The Calgary Stampeders (2-2) hosted the Toronto Argonauts (2-2) on Thursday night to kick off the FanDuel Canada Day Weekend at McMahon Stadium in their 102nd meeting. The Argonauts were swept by the Stampeders last season. There were a ton of fireworks from Calgary’s offense.
In the first quarter, Calgary’s defense stopped Toronto to force third down. Calgary returner Tyreik McAllister returned a 62-yard punt return for 44 yards to the 48-yard line. He was banged up after the play, but stayed in the game.
During the drive, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 34 yards, quarterback Quincy Vaughn rushed for three yards, and Dedrick Mills rushed for five yards to the six-yard line. On the next play, Adams Jr. quickly threw the ball to Jalen Philpot for the touchdown. The Stampeders took a 7-0 lead with 10:13 left to cap off a five-play drive for 48 yards.
On the kickoff, Calgary kicker Jude McAtamney kicked the ball 89 yards. The ball went into the endzone, where Janarion Grant conceded the single point. It was now 8-0. Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly led the offense to the three-yard line before quickly throwing a touchdown pass to David Ungerer III. The Argonauts trailed the Stampeders 8-7 with 5:40 left to conclude a nine-play drive for 80 yards.
Later, Toronto had the ball on the 53-yard line. On the next play, Chad Kelly’s pass was intercepted by Zy Alexander, who returned it for 13 yards to the 34-yard line. The Stampeders moved the ball to the 20-yard line to end the first quarter with an 8-7 lead.
On the first play of the second quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed a short pass to Dejon Brissett, who avoided a tackle on his way to scoring the touchdown. Toronto’s secondary had issues with tackling. The Stampeders extended their lead to 15-7 with 14:19 left to conclude an eight-play drive for 85 yards.
Midway through the second quarter, Toronto had the ball on the 49-yard line. Chad Kelly threw a 15-yard pass to Makai Polk, and Samuel Hicks rushed for two yards to the 44-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 52-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 15-10 with 3:50 left.
Calgary came right back. Toronto’s defense appeared to have stopped Calgary on its tracks when Ralph Holley sacked Vernon Adams Jr., but an illegal contact penalty on Toronto gave Calgary a fresh set of downs. Calgary moved the ball to the one-yard line before Adams Jr. threw a touchdown pass to Jalen Philpot for a 22-10 lead with 1:53 left to conclude a six-play drive for 70 yards.
With two minutes, Calgary moved the ball to the seven-yard line, where Chad Kelly avoided pressure to run in for the touchdown. They attempted a two-point conversion. Calgary committed two penalties during the two-point conversion. Toronto would get the two points. It was now 22-18 with 32 seconds left to conclude a seven-play drive for 100 yards.
Calgary had the ball on the 37-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Jones. The Stampeders led the Argonauts 29-18 at halftime.
Calgary’s offense had 282 yards. Vernon Adams Jr. went 13 for 16 for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Tevin Jones made two catches for 103 yards and one touchdown, while Dejon Brissett made two catches for 59 yards and one touchdown, and Jalen Philpot made six catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Toronto’s offense had 228 yards. Chad Kelly went 14 for 21 for 203 yards, one touchdown, one interception, two carries for 24 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Makai Polk made five catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.
In the third quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 32-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. continued to torch Toronto’s secondary with a 33-yard pass to Tevin Jones. On the next play, he threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Clark Barnes for a 36-18 lead with 9:04 left.
Toronto had the ball on the 31-yard line. A pair of Calgary penalties helped the offense move the ball to the three-yard line. On the next play, Chad Kelly threw a touchdown pass to Makai Polk. They tried a two-point conversion, but did not get it. It was now 36-24 5:08 left to conclude a seven-play drive for 79 yards.
Calgary answered back. They had the ball on the 35-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 42 yards, leading the offense to the one-yard line. Quarterback Quincy Vaughn scored the touchdown. They also got a two-point conversion for a 44-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter to conclude an eight-play drive for 75 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly completed a short pass to Samuel Hicks for 31 yards, plus a roughing the passer penalty on Calgary moved the ball to the 16-yard line. On the next play, Kelly quickly threw a touchdown pass to David Ungerer III. They tried a two-point play, but did not get it. It was now 44-30 with 14:07 left.
Calgary had the ball on the 50-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended for Jalen Philpot was incomplete, but a roughing the passer penalty on Toronto gave them a first down at the 45-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills had four carries for 23 yards to the 22-yard line. On the next play, Toronto brought pressure, and Adams Jr. escaped it on his way to scoring a 22-yard touchdown for a 51-30 lead with 10:25 left to conclude a six-play drive for 60 yards.
Calgary would get the ball back when Chad Kelly’s pass was intercepted by Zy Alexander for a 29-yard return to the 11-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. capped off his night by throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dejon Brissett for a 58-30 lead with 8:27 left.
With the game out of reach, Nick Arbuckle replaced Chad Kelly. They had the ball on the 47-yard line. Arbuckle led the offense to the 17-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle threw a touchdown pass to Damonte Coxie. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed the extra point. It was now 58-36 with 1:31 left to conclude a 10-play drive for 78 yards.
Toronto would recover the onside kick. They moved the ball to the 18-yard line before time ran out. The Stampeders crushed the Argonauts 58-36 for their second straight win.
Calgary’s offense had 496 yards (405 passing yards, 101 rushing yards, 10 yards lost), 25 first downs, 5 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 92 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. had a phenomenal game, completing 20 of 25 passes (80%) for 405 yards, six touchdowns, one carry for 22 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Dedrick Mills had 15 carries for 66 yards, and two catches for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Tevin Jones made four catches for 139 yards and one touchdown, while Jalen Philpot made seven catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns, and Dejon Brissett made three catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 41 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and two interceptions.
Toronto’s offense had 466 yards (393 passing yards, 78 rushing yards, 5 yards lost), 26 first downs, 5 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 16 times for 139 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 22 of 33 passes (66%) for 294 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, four carries for 37 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Samuel Hicks had seven carries for 28 yards.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie made eight catches for 148 yards and one touchdown, while David Ungerer III made nine catches for 88 yards and one touchdown, and Makai Polk made six catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 38 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.
Next Friday, the Toronto Argonauts visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 8:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Calgary Stampeders visit the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
