The Calgary Stampeders (8-3) hosted the Edmonton Elks (4-7) on Sunday evening from McMahon Stadium to close out Labour Day Weekend in their first meeting of the season.
Edmonton came into this game missing wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. and defensive lineman Robbie Smith (ankle), who were both placed on the six-game injured list. For Calgary, linebacker Adam Bighill (knee) made his season debut.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw three passes for 44 yards, while running back Dedrick Mills had two carries for 11 yards to the 22-yard line. Two plays later, Adams Jr. threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Rhymes for a 7-0 lead with 5:28 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 79 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw three passes for 43 yards, and running back Justin Rankin had three carries for 21 yards to the 23-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 31-yard field goal. The Elks trailed the Stampeders 7-3 to end the first quarter.
Calgary’s offense had 96 yards (78 yards passing, 18 yards rushing), and Edmonton’s offense had 67 yards (43 yards passing, 24 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Calgary running back Dedrick Mills had three carries for 31 yards to the 39-yard line. Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 26-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 31-yard field goal. The Stampeders extended their lead to 10-3 with 10:01 left.
Later, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 18-yard line. However, Edmonton center Phillip Grohovac fumbled the snap, and it was recovered by Calgary defensive back Godfrey Onyeka on the 21-yard line. Calgary running back Dedrick Mills rushed for 13 yards to the 34-yard line, and that was all they got before punting the ball back to Edmonton.
Late in the second quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for nine yards and rushed for six yards, while drawing a roughing the passer penalty on Calgary linebacker Jacob Roberts, placing the ball on the 25-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a 32-yard field goal wide right, but the ball went out of bounds for a single point. The Elks trailed the Stampeders 10-4 with 19 seconds left.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw an incomplete pass, but got a roughing the passer penalty called on Edmonton defensive back J.J. Ross, moving the ball to the 46-yard line. A four-yard run by Dedrick Mills moved the ball to the 42-yard line. Then, kicker Rene Paredes made a 49-yard field goal. The Stampeders led the Elks 13-4 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 158 yards (91 yards passing, 67 yards rushing), 11 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 8 of 16 passes (50%) for 91 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Dedrick Mills had eight carries for 64 yards. Wide receiver Clark Barnes made four catches for 47 yards, while Dominique Rhymes made one catch for 22 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery.
Edmonton’s offense had 182 yards (113 yards passing, 72 yards rushing, 3 yards lost), 12 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 54 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 11 of 16 passes (69%) for 113 yards and four carries for 38 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had six carries for 38 yards and two catches for 18 yards. Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 46 yards, while O.J. Hiliare made three catches for 23 yards. The defense made 18 tackles.
Third Quarter:
Edmonton got the ball to start the third quarter from their 30-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin rushed for four yards and caught a 16-yard pass before the drive stalled. Edmonton punter Jake Julien was hit by Charles Wiley, drawing a penalty for a first down. Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 44-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 52-yard field goal. The Elks trailed the Stampeders 13-7 with 8:59 left.
Later, Calgary defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade sacked Cody Fajardo for a three-yard loss to bring up third down. On third down, Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 64 yards to Erik Brooks. Brooks made a couple of nice cuts before sprinting toward the endzone for an 86-yard touchdown. Calgary extended its lead to 20-7 with 5:46 left.
For the rest of the third quarter, it was a defensive battle. Calgary defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings sacked Cody Fajardo for a one-yard loss. It was the second sack of the game for the Stampeders.
Calgary running back Dedrick Mills rushed for three yards, and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a 14-yard pass to Jalen Philpot to the 37-yard line. The Stampeders led the Elks 20-7 to end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed three passes for 54 yards, while Jalen Philpot had one carry for five yards, and Dedrick Mills had three carries for 13 yards to the one-yard line. On the next play, third-string quarterback Quincy Vaughn scored the touchdown. Dedrick Mills scored the two-point conversion for a 28-7 lead with 9:52 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 90 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the three-yard line. Clarence Hicks sacked Fajardo for a five-yard loss, and Jacob Roberts sacked Fajardo on third down for an eight-yard loss. The Stampeders defeated the Elks 28-7 for their third win in a row. Calgary is also 6-0 against the West Division this year.
Final Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 287 yards (162 yards passing, 125 yards rushing), 18 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 60 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 13 of 23 passes (56.5%) for 162 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had 17 carries for 106 yards. Wide receiver Clark Barnes made five catches for 62 yards, while Dominique Rhymes made two catches for 41 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, three tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Edmonton’s offense had 328 yards (255 yards passing, 99 yards rushing, 26 yards lost), 22 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 64 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 21 of 33 passes (63.6%) for 255 yards and six carries for 44 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had 13 carries for 48 yards and five catches for 48 yards. Wide receiver Arkell Smith made seven catches for 81 yards, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 46 yards. The defense made 37 tackles.
Next Saturday, the two teams will meet in a rematch at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
