The Calgary Stampeders (4-4) visited Hamilton Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-5).
Hamilton got the ball to start the first quarter on the 27-yard line. Running back Larry Rountree III began the drive with two carries for 11 yards to the 38-yard line. He would get two more carries for 10 yards, helping the offense reach the 42-yard line before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 50-yard field goal to give the Tiger-Cats a 3-0 lead with 10:13 left.
Calgary running back Dedrick Mills rushed for 21 yards, followed by Tyreik McAllister’s six-yard run to the 43-yard line. On the next play, Hamilton showed a blitz. They charged at Vernon Adams Jr., but Adams Jr. threw the ball to a wide-open Dejon Brissett for the touchdown. The Stampeders took a 7-3 lead with 8:22 left on a three-play drive for 70 yards.
Hamilton had the ball on the 38-yard line. Larry Rountree had two carries for 20 yards to the 52-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Tre Ford rushed for 10 yards to the 42-yard line. Then, Ford took off running. He jumped over a Calgary player before Kyle Wilson ripped the ball out of his arm, and it was recovered by Anthony Johnson Jr., who ran for 32 yards before getting pushed out of bounds to the 51-yard line.
Vernon Adams Jr. threw a six-yard pass to Erik Brooks before kicker Jude McAtamney made a 53-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead with 2:55 left. Late in the first quarter, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 41-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Stampeders 10-6 to end the first quarter. Calgary’s offense had 83 yards, and Hamilton’s offense had 123 yards.
In the second quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 43-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills rushed for two yards, while Vernon Adams Jr. completed a 12-yard pass to Erik Brooks, and rushed for three yards to the 26-yard line. Kicker Jude McAtamney attempted a 33-yard field goal, but missed it wide right with 10:02 left.
For the majority of the second quarter, it was all defense. Calgary linebacker Marquel Lee sacked Tre Ford for a nine-yard loss. Late in the second quarter, Calgary moved the ball to the 15-yard line thanks to a couple of major penalties by Hamilton. Running back Tyriek McAllister got a good block on his way to scoring a 15-yard touchdown for a 17-6 lead with 1:32 left on an eight-play drive for 79 yards.
In a turn of events, Harrison Frost replaced Tre Ford at quarterback. On the second play, Calgary’s defense pressured Frost with Marquel Lee strip-sacking him. The ball was picked up by Kyle Wilson for a 28-yard touchdown. The Stampeders led 24-6 with 47 seconds left. Just before halftime, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 35-yard field goal. The Stampeders led the Tiger-Cats 24-9.
Calgary’s offense had 162 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. went 7 of 10 for 106 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for eight yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had five carries for 27 yards, while Tyreik McAllister had two carries for 21 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made one catch for 43 yards and one touchdown, while Clark Barnes made one catch for 26 yards.
Hamilton’s offense had 177 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 4 of 10 passes (40%) for 58 yards, and four carries for 52 yards, while Harrison Frost went 1 for 3 for 12 yards, and one carry for 11 yards. Running back Larry Rountree III had seven carries for 43 yards. Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made one catch for 20 yards, while Kiondre Smith made one catch for 12 yards.
In the third quarter, Hamilton went with an onside kick. Calgary defensive lineman George Idoko struggled to pick up the football, and it was recovered by Destin Talbert on the 35-yard line.
Quarterback Harrison Frost threw a 10-yard pass to Kenny Lawler and Jake Dolegala rushed for one yard to the 24-yard line. Two plays later, Frost threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Stampeders 24-16 with 12:57 left on a four-play drive for 35 yards.
For the majority of the third quarter, both teams went two-and-out. Late in the third quarter, Hamilton moved the ball to the 20-yard line before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 28-yard field goal. It was now 24-19 with 10 seconds left. Calgary had the ball on the 40-yard line to begin the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary moved the ball to the 41-yard line before kicker Jude McAtamney made a 48-yard field goal for a 27-19 lead with 12:56 left. Hamilton running back Larry Rountree III had two carries for eight yards. Punter Mitch McCarthy punted the ball 77 yards into the endzone, where Tyreik McAllister conceded the single point. It was now 27-20 with 11:29 left.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw three passes for 48 yards to the 22-yard line. Kicker Jude McAtamney made a 29-yard field goal for a 30-20 lead with 7:50 left. Late in the game, Calgary had the ball on the 32-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw three passes for 54 yards, while Dedrick Mills had two carries for 18 yards, and Quincy Vaughn rushed for two yards to the four-yard line. On the next play. Vaughn scored a four-yard touchdown for a 37-20 lead with 2:56 left on an eight-play drive for 78 yards.
Hamilton had the ball on the 13-yard line. Two plays in, Calgary pressured Hamilton with Folarin Orimolade hitting Harrison Frost as he threw the ball, which was intercepted by Derrick Moncrief for a pick-six 25-yard touchdown. The Stampeders defeated the Tiger-Cats 44-20 for their second straight win.
Calgary’s offense had 332 yards (252 passing yards, 86 rushing yards, 6 yards lost), 14 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 47 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 18 of 25 passes (72%) for 252 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for eight yards. Running back Dedrick Mills had 10 carries for 44 yards, and Tyriek McAllister had two carries for 21 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made six catches for 109 yards and one touchdown, while Erik Brooks made four catches for 64 yards. The defense made 39 tackles, two tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one touchdown.
Hamilton’s offense had 351 yards (223 passing yards, 172 rushing yards, 44 yards lost), 22 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 41 yards. Quarterback Harrison Frost completed 9 of 20 passes (45%) for 165 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 13 yards. Running back Larry Rountree III had 12 carries for 63 yards.
Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made five catches for 66 yards, while Keric Wheatfall made two catches for 59 yards, and Kenny Lawler made three catches for 45 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 35 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
Next Thursday, the Calgary Stampeders visit the Toronto Argonauts at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the B.C. Lions next Sunday at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
