Alouettes and Stampeders share points after tightly-contested affair
CALGARY — Looking to stay in the playoff conversation in a tightly-contested West Division after losing four straight, the Calgary Stampeders couldn’t hold on for a crucial home win over the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday. The Als and Stamps put a bow on Week 15 with a tightly-contested affair which couldn’t be decided in overtime as it finished 19-19 from McMahon Stadium.
Quarterback Jake Maier was back in the driver’s seat after starting from the bench in Week 14. Calgary’s pivot put together a solid showing, finishing 29-37 with 236 passing yards and a touchdown score to Marken Michel. Running back Dedrick Mills gave the Stamps a balanced attack, gashing the visitors for 122 yards rushing.
Having already clinched a playoff spot, Montreal couldn’t create more separation between themselves and the chasing pack in the East Division, also seeing their franchise-record eight-game win streak on the road brought to a close. Cody Fajardo threw for 204 yards and ran in a touchdown in the low-scoring game, with Kaion Julien-Grant finishing as his team’s leading receiver with 71 yards.
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Coming into the game on a four-game slide, an early turnover gave the home team the stroke of luck they needed. With their first play on offence, Walter Fletcher had the football knocked loose by Nick Statz. The Stamps then struck first after the turnover to jump out to a 7-0 lead, as Maier found Michel open in the end zone from 18 yards out.
Maier and the Calgary offence were put into strong field position again after another fumble by Montreal after Calgary’s kickoff. This time it was James Letcher Jr. who coughed up the football. Montreal’s defence was able to limit their hosts to a field goal, leaving the scoreline at 10-0 midway through the opening quarter.
Early in the second frame, Fletcher made up for his early fumble with a bursting run through the middle good for 55 yards, his longest run of the season. On the follow-up play, Fajardo strolled into the end zone untouched after a nifty fake handoff to his running back, making it a three-point ballgame after Jose Maltos’ extra point.
It looked like Calgary was destined to add to their lead late in the second after a lengthy drive which took them 87 yards, but a Tommy Stevens fumble on the edge of the end zone gave the ball back to Montreal. Fortunately for the Stamps, Montreal was unable to put up any points off of the turnover, leaving it at 10-7 at halftime.
After a short-lived drive by the Als right after the break, Calgary held onto the football for a 13-play drive of their own. The Stamps couldn’t get it done in the end zone, but a 16-yard kick by Rene Paredes put his team up by six points.
On the next possession, Montreal was halted just inside Calgary territory after Fajardo took a sack from Justin Sambu for a 12-yard loss. Maltos ensured that the Als came away with some points, making no mistake from 53 yards to bring it to 13-10 after three quarters. Paredes tried to reply with a deep make of his own on Calgary’s next possession, but his attempt from 51 yards hit the left upright, missing just his second kick of the season.
After the three-minute warning, it looked like the Stamps were set to find a touchdown to make it a two-score game, but a couple of penalties took them 30 yards backwards. Forced to try a field goal from 52 yards out, Paredes missed his second kick of the night with Letcher taking the ball to his team’s 19.
Down by three and needing to find a field goal on the final drive of regulation, Fajardo conducted a clutch scoring drive with time winding down. On third-and-eight Montreal’s quarterback connected with Julien-Grant for a 16-yard gain. Reggie White Jr. then made a couple of bodies miss with a spin move to pick up 15 more, taking Montreal into field goal range. Maltos delivered from 42 yards to send the game to overtime.
Electing to begin the extra period on defence, the Stamps came up with a stop on the first overtime drive. Demerio Houston broke up Fajardo’s end zone look to Charleston Rambo, meaning Maltos would go for a 30-yard kick to give the Als their first lead of the game at 16-13. Back with the ball, a pair of incompletions from Maier left Paredes with a 42-yard try, with the Stamps’ kicker sending it to a second overtime period.
Still unable to get much going in overtime, Paredes made another field goal from 42 yards to give Calgary a 19-16, handing Montreal the opportunity to win the game with a touchdown. Fajardo couldn’t find a first down on second-and-six, leaving Maltos to convert from 37 yards out to end the game as a tie.
The Stampeders welcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders into McMahon Stadium for their Week 16 tilt on Friday, September 20. The Alouettes meanwhile have a road showdown against the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Saturday, September 21.
