The Calgary Stampeders (1-2) and the B.C. Lions (0-3) clashed in their first meeting of the season since last year’s Western Semi-Final on Saturday night from Apple Bowl Stadium in Kelowna, British Columbia, for the Touchdown Kelowna game.
The game got off to an interesting start in the first quarter when Calgary kicker Jude McAtamney kicked the ball. The ball was not touched by B.C., and both teams were fighting for the ball. The ball was touched by B.C. wide receiver Silas Bolden just before the ball went out of bounds at the 36-yard line. B.C. went two-and-out.
Calgary had the ball on the 35-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills rushed for five yards to the 40-yard line. On third down, B.C.’s defense moved, giving the Stampeders a first down. Three plays later, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw an incomplete pass to Jalen Philpot. A defensive pass interference penalty on B.C. moved the ball to the 20-yard line.
Two plays later, Adams Jr. threw a short pass to Mills, who avoided a tackle on his way to scoring a touchdown. The Stampeders took a 7-0 lead with 9:20 left to conclude an eight-play drive for 75 yards.
Late in the first quarter, B.C. moved the ball to the 19-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for Keon Hatcher Sr. was intercepted by Zy Alexander at the 12-yard line. For the rest of the first quarter, both teams struggled to move the football. The Stampeders remained ahead 7-0 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, B.C. got back in the game when Nathan Rourke threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Zander Horvath to tie the game 7-7 with 13:53 left, concluding a six-play drive for 49 yards.
Calgary returner Tyreik McAllister returned the kickoff for 34 yards to the 52-yard line. Dedrick Mills rushed for three yards before kicker Jude McAtamney made a 57-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead with 12:07 left.
Later, B.C. had the ball on the 14-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 59 yards. On the next play, Rourke threw the ball to Hatcher Sr., who then threw it back to Rourke for 21 yards to the 16-yard line. Then, Rourke threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Jackson to give the Lions a 14-10 lead with 3:44 left to conclude a five-play drive for 96 yards.
Calgary had the ball on the 21-yard line. They moved the ball to the six-yard line. On the next play, Vernon Adams Jr. threw a touchdown pass to Jalen Philpot for a 17-14 lead with 1:02 left that took seven plays for 89 yards.
On the kickoff, Jackson Sombach hit B.C. returner Silas Bolden, forcing the ball out and recovered by Ben Labrosse at the 34-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw three passes for 29 yards and rushed for three yards to the two-yard line. Two plays, quarterback Quincy Vaughn scored the touchdown for a 24-14 lead at halftime.
Calgary’s offense had 155 yards. Vernon Adams Jr. went 12 of 18 for 124 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 12 yards, and running back Dedrick Mills had five carries for 21 yards, four catches for 46 yards, and one touchdown. B.C.’s offense had 209 yards. Nathan Rourke went 12 of 17 for 176 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one catch for 21 yards, and Keon Hatcher Sr. made four catches for 85 yards.
In the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw four passes for 73 yards to the 19-yard line. Two plays later, Rourke was sacked by Jaylon Hutchings before kicker Sean Whyte made a 36-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Stampeders 24-17 with 9:04 left. Calgary’s defense sacked Rourke three times in the third quarter.
Late in the third quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 33-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 17-yard pass to Clint Barnes, and Dedrick Mills rushed for four yards to the 54-yard line. On the next play, Adams Jr. threw the ball to Tevin Jones as two B.C. plays collided, scoring a 56-yard touchdown for a 31-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary returner Tyreik McAllister returned a 50-yard punt by Carl Meyer for a 90-yard touchdown for a 38-17 lead with 10:47 left. With under three minutes left in the game, B.C. running back Zander Horvath scored a one-yard touchdown. Horvath also scored the two-point conversion. It was now 38-25 with 2:48 left to conclude a four-play drive for 84 yards.
Calgary had the ball on the 38-yard line. They moved the ball to the 22-yard line before Jude McAtamney made a 30-yard field goal for a 41-25 lead. With under a minute left, B.C. went on an eight-play drive for 79 yards that resulted in Nathan Rourke throwing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Hergy Mayala. They would successfully convert a two-point conversion. The Lions attempted an onside kick, but Calgary recovered it to end the game. The Stampeders defeated the Lions 41-33 for their first win of the season.
Calgary’s offense had 288 yards (229 passing yards, 75 rushing yards, 16 yards lost), 19 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 78 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 19 of 27 passes (70.3%) for 229 yards, three touchdowns, and two carries for 12 yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had 14 carries for 58 yards, four catches for 46 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Tevin Jones made three catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, while Erik Brooks made six catches for 58 yards. The defense made 40 tackles, four sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
B.C.’s offense had 479 yards (483 passing yards, 32 rushing yards, 36 yards lost), 29 first downs, 4 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 118 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 32 of 42 passes (76.2%) for 462 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, one carry for six yards, and one catch for 21 yards. Running back James Butler had six carries for 20 yards.
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher Sr. made nine catches for 162 yards, while Jermaine Jackson made six catches for 149 yards and one touchdown, and Hergy Mayala made three catches for 42 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Next Thursday, the Calgary Stampeders host the Toronto Argonauts at 9 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the B.C. Lions host the Edmonton Elks on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
