The Calgary Stampeders (9-7) visited Hamilton Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (10-7). The Stampeders came into this game on a four-game losing streak, and the Tiger-Cats had a chance to clinch the East Division.
First Quarter:
Calgary got the ball to start the game on the 39-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. started the drive by throwing a 10-yard pass to Tevin Jones. On the next three plays, Adams Jr. rushed three times for 27 yards, but one of those runs was called back due to a holding penalty.
Vernon Adams Jr. would complete two more passes for 13 yards to the 35-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 42-yard field goal to give the Stampeders a 3-0 lead with 10:22 left.
On Hamilton’s first possession of the game, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass was intercepted by Adrian Green. He returned it for 25 yards to the 30-yard line. Calgary running back Dedrick Mills rushed for six yards to the 24-yard line, and that was all they got. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 32-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead with 8:46 left.
Later, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell started the next drive by running for three yards and throwing two passes for 37 yards to the 21-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell threw the ball into the endzone, but Tim White could not complete the catch. Instead of a touchdown, kicker Marc Liegghio made a 29-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Stampeders 6-3 with 3:38 left.
On Calgary’s next possession, the offense moved the ball to the 22-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 29-yard field goal for a 9-3 lead with 42 seconds left. Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ended the first quarter by throwing a 10-yard pass to Kenny Lawler to the 50-yard line. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Stampeders 9-3.
Calgary’s offense had 93 yards (42 yards passing, 58 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), and Hamilton’s offense had 56 yards (53 yards passing, 3 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell threw four passes for 31 yards, and Greg Bell rushed for three yards to the 26-yard line. On the next play, Calgary defensive lineman Clarence Hicks bulldozed an offensive lineman before hitting Mitchell, causing the ball to come loose, but Mitchell recovered it on the 32-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 40-yard field goal. Hamilton trailed Calgary 9-6 with 10:11 left.
Calgary running back Ludovick Choquette rushed for three yards to the 43-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the six-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 13-yard field goal for a 12-6 lead with 5:59 left. During the drive, Vernon Adams Jr. had a chance to throw a touchdown pass to Jalen Philpot, who was wide open, but chose not to throw to him.
Late in the second quarter, Vernon Adams Jr. completed a 16-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes to the 44-yard line. The offense made it to the 47-yard line, but Rene Paredes missed a 54-yard field goal wide right. Hamilton returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned the missed field goal for 30 yards to the 27-yard line with 2:35 left.
After Hamilton went two-and-out, Calgary got the ball back on the 41-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw the ball to Ludovick Choquette for a three-yard loss. On the next play, Adams Jr. handed the ball off to Choquette. He bounced off of a couple of Hamilton players on his way to scoring a 44-yard touchdown.
They went for a two-point conversion. Adams Jr. rolled to his right side, getting Hamilton’s defense to follow him before throwing the ball to a wide-open Quincy Vaughn for two points. The Stampeders led the Tiger-Cats 20-6 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 239 yards (88 yards passing, 159 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 10 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 9 of 14 passes (64.2%) for 88 yards and two carries for 23 yards.
Running back Ludovick Choquette had five carries for 72 yards and one rushing touchdown, while Dedrick Mills had six carries for 64 yards. Wide receiver Dominique Rhymes made four catches for 57 yards, while Clark Barnes made one catch for 19 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Hamilton’s offense had 97 yards (97 yards passing, 6 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 6 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 12 of 19 passes (63.1%) for 97 yards, one interception, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Greg Bell had three carries for three yards. Wide receiver Tim White made four catches for 44 yards, while Shemar Bridges made two catches for 31 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and one sack.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton running back Greg Bell started the drive with two carries for 16 yards to the 45-yard line. Hamilton moved the ball to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Bo Levi Mitchell threw the ball to Kenny Lawler, who extended his arms to make the catch for the touchdown. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Stampeders 20-13 with 6:21 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 61 yards.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed three consecutive passes for 61 yards, including a 41-yarder to Jalen Philpot to the 11-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills rushed for nine yards to the two-yard line and finished the drive off with a touchdown. The Stampeders led 27-13 with 3:12 left to cap off a five-play drive for 73 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed two passes for 54 yards, and Greg Bell had two carries for eight yards to the six-yard line. On third down, Bell came up a yard short and Calgary took over on the five-yard line as the third quarter ended with the Stampeders leading 27-13. The crowd in Hamilton was disappointed by their performance.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton had the ball on the 49-yard line. Bo Levi Mitchell threw a short pass to Tim White. He ran for 18 yards before getting tripped up on the 31-yard line. Then, Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Javoni Robinson. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Stampeders 27-20 with 12:22 left.
Later, Calgary wide receiver Jalen Philpot rushed for four yards and caught a six-yard pass. Erik Brooks also caught a 25-yard pass from Vernon Adams Jr., and the offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 37-yard field goal for a 30-20 lead with 6:55 left.
Late in the game, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 39-yard line. On third down, Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass to Kenny Lawler was broken up by Jaydon Grant, and Calgary took over on the 30-yard line.
Dedrick Mills lost a couple of yards before Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 69-yard pass to Erik Brooks to the four-yard line. Mills would follow his linemen into the end zone for the touchdown. The Stampeders led 37-20 with 2:03 left.
Calgary would put the game away when linebacker Derrick Moncrief stepped in front of Tim White to make the interception. The Calgary Stampeders snapped a four-game losing streak with a 37-20 win.
Final Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 460 yards (257 yards passing, 211 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 18 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 15 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 16 of 23 passes (69.5%) for 257 yards and three carries for 29 yards.
Running back Ludovick Choquette had seven carries for 73 yards and one rushing touchdown, while Dedrick Mills had 17 carries for 105 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Erik Brooks made two catches for 94 yards, while Dominique Rhymes made four catches for 57 yards. The defense made 37 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and two turnovers on downs.
Hamilton’s offense had 320 yards (306 yards passing, 34 yards rushing, 20 yards lost), 18 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 25 of 39 passes (64.1%) for 306 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Greg Bell had nine carries for 31 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made eight catches for 113 yards and one touchdown, while Tim White made eight catches for 104 yards. The defense made 42 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and one turnover on downs.
Next Saturday, the Calgary Stampeders host the Toronto Argonauts at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are on a bye week.
