CFL: Stampeders topple Riders in West Division showdown
Vernon Adams Jr. threw three touchdowns and Calgary’s defence bottled up Trevor Harris as the Stampeders pulled away for a 32-15 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a pivotal West Division clash on Saturday at McMahon Stadium.
Adams Jr. went 14-for-21 with 222 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Stampeders improved to 7-3. Daylen Baldwin hauled in 84 yards and a touchdown, Jalen Philpot added 82 yards from scrimmage and a major, while Dedrick Mills chipped in 71 rushing yards and a score on 14 carries.
Calgary’s defence rose to the occasion once more, with Clarence Hicks collecting two of the team’s four sacks as the Stampeders blanked Saskatchewan in the second half, giving head coach Dave Dickenson a win in his 150th CFL game.
Harris had an up-and-down night before exiting in the fourth, finishing 15-for-23 for 205 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. KeeSean Johnson hit the 100-yard mark on four catches, but the Riders fell to 8-2, with both of their losses this season coming against the Stampeders.
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Saskatchewan opened with the ball and quickly moved into scoring range after Dohnte Meyers drew a 40-yard pass interference penalty on Anthony Johnson. Harris just missed a touchdown when his end-zone shot slipped through Johnson’s hands, and Brett Lauther’s 28-yard field goal attempt went wide left and out for a single — his fourth miss in the last two games.
The Stamps were sharper with their first crack on offence. Philpot got them started with a 14-yard end-around, Adams Jr. picked up a big chunk on a 46-yard heave to Baldwin, and Mills polished the drive off with a six-yard scamper to the outside. René Paredes hit the extra point to make it 7-1.
Later in the first quarter, the teams played a bit of hot potato. After trading quick punts, Sheldon Arnold jumped Harris’ first-down throw along the sideline, only for Adams Jr. to give it right back on the next snap with a deep ball picked off by Rolan Milligan Jr. — his fourth of the season. The Riders couldn’t fully cash in, instead settling for a punt that was downed in the end zone for a single.
Harris entered the second quarter with just 10 passing yards, and Calgary’s front kept the squeeze on. A misfire to Meyers on first down and Hicks’ fourth sack of the season on second forced Saskatchewan to punt from deep in their own end.
Starting from the Riders’ 49-yard line, it didn’t take long for Calgary to be knocking on the door of the end zone again. Adams Jr. connected with Mills and Baldwin for gains of 16 and 28 before pinning one to Philpot, who shook off defensive back Jaxon Ford and stretched across the plane for his first major of the season. Paredes made it 14-2 after making the convert.
Saskatchewan finally broke through midway through the second, exploiting Calgary’s heavy blitz as Johnson turned a play-action pass into a 62-yard catch-and-run. Harris capped the drive with a bullet to Meyers — his second touchdown in as many games — and Lauther added the extra point to make it 14-9.
After the Riders’ defence forced back-to-back two-and-outs, the offence kept rolling. Harris completed six straight passes — including a 24-yard strike to Johnson — before finding Dhel Duncan-Busby for a 10-yard touchdown. AJ Ouellette’s two-point try was stuffed, leaving Saskatchewan with a one-point lead as they went into the break.
After losing some steam in the second quarter, the Stamps’ offence opened the third with their foot back on the gas. Mills fueled the drive with runs of 13 and 21 yards before Adams Jr. dropped a perfect ball to Baldwin in the corner of the end zone. Paredes stayed true on the conversion as Calgary reclaimed a 21-15 lead.
Calgary looked to keep rolling on offence after Hicks’ second sack of the night forced a fast two-and-out, but Malik Carney got a hand on Adams Jr.’s pass at the line, and the deflection landed in Jameer Thurman’s arms for a Saskatchewan takeaway. The turnover carousel kept spinning three plays later, when Kosi Onyeka sprawled to wrestle Harris’ sideline throw away from Meyers — his first career interception.
Before the end of the third, Paredes stretched Calgary’s lead with a 53-yard field goal — his longest of the season — and Shaun Peterson Jr. dropped Harris for a second-down sack to keep Saskatchewan off the board in the quarter.
Early in the fourth, the Stampeders seized control. With key plays from Philpot, Calgary worked 82 yards downfield before Adams Jr. slung one to Erik Brooks — who scored in the teams’ Week 6 meeting — at the sidelines for a dagger touchdown. Adams Jr. ran in the two-point convert himself to stretch Calgary’s lead to three possessions.
In desperation mode, Harris went down again — this time pummelled by Justin Sambu — and Ouellette couldn’t make up the loss on third down, marking the Riders’ third giveaway of the night with the turnover on downs.
With five minutes left and the result essentially sealed for Calgary, the Riders turned to former Stampeder Jake Maier behind centre as Harris watched from the sidelines. Corey Mace kept pushing his squad, but they could not put up any consolation points as Calgary cruised to a 32-15 win.
The Stamps will be on bye in Week 13 on OK Tire Labour Day Weekend, while the Riders head back home to meet the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, August 31.
