaros completed a pass to Nic Demski for 73 yards to the 30-yard line. However, two plays later, Collaros’s pass intended for Kody Case was intercepted by Anthony Johnson. He returned it for 30 yards to the 45-yard line. The Stampeders led the Blue Bombers 7-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Calgary’s offense had 109 yards (95 yards passing, 19 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), and Winnipeg’s offense had 97 yards (87 yards passing, 20 yards rushing, 10 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 25-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 32-yard field goal for a 10-6 lead with 13:48 left.
Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira had two carries for four yards, and quarterback Zach Collaros threw three passes for 60 yards to the four-yard line. On the next play, Collaros threw a quick pass to Nic Demski for the touchdown. Winnipeg took a 13-10 lead with 10:04 left to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Calgary started its next drive on the 44-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 37-yard line. On the next play, Winnipeg was pressuring Adams Jr. He threw a missile right into the hands of wide receiver Damien Alford for the touchdown. Calgary took a 17-13 lead with 6:49 left to cap off a five-play drive for 66 yards.
Calgary’s defense quickly got the ball back. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros had pressure in his face. He threw the ball to Nic Demski, but Calgary defensive back Jaydon Grant jumped up with Demski to make the interception on the 44-yard line. Meanwhile, Collaros took a shot on the ribs from defensive lineman Clarence Hicks.
It was Winnipeg’s defense’s turn to make a play. On the first play, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a long pass intended for Dominique Rhymes. Adams Jr.’s throw was not only underthrown, but the ball was up in the air long enough for Winnipeg defensive back Evan Holm to make the interception.
He returned it for 19 yards to the 28-yard line. Chris Streveler was in at quarterback for Winnipeg. They went two-and-out. Not much else happened the rest of the way. Calgary led Winnipeg 17-13 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Calgary had 199 yards on offense (159 yards passing, 45 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 11 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 45 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 8 of 15 passes (53%) for 159 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Running back Dedrick Mills had seven carries for 44 yards. Wide receiver Tevin Jones made two catches for 47 yards, while Damien Alford made one catch for 37 yards and one touchdown. The defense made two sacks and two interceptions.
Winnipeg had 222 yards on offense (163 yards passing, 79 yards rushing, 20 yards lost), 11 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 38 yards.
Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 8 of 11 passes (72%) for 151 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Backup quarterback Chris Streveler completed 3 of 5 passes (60%) for 12 yards and three carries for 13 yards.
Running back Brady Oliveira had nine carries for 39 yards, and wide receiver Nic Demski made five catches for 116 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one sack and one interception.
Third Quarter:
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros was ruled out and Chris Streveler played the second half. In the third quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the seven-yard line.
On the next play, the pocket was collapsing and Streveler took off. He spotted Kevens Clercius alone in the corner of the endzone and threw the ball to him. However, Adrian Greene could see the play develop and quickly swooped in to make the interception. He returned the ball for 21 yards to the 21-yard line.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 42-yard line. On the next play, Winnipeg’s defense pressured Adams Jr. He scrambled around the pocket and spun around before chucking the ball down the field to Damien Alford for a 42-yard touchdown.
Winnipeg defensive back Marquise Bridges was caught napping, allowing Alford to get wide open. Calgary now led Winnipeg 24-13 with 1:29 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 80 yards. Winnipeg went two-and-out on their drive. Calgary got the ball on the 49-yard line to start the fourth quarter up 24-13.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the three-yard line. Then, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. found a wide-open Dominique Rhymes for the touchdown. Calgary led Winnipeg 31-13 with 10:49 left to cap off a six-play drive for 54 yards.
The night got worse for Winnipeg. Quarterback Chris Streveler tried to go with a quick screen pass to Jerreth Sterns. However, Calgary defensive back Damon Webb intercepted it for a 15-yard pick-six touchdown. It was now 38-13 with 10:17 left.
With the game out of reach, Calgary took out most of their starters. P.J. Walker was the new quarterback for Calgary. They had the ball on the 37-yard line after Winnipeg went three-and-out. Running back Ludovick Choquette had two carries for seven yards to reach the 30-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 37-yard field goal for a 41-13 lead with 1:55 left.
Calgary’s defense did not put pressure on Chris Streveler. Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the eight-yard line. Quarterback Chris Streveler threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Kody Kase. It was now 41-20 with 42 seconds left to cap off an eight-play drive for 73 yards.
Calgary got one more play in with running back Ludovick Choquette rushing four 32 yards to the 46-yard line and the game was over. The Stampeders ended an eight-game road losing streak to Winnipeg with a 41-20 win. It was the first win against Winnipeg since July 7, 2017.
Final Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 390 yards on offense (267 yards passing, 130 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 22 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 70 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 16 of 24 passes (66%) for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Running back Dedrick Mills led the rushers with 13 carries for 70 yards. Wide receiver Damien Alford led the receivers making two catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns, while Dominique Rhymes made four catches for 49 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 50 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, three interceptions, and one touchdown.
Winnipeg had 407 yards on offense (287 yards passing, 146 yards rushing, 26 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 83 yards. Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 16 of 25 passes (64%) for 136 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and seven carries for 29 yards.
Running back Brady Oliveira led the rushers with 15 carries for 68 yards. Wide receiver Nic Demski led the receivers making seven catches for 146 yards and one touchdown, while Kody Case made two catches for 10 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 38 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
Next week, the Calgary Stampeders host the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday at 9 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
