The Calgary Stampeders (9-9) hosted the B.C. Lions (10-7) on Saturday night in their third and final meeting of the season. This was also Calgary’s final game of the regular season.
The B.C. Lions got the ball to start the first quarter on the 44-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 30 yards to lead the offense to the 40-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 48-yard field goal to give the Lions a 3-0 lead with 12 minutes left. Calgary had the ball on the 40-yard line. They moved the ball to the 17-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 24-yard field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 6:18 left.
Late in the first quarter, Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 56 yards to the 19-yard line. Then, he scrambled to his right side before throwing a touchdown pass to Justin McInnis. The Lions took a 10-3 lead heading into the second quarter on a four-play drive for 75 yards. B.C.’s offense had 106 yards, 5 first downs, and 1 for 2 on second downs, while Calgary’s offense had 83 yards, 5 first downs, and 3 for 6 on second downs.
In the second quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 47-yard line. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 25 yards to the 17-yard line. Calgary went for it on third down, but did not get it. Calgary challenged for defensive pass interference and won the challenge. Two plays later, Quincy Vaughn scored a one-yard touchdown, tying the game 10-10 with 10:09 left on a seven-play drive for 63 yards.
Later, B.C. had the ball on the 20-yard line. On the first play, Rourke fumbled the ball, but quickly recovered it before throwing to Jevon Cottoy. Cottoy had blockers in front for a gain of 42 yards to the 48-yard line. Two plays later, Rourke rushed for 16 yards to the 20-yard line. Running back Zander Horvath picked up a couple more yards before Sean Whyte made a 26-yard field goal to give the Lions a 13-10 lead with three minutes. It was Whyte’s 1,000-point as a Lion.
Late in the second quarter, Vernon Adams Jr. threw four passes for 42 yards and rushed for 17 yards to the 26-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 22-yard field goal, tying the game 13-13 at halftime.
B.C.’s offense had 174 yards, 9 first downs, and 3 for 7 on second downs. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 8 of 11 passes (72%) for 149 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 16 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had four carries for 15 yards. Wide receiver Jermaine Jackson made three catches for 44 yards, while Jevon Cottoy made one catch for 42 yards, and Justin McInnis made one catch for 19 yards and one touchdown.
Calgary’s offense had 177 yards, 12 first downs, and 6 for 12 on second downs. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. went 17 of 23 for 148 yards, and one carry for 17 yards. Running back Deonta McMahon had three carries for eight yards, while quarterback Quincy Vaughn had one carry for one yard and one touchdown. Wide receiver Erik Brooks made five catches for 46 yards, and Clark Barnes made four catches for 42 yards.
Calgary got the ball to start the third quarter on the 41-yard line. Running back Deaonta McMahon started the drive with two carries for 20 yards to the 49-yard line. The offense continued to move the ball to the 22-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes made a 29-yard field goal to give the Stampeders a 16-13 lead with 11 minutes left. On the other side, B.C. replaced some of their starters, including Nathan Rourke. Kaidon Salter was the new quarterback for the Lions.
Midway through the third quarter, Calgary had the ball on the 31-yard line. Three plays later, Vernon Adams Jr. overthrew Erik Brooks, and intercepted by Cristophe Beaulieu for a 14-yard return to the 27-yard line. The Lions would go two-and-out.
Calgary had the ball on the 53-yard line. Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 17 yards to the 40-yard line. On the next play, Adams Jr. was pressured and threw the ball to the ground. He was penalized for intentional grounding. Kicker Rene Paredes attempted a 57-yard field goal and came up short. Late in the third quarter, B.C. had a chance to tie the game, but kicker Sean Whyte missed a 46-yard field goal wide right. The Stampeders led 16-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made his third field goal of the night for 32 yards to extend their lead to 19-13 with 10:04 left. Late in the fourth quarter, Calgary running back Deonta McMahon rushed for 50 yards to the 34-yard line. Four plays later, Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ajou Ajou. They went for a two-point conversion and did not get it. The Stampeders led the Lions 25-13 with 4:35 left on a five-play drive for 84 yards.
B.C. had the ball on the 44-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Kaidon Salter’s pass intended for Jermaine Jackson was intercepted by Anthony Johnson at the 39-yard line. The Stampeders moved the ball to the two-yard line, where quarterback Quincy Vaughn put the game away with a touchdown. The Stampeders defeated the Lions 32-13 on a seven-play drive for 39 yards. With the win, the Stampeders keep their playoff hopes alive for another week and win the season series against the Lions.
Calgary’s offense had 474 yards (324 passing yards, 151 rushing yards, one yard lost), 28 first downs, 13 for 23 on second downs, 3 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 42 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 30 of 43 passes (69.7%) for 324 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 21 yards. Running back Deonta McMahon had nine carries for 121 yards, and five catches for 44 yards. Quarterback Quincy Vaughn had four carries for six yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Tevin Jones made four catches for 62 yards, while Jalen Philpot made five catches for 60 yards, and Ajou Ajou made three catches for 31 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 29 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
B.C.’s offense had 260 yards (231 passing yards, 56 rushing yards, 27 yards lost), 13 first downs, 4 for 14 on second downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 44 yards. Quarterback Kaidon Salters completed 5 of 11 passes (45%) for 82 yards, one interception, and three carries for 23 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had five carries for 14 yards.
Wide receiver Jevon Cottoy made three catches for 94 yards, while Jermaine Jackson made five catches for 71 yards, and Justin McInnis made one catch for 19 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 47 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one interception.
Next Friday, the B.C. Lions host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 10 pm on TSN and CFL+.
