The Calgary Stampeders (5-6) hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-8) on Saturday afternoon at McMahon Stadium. Josh Love made his first career CFL start for the Stampeders, while Tre Ford started for the Tiger-Cats.
Calgary got the ball to start the first quarter on the 29-yard line. Quarterback Josh Love threw four passes for 46 yards to the 34-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 42-yard field goal to give the Stampeders a 3-0 lead with 9:42 left.
Hamilton’s offense had the ball on the 40-yard line. Quarterback Tre Ford threw a 14-yard pass to Kenny Lawler, followed by Larry Rountree III rushing for five yards to the 51-yard line. On the next play, Calgary pressured Ford. He threw the ball right into the hands of Myron Mitchell for a 51-yard touchdown, putting the Tiger-Cats up 7-3 with 8:02 left on a three-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 31-yard field goal. The Stampeders trailed the Tiger-Cats 7-6 with 3:13 left. Hamilton had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. Tre Ford threw a 19-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr., and had two carries for 31 yards to the 17-yard line to end the first quarter. Hamilton’s offense had 123 yards, and Calgary’s offense had 82 yards.
In the second quarter, the two teams traded field goals. Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 37-yard field goal, and Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 45-yard field goal. The Stampeders trailed the Tiger-Cats 10-9 with 10:18 left. Midway through the second quarter, Calgary had a chance to take the lead, but Rene Paredes missed a 42-yard field goal wide right.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal for a 13-9 lead with 1:24 left. Calgary had the ball on the 40-yard line. Josh Love threw two passes for 65 yards, including a 55-yarder to Dejon Brissett. Two plays later, Love threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Ajou Ajou for a 16-13 lead at halftime to conclude a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Calgary’s offense had 222 yards. Quarterback Josh Love went 13 of 16 for 179 yards and one touchdown. Running back Dedrick Mills had nine carries for 54 yards and one catch for 10 yards. Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made one catch for 55 yards, while Clint Barnes made two catches for 33 yards, and Ajou Ajou made one catch for five yards and one touchdown.
Hamilton’s offense had 149 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford went 6 of 8 for 96 yards, one touchdown, and four carries for 46 yards. Running back Larry Rountree III had four carries for 11 yards. Wide receiver Myron Mitchell made two catches for 55 yards and one touchdown, while Kenny Lawler made two catches for 18 yards.
In the third quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 19-yard line when Josh Love tried to set up a screen pass. When there was no one open, he tried to throw it on the ground. However, the ball bounced off offensive lineman D’Antne Demery, and it was intercepted by Charbel Dabire at the 14-yard line. Hamilton quickly put points on the board when Tre Ford threw a touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler for a 20-16 lead with 9:17 left.
For the rest of the third quarter, both teams continued to move the ball, but their drives stalled and ended up punting the ball. The Tiger-Cats remained ahead of the Stampeders 20-16 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the two teams continued to trade field goals. Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 51-yard field goal, and Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 37-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats led the Stampeders 23-19 with 6:33 left.
Late in the game, Calgary had the ball on the 46-yard line. The offense moved the ball 15 yards before kicker Rene Paredes made a 47-yard field goal. It was now 23-22 with 2:20 left. Calgary would get the ball again with 1:25 left from the 37-yard line. Josh Love threw four passes for 24 yards, leading the offense to the 49-yard line.
Then, Dedrick Mills broke several tackles on his way to scoring a 49-yard touchdown. They tried a two-point conversion, but did not get it. The Stampeders took a 28-23 lead with 23 seconds left on a six-play drive for 73 yards. On the final play of the game, Hamilton had Jake Dolegala in. Calgary’s defense pressured before Clarence Hicks hit him, leading to a Kyle Wilson interception to end the game. The Stampeders came back to beat the Tiger-Cats 28-23 to snap a two-game losing streak.
Calgary’s offense had 378 yards (274 passing yards, 126 rushing yards, 22 yards lost), 22 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for nine yards. Quarterback Josh Love completed 25 of 36 passes (69.4%) for 274 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Dedrick Mills had 14 carries for 118 yards, one rushing touchdown, and four catches for 23 yards.
Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made two catches for 70 yards, and Jalen Philpot made seven catches for 61 yards. The defense made 36 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and one interception.
Hamilton’s offense had 294 yards (212 passing yards, 116 rushing yards, 34 yards lost), 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 45 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 15 of 24 passes (62.5%) for 212 yards, two touchdowns, and six carries for 80 yards. Running back Larry Rountree III had 10 carries for 31 yards.
Wide receiver Myron Mitchell made two catches for 55 yards and one touchdown, while Kenny Lawler made four catches for 42 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 44 tackles, three sacks, and one interception.
Next Monday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Toronto Argonauts at 2:30 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+, followed by the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Edmonton Elks at 6 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
