The Calgary Stampeders (7-8) visited TD Place Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Redblacks (0-14) in their second and final meeting of the season. The Stampeders did not have wide receiver Reggie Begelton (knee) as he was placed on the one-game injured list.
Calgary got the ball to start the first quarter at the 36-yard line. On the fourth play, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 45-yard pass to Clark Barnes to the 12-yard line. Then, Adams Jr. threw the ball to Deonta McMahon, who broke several tackles to score the touchdown to give the Stampeders a 7-0 lead with 11:36 left to cap off a five-play drive for 74 yards.
Ottawa had the ball on the 16-yard line. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw six passes for 82 yards to lead the offense to the five-yard line. On third down, kicker Brett Lauther made a 13-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Stampeders 7-3 with 5:31 left.
Late in the first quarter, the Stampeders moved the ball to the 54-yard line before the drive stalled. Punter Mark Vassett punted the ball 65 yards into the endzone, where returner Kalil Pimpleton took a knee to give up a single point. The Stampeders led the Redblacks 8-3 with 2:51 left.
After Ottawa went two-and-out, Calgary had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. On third down, Quincy Vaughn rushed for three yards to the 35-yard line to get the first down as the first quarter ended. Calgary’s offense had 105 yards, and Ottawa’s offense had 89 yards.
In the second quarter, Calgary continued to move the ball until reaching the 33-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 40-yard field goal for an 11-3 lead with 11:32 left. Later, Ottawa would get those three points back when Brett Lauther made a 56-yard field goal. It was now 11-6 with 9:30 left.
Calgary had the ball on the 40-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 42-yard pass to Jalen Philpot to the 28-yard line. Then, running back Tyriek McAllister got a couple of good blocks before sprinting toward the endzone for an 18-6 lead with 8:11 left on a two-play drive for 70 yards.
Two plays in, Ottawa quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pass was intercepted by Anthony Johnson at the 52-yard line. Calgary went two-and-out. Ottawa had the ball on the 40-yard line. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a nine-yard pass to Ayden Eberhardt short of the first down. On third down, Calgary’s defense stopped Bryson Barnes for a turnover on downs. Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 46-yard pass to Tevin Jones to the four-yard line. Then, Deonta McMahon punched it in for the touchdown. The Stampeders increased their lead to 25-6 with 2:53 left.
Ottawa’s offense had the ball on the 32-yard line. The Redblacks moved the ball to the 13-yard line, where McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a touchdown pass to Ayden Eberhardt. The Redblacks trailed the Stampeders 25-13 at halftime on an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Calgary’s offense had 274 yards, 11 first downs, and 5 for 10 on second down. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. went 11 of 14 for 211 yards and one touchdown. Running back Tyriek McAllister had one carry for 28 yards and one rushing touchdown, while Deonta McMahon had seven carries for 27 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Tevin Jones made five catches for 88 yards, while Clark Barnes made one catch for 45 yards.
Ottawa’s offense had 179 yards, 10 first downs, and 6 of 12 on second down. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 12 of 24 for 166 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had three carries for 11 yards, and three catches for 42 yards. Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made five catches for 69 yards and one touchdown, while Justin Hardy made three catches for 28 yards.
Calgary got the ball to start the third quarter at the 52-yard line. The Stampeders moved the ball to the 42-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 49-yard field goal for a 28-13 lead with 11:56 left. Later, Calgary had the ball on the 26-yard line when Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended for Tevin Jones was intercepted by Christian Matthew. However, a roughing the passer penalty on Kori Roberson Jr. gave Calgary a first down.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. came back to throw three passes for 44 yards to the 15-yard line. Then, Adams Jr. scrambled out of the pocket before throwing the ball to Tevin Jones. Jones broke a tackle on his way into endzone for a 35-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter on an eight-play drive for 97 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the nine-yard line. Then, McLeod Bethel-Thompson handed the ball to Mario Anderson, who avoided a couple of tackles to score the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion and got it when Bethel-Thompson found Justin Hardy. The Redblacks trailed the Stampeders 35-21 with 10:04 left on an 11-play drive for 83 yards.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 43-yard field goal for a 38-21 lead with 6:29 left. Ottawa had the ball on the 40-yard line. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two passes for 21 yards to the 49-yard line. Two plays later, he threw a 28-yard pass to Cade McDonald to the 18-yard line. Then, he threw a touchdown pass to Justin Hardy. The Redblacks trailed the Stampeders 38-28 with 4:25 left on a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the game, Ottawa kicker Brett Lauther made a 27-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Stampeders 38-31 with 1:53 left. Calgary had the ball on the 32-yard line. They moved the ball to the 50-yard line. Then, Vernon Adams Jr. quickly threw the ball to Clark Barnes, who broke a tackle for a 60-yard touchdown for a 45-31 win on a four-play drive for 78 yards.
Calgary’s offense had 520 yards (422 passing yards, 103 rushing yards, 5 yards lost), 23 first downs, 13 of 22 on second downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 45 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 24 of 30 passes (80%) for 422 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 15 yards.
Running back Deonta McMahon had 14 carries for 52 yards, one rushing touchdown, one catch for 12 yards, and one touchdown, while Tyriek McAllister had one carry for 28 yards, one rushing touchdown, and one catch for seven yards.
Wide receiver Jalen Philpot made six catches for 127 yards, while Tevin Jones made eight catches for 122 yards and one touchdown, and Clark Barnes made three catches for 109 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 41 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
Ottawa’s offense had 475 yards (436 passing yards, 52 rushing yards, 13 yards lost), 28 first downs, 14 of 24 on second downs, 3 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 30 of 47 passes (64%) for 418 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Quarterback Bryson Barnes completed 2 of 3 passes (66%) for 18 yards, and four carries for 20 yards. Running back Mario Anderson had three carries for 15 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made nine catches for 98 yards and one touchdown, while Ayden Eberhardt made seven catches for 91 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Next Friday, the Ottawa Redblacks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Calgary Stampeders host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 9:30 pm on TSN and CFL+.
