HAMILTON — With heavy hearts, the Calgary Stampeders kept their winning streak alive, taking down the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 36-17.
In Calgary’s first game since the tragic death of their teammate, Mylan Hicks, the Calgary Stampeders improved their record to 12-1-1, and remain unbeaten since Week 1.
Zach Collaros left the game after the first thirty minutes with an upper body injury and did not return for the rest of the contest, adding to the long list of injuries Hamilton has had to deal with. Collaros ended his night connecting on 16-of-22 passes for 120 yards and one interception.
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The Stampeders wasted little time trotting down the field and scoring on their very first drive of the contest.
Bo Levi Mitchell made use of Daniels, who scored the touchdown for the red and white, Jerome Messam and Marquay McDaniel to march the ball 84 yards on six plays to score the game’s first major at 3:59.
Mitchell then found Kamar Jordan in the end zone for the two point convert and the Stamps held a 8-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Things didn’t start how the home team was hoping and their first possession of the game wasn’t any different.
Zach Collaros’ second pass of the afternoon was intercepted, the Ticat pivot’s eighth of the season, by Ja’Gared Davis bringing Calgary’s offence right back onto the field.
It looked liked Rene Paredes was ready to kick a 15-yard field goal, but they faked it and quarterback Drew Tate tried to rush into the end zone but he was taken down by Simoni Lawrence, stopping the Stamps from taking advantage of the turnover.
On a second-and-nine, Collaros passed to Spencer Watt, who then fumbled and the ball was recovered by Ciante Evans who ran it 10 yards into the end zone, looking like he had scored Calgary’s second touchdown of the afternoon. But after the play was reviewed, it was ruled an incomplete pass, bringing Brett Maher and the kicking unit to the field.
Maher was deep in his team’s end zone and opted to concede a two-point safety, giving the Stampeders a 10-0 lead with 6:30 left in the opening quarter.
The Stamps’ scored once again – this time on a field goal – on their very next possession.
After a 25-yard, four play drive down the field, Paredes kicked a 41-yard field goal to put the Stamps up 13-0.
Maher booted a 48-yard field goal to give Hamilton their first points of the game, cutting the Stampeders’ lead to 13-3 with a minute left in the first quarter.
Hamilton couldn’t take advantage of a turnover, after Emanuel Davis intercepted Mitchell’s pass intended for Anthony Parker – Davis’ team-leading fifth interception of the season – and had to punt the ball away with nine minutes left in the half.
With five minutes left in the first 30 minutes, Hamilton still struggled to get their offence rolling. Aided by an offside penalty, Collaros and co. started to move the chains, leading his team 32 yards in seven plays but had to, again, settle for a field goal. Maher’s 43-yard attempt was good cutting Calgary’s lead to 13-6.
Daniels scored his second touchdown of the contest, catching Mitchell’s 59-yard bomb in stride, and dashed into the end zone, capping a 75-yard, four play drive. The Stamps attempted another two-point convert but this time was unsuccessful as Mitchell threw over Jordan’s head, keeping the Stampeders’ lead (19-6) intact with under three minutes left in the quarter.
Both teams traded field goals to end the first 30 minutes. First, Maher booted a 58-yarder straight through the uprights. The field goal was the longest in Tiger-Cat history, breaking the previous record of 57-yards that was done four times (including once by former Tiger-Cat, and current Blue Bomber, Justin Medlock).
Then, Paredes countered the three points Maher scored for Hamilton, by kicking his own from 44-yards out to give Calgary a 22-9 lead heading into the locker room.
Jeremiah Masoli started the second half for the Tiger-Cats in place of the injured Collaros.
After a dominant first half for the Stamps, they picked up right where they left off in the second, keeping the Tiger-Cats offence on the sidelines through the majority of the third quarter.
Jerome Messam added to the Stampeders lead, rushing in a one-yard touchdown after an 87-yard, 10 play drive down the turf. With 8:15 left in the third quarter, and following Paredes’ convert, the Stampeders held a 29-9 lead.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, but it was the Stampeders who kept the momentum from their first half performance going in the final quarter.
To start the final 15 minutes, Masoli led his club down the field, but the effort was for naught. On a third-and-15, the Tiger-Cats decided to gamble and a pass that was intended for Spencer Watt was incomplete and the Ticats turned the ball over on downs.
With five minutes left in the contest, Mike Daly intercepted Mitchell’s pass intended for McDaniel, returning it 59 yards to Calgary’s 17 yard line. Then, after completions to John Chiles and Fantuz, Masoli rushed into the end zone for the Tabbies’ first major of the ball game. Fantuz caught the two-point conversion to cut the Stampeders’ lead to 29-17.
Fantuz took the kick off, hoping for an onside kick that could have been recovered by the Tiger-Cats, and it was caught by Simon Charbonneau-Campeau who took it 50 yards to the end zone adding to Calgary’s lead (36-17) and held on for the win.
The Tiger-Cats head into a Week 16 bye to regroup before hosting the Ottawa REDBLACKS and the Stampeders head to Toronto to take on the Argonauts.
