OTTAWA — The Calgary Stampeders came to the nation’s capital, and their explosive offence came with them, as they took down the Ottawa REDBLACKS 45-31 in the first game of a Week 17 Saturday doubleheader.
With the win, it marked the second straight Calgary victory over Ottawa, after Rene Parades’ mammoth 62-yard walk-off winner in Week 16.
The game started with a bang, and Calgary’s booming offence delivered. A 45-yard deep strike to Clark Barnes sparked a five-play opening touchdown drive — capped off by the first of Deonta McMahon’s two touchdowns — as the Stampeders took an early lead.
In response, the REDBLACKS’ offence kept up their recent success with McLeod Bethel-Thompson at the helm, as he led the charge down to Calgary’s five-yard line before Ottawa settled for a field goal. The Stampeders then added a rouge before the pair of teams traded field goals heading into the second quarter. Then, Calgary’s offence exploded again, and again.
A 42-yard snag by Jalen Philpot before a 28-yard Tyreik McCallister major extended Calgary’s lead, all before a 46-yard grab by Tevin Jones set up a second McMahon major as the Stamps jumped to a near 20-point lead.
The REDBLACKS struck back just before the break, however, as Bethel-Thompson connected with Ayden Eberhardt to make it a two-score game at halftime.
Parades added another field goal before Jones added another Calgary major, as the Stampeders extended their lead even further throughout the third frame and into the final quarter.
Ottawa kept working, however, with majors from running back Mario Anderson Jr. and wideout Justin Hardy making it a 10-point game at the three-minute warning. A Brett Lauther triple made it a one-score game with two minutes to go, but a 60-yard Barnes touchdown late shut the door on Ottawa.
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» Depth Charts: CGY | OTT » Game Notes: Stampeders at REDBLACKS
SCORING PLAYS
- Vernon Adams Jr. 12-yard passing touchdown to Deonta McMahon (11:47, Q1) | CGY 7, OTT 0
- Brett Lauther 13-yard field goal (05:31, Q1) | CGY 7, OTT 3
- Mark Vassett 65-yard punt single (02:51, Q1) | CGY 8, OTT 3
- Rene Parades 40-yard field goal (11:32, Q2) | CGY 11, OTT 3
- Brett Lauther 56-yard field goal (09:30, Q2) | CGY 11, OTT 6
- Tyreik McCallister 28-yard rushing touchdown (08:38, Q2) | CGY 18, OTT 6
- Deonta McMahon four-yard rushing touchdown (02:53, Q2) | CGY 25, OTT 6
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson 13-yard passing touchdown to Ayden Eberhardt (00:30, Q2) | CGY 25, OTT 13
- Rene Parades 49-yard field goal (11:56, Q3) | CGY 28, OTT 13
- Vernon Adams Jr. 15-yard passing touchdown to Tevin Jones (00:06, Q3) | CGY 35, OTT 13
- Mario Anderson nine-yard rushing touchdown (10:22, Q4) | CGY 35, OTT 21
- Rene Parades 43-yard field goal (06:29, Q4) | CGY 38, OTT 21
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson 18-yard passing touchdown to Justin Hardy (04:40, Q4) | CGY 38, OTT 28
- Brett Lauther 28-yard field goal (01:53, Q4) | CGY 38, OTT 31
- Vernon Adams Jr. 60-yard passing touchdown to Clark Barnes (00:45, Q4) | CGY 45, OTT 31
NEXT UP
All eyes are on the Stampeders down the stretch as they are virtually in must-win territory from here on out, with big-time matchups against teams they are closely chasing. Calgary finishes their season by travelling to play the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Oct. 2 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Oct. 10, before returning home to host the BC Lions on Oct. 17 in their season finale.
The REDBLACKS have four games remaining in the season as they search for their first win. They have two games against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, with the first coming next week on Oct. 2 in the nation’s capital.
