The Calgary Stampeders (6-8) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (0-13) on Saturday night at McMahon Stadium in their first of two meetings this season. McLeod Bethel-Thompson was named the starting quarterback for Ottawa, while Calgary were missing a few pieces, including running back Dedrick Mills and defensive back Ben Labrosse.
Ottawa got the ball to start the first quarter on the 41-yard line. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 30 yards, leading the offense to the 34-yard line. On third down, kicker Brett Lauther missed a 43-yard field goal wide left with 10:56 left.
Calgary running back Deonta McMahon started the drive with a nine-yard run to the 49-yard line. Ottawa’s defense committed four offside penalties, helping the Stampeders move the ball to the one-yard line. Quarterback Quincy Vaughn scored the touchdown to give the Stampeders a 7-0 lead heading into the second quarter on an 11-play drive for 66 yards.
Calgary’s offense had 104 yards and went two for six on second down. On the other side, Ottawa’s offense had 41 yards and went 0 for 3 on second down.
In the second quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended for Jalen Philpot was intercepted by Alonzo Addae at the 47-yard line. A penalty on Ottawa backed them up to the 53-yard line. Ottawa could not take advantage and punted the ball back to Calgary.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa had the ball on the 39-yard line. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 52 yards to the 19-yard line. On the next play, Bethel-Thompson threw a touchdown pass to Keelan White, tying the game 7-7 with 2:55 left on a four-play drive for 71 yards. Calgary had the ball on the 26-yard line. They moved the ball to the 50-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 57-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead with 1:41 left.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two passes for 53 yards, plus a defensive pass interference penalty on Calgary that moved the ball to the 25-yard line. On the next play, Bethel-Thompson threw a touchdown pass to Keelan White for a 14-10 lead with 54 seconds left on a seven-play drive for 70 yards. Calgary had the ball on the 40-yard line. Two plays in, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Jones to put the Stampeders back up 17-14 at halftime.
Calgary’s offense had 252 yards, 12 first downs, and 4 for 12 on second downs. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. went 14 of 19 for 214 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Deonta McMahon had seven carries for 33 yards. Wide receiver Tevin Jones made three catches for 79 yards and one touchdown, while Jalen Philpot made three catches for 45 yards.
Ottawa’s offense had 273 yards, 12 first downs, and 5 for 11 on second downs. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 16 of 28 for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had two carries for eight yards. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made seven catches for 102 yards, while Keelan White made two catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and Ayden Eberhardt made one catch for 60 yards.
In the third quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. twisted his left ankle and stayed in the game. Midway through the third quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 20-yard line. Running back Deonta McMahon began the drive with a 34-yard run to the 36-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw four passes for 28 yards to the three-yard line. Quarterback Quincy Vaughn scored a three-yard touchdown for a 24-14 lead with 5:13 left on a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
Ottawa had the ball on the 25-yard line. Running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for 19 yards, and two plays later rushed for six yards to the 25-yard line. On the next play, Ottawa went with a tempo offense, with Bethel-Thompson throwing a touchdown pass to Kalil Pimpleton. The Redblacks trailed the Stampeders 24-21 with 3:23 left on a four-play drive for 62 yards. After Calgary went two-and-out, Ottawa had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. The Redblacks moved the ball to the 39-yard line to begin the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Redblacks moved the ball to the 29-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 37-yard field goal, tying the game 24-24 with 13:09 left. Calgary would get the three points back when Rene Paredes made a 23-yard field goal for a 27-24 lead with 8:31 left.
Ottawa quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two passes for 20 yards, plus a defensive pass interference penalty on Calgary moved the ball to the 19-yard line. On the next play, Bethel-Thompson threw a touchdown pass to Keelen White to give the Redblacks a 31-27 lead with 6:50 left on a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Calgary had the ball on the 47-yard line. Running back Deonta McMahon had two carries for 15 yards, and Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 22 yards to the 26-yard line. Then, Adams Jr. threw a touchdown pass to Jalen Philpot for a 34-31 lead with 3:28 left on a five-play drive for 63 yards.
Late in the game, McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pass was intercepted by Zy Alexander for a 29-yard return to the 23-yard line. The Stampeders moved the ball to the 12-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 19-yard field goal for a 37-31 lead with 2:05 left.
Ottawa had the ball on the 28-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 15-yard line. On the next play, McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a touchdown pass to wide-open Justin Hardy for a 38-37 lead with 1:12 left on a seven-play drive for 76 yards. Calgary had the ball on the 37-yard line. The Stampeders moved the ball to the 55-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a game-winning 62-yard field goal, giving the Stampeders a 40-38 win over the Redblacks.
Calgary’s offense had 496 yards (357 passing yards, 139 rushing yards), 26 first downs, 11 for 24 on second downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 14 times for 177 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 28 of 41 passes (68.3%) for 357 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for 24 yards. Running back Deonta McMahon had 15 carries for 102 yards and three catches for 24 yards. Quarterback Quincy Vaughn had four carries for eight yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Jalen Philpot made nine catches for 118 yards and one touchdown, while Tevin Jones made five catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
Ottawa’s offense had 425 yards (379 passing yards, 47 rushing yards, 1 yard lost), 25 first downs, 9 for 20 on second downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 28 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 27 of 48 passes (56.3%) for 379 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had six carries for 40 yards and three catches for 21 yards.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made 12 catches for 129 yards and one touchdown, while Keelen White made three catches for 63 yards and three touchdowns, and Kalil Pimpleton made six catches for 88 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles and one interception.
The two teams will meet in a rematch next Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
