The Calgary Stampeders (11-7) visited the Edmonton Elks (7-11) on Friday night to conclude the 2025 season. Calgary came into this game without wide receiver Jalen Philpot (Head), offensive lineman Joshua Coker (Knee), and defensive lineman Lorenzo Mauldin (Ankle).
For Edmonton, they were missing wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. (Head), offensive lineman Brett Boyko (Foot), and defensive lineman Jared Brinkman (Foot).
First Quarter:
Calgary got the ball to start the game on the 32-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills began the drive with three straight carries for 32 yards to the 46-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw three passes for 44 yards, and Dedrick Mills rushed for one yard to the one-yard line. Third-string quarterback Quincy Vaughn came in and scored the touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 9:47 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 78 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Edmonton had the ball on the 52-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin rushed for six yards and caught a 13-yard pass from Cody Fajardo to the 29-yard line. The offense reached the 26-yard line before the drive stalled.
Kicker Vincent Blanchard attempted a 33-yard field goal. The field goal was blocked by Calgary defensive lineman Miles Brown and recovered by Marquel Lee. A penalty on Edmonton moved the ball to the 46-yard line.
Calgary running back Dedrick Mills rushed for six yards, and Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended for Erik Brooks was incomplete, but a defensive pass interference penalty on Edmonton placed the ball on the 52-yard line. The Stampeders led the Elks 7-0 to end the first quarter.
Calgary’s offense had 87 yards (47 yards passing, 40 yards rushing), and Edmonton’s offense had 42 yards (40 yards passing, 2 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 20-yard pass to Erik Brooks to the one-yard line. Two plays later, Edmonton defensive back Kenneth Logan Jr. sacked Adams Jr. for a four-yard loss to bring up third down. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 12-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 12:17 left.
Later, Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 61 yards to the one-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 35 yards, and Dedrick Mills had two carries for eight yards. A defensive pass interference penalty on Edmonton moved the ball to the 37-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Rene Paredes made a 44-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead with 7:12 left.
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a nine-yard pass to Binjimen Victor to the 36-yard line. Two plays later, Calgary’s defense pressured Fajardo with Jacob Roberts sacking him for a four-yard loss. On the next play, Edmonton went with a screen play with Fajardo throwing the ball to Justin Rankin.
Rankin had blockers in front of him, and just when he was about to cross the goal line, Calgary defensive back Bailey Devine-Scott knocked the ball out. Rankin did not recover the ball, nor did his linemen.
Calgary linebacker Jacob Roberts made a heads-up play to recover the ball. After further review, the command center determined that Rankin did not score the touchdown, and Calgary recovered the ball in the end zone. The ball was placed on the 30-yard line.
Running back Dedrick Mills started the drive with two carries for nine yards. The offense reached the 34-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 41-yard field goal for a 16-0 lead with 59 seconds left.
Three plays later, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo’s pass was intercepted by Jayden Grant on the 21-yard line. Calgary took a knee to end the first half up 16-0.
First Half Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 204 yards (129 yards passing, 84 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 14 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized five times for 40 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 9 of 12 passes (75%) for 129 yards and one carry for 15 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had 12 carries for 66 yards and one catch for three yards. Wide receiver Erik Brooks made four catches for 62 yards, while Dominique Rhymes made two catches for 37 yards. The defense made three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Edmonton’s offense had 140 yards (141 yards passing, 3 yards rushing, 4 yards lost), 7 first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team was penalized four times for 72 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 10 of 12 passes (83%) for 141 yards, one interception, and one carry for one yard.
Running back Justin Rankin had six carries for two yards and two catches for 47 yards. Wide receiver O.J. Hiliare made two catches for 47 yards, while Kaion Julien-Grant made two catches for 18 yards. The defense made two sacks.
Third Quarter:
Edmonton’s offense started the third quarter on the 24-yard line. They began the drive with a procedure penalty and backed them up five yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw three consecutive passes for 44 yards to the 47-yard line. Justin Rankin rushed for three yards before the drive stalled. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 51-yard field goal, and the Elks trailed the Stampeders 16-3 with 11:39 left.
Dedrick Mills’s 25-yard run was wiped away because of a holding penalty, followed by quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. throwing the ball to Erik Brooks for 74 yards to the six-yard line. Calgary would get three more yards to the three-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 10-yard field goal for a 19-3 lead with 8:55 left.
Cody Fajardo started the next drive with a 23-yard run to the 47-yard line. Running back Isaiah Knight rushed for six yards, followed by Fajardo throwing a five-yard pass to O.J. Hiliare. Fajardo threw another pass to Jalon Calhoun to the five-yard line. Then, Fajardo went back to Calhoun for the touchdown. The Elks trailed the Stampeders 19-10 with 6:30 left to cap off a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 21-yard pass to Clint Barnes, and Dedrick Mills rushed for one yard to the 42-yard line. On the next play, Edmonton brought pressure with Eteva Mauga-Clements rushing from the edge to sack Adams Jr. for a seven-yard loss. Edmonton’s offense had the ball on the 14-yard line after an illegal blocking penalty. They went two-and-out on the drive.
Late, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 35-yard pass to Tevin Jones to the 34-yard line. They would make it to the 48-yard line before the drive stalled. Calgary punter Mark Vassett punted the ball 36 yards to the 12-yard line. The Stampeders led the Elks 19-10 with one quarter left to go.
Fourth Quarter:
Edmonton went two-and-out to start the fourth quarter. Calgary had the ball on the 46-yard line. Running back Ludovick Choquette rushed for two yards to the 44-yard line. On third down, punter Mark Vassett punted the ball 54 yards into the end zone, where Edmonton returner Javon Leake conceded the single point. Calgary led 20-10 with 12:08 left.
Later, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw three passes for 40 yards to the 45-yard line. Three plays later, Fajardo was sacked by Clarence Hicks for an eight-yard loss. It got worse for Edmonton when Calgary defensive back Brady Breeze blocked Jake Julien’s punt on the three-yard line. Calgary’s offense could not find the end zone, and Edmonton took over on the three-yard line.
Late in the game, Calgary’s offense had the ball on the 44-yard line with 2:33 left. They moved the ball to the 21-yard line to seal the game. The Stampeders defeated the Elks 20-10 for their third straight win. They also win the season series 2-1. Calgary will now wait to see what happens with the Saturday games. The scenario heading into Saturday is if Winnipeg loses and B.C. loses or ties, or Winnipeg loses and B.C. finishes in a tie, they will host a Semi-Final game against the Lions.
Final Stats:
Calgary’s offense had 376 yards (285 yards passing, 108 yards rushing, 17 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 4 in the red zone, and the team was penalized eight times for 70 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 17 of 24 passes (70.8%) for 285 yards and one carry for 15 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had 17 carries for 69 yards and one catch for three yards. Wide receiver Erik Brooks made five catches for 136 yards, while Tevin Jones made three catches for 63 yards. The defense made 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Edmonton’s offense had 255 yards (272 yards passing, 37 yards rushing, 54 yards lost), 16 first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized nine times for 112 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 20 of 27 passes (74%) for 272 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 24 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had nine carries for one yard and three catches for 46 yards. Wide receiver O.J. Hiliare made six catches for 86 yards, while Jalon Calhoun made four catches for 68 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, two tackles for loss, three sacks, and one turnover on downs.
