Calgary held a nine-point lead heading into the second half after a one-yard rushing score from Nick Arbuckle, and a 24-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell to Reggie Begelton helped seal the victory in the fourth quarter.
Begelton had another strong performance for Calgary, catching 10 of 12 targets for 138 yards. Begelton also added a two-point conversion and now has five touchdowns in the last two games.
Running back Ka’Deem Carey came up big for the Stamps with 143 rushing yards on 16 carries. Carey helped put the game away with key first down gains while averaging 8.9 yards per carry.
The Stamps’ defence held Trevor Harris to just 216 passing yards while racking up two sacks, an interception and a turnover on downs after a goal line stand late in the fourth quarter.
Rene Paredes made three of his four field goal attempts for the Stamps, while Edmonton’s Sean Whyte was a perfect three-for-three on the day.
» Images: Eskimos at Stampeders
The Stamps’ offence was rolling on their first drive of the game, with consecutive first down gains from Eric Rogers and Begelton giving the team momentum. But Edmonton’s stingy defence stood tall to prevent a touchdown and forced the Stamps to settle for a 27-yard field goal from Paredes to grab the early lead.
Calgary quickly got the ball back after defensive back Royce Metchie intercepted a deflected pass from Harris, and an 18-yard run from Carey on the ensuing drive put Paredes in position to hit a 39-yard field goal, giving the Stamps a 6-0 lead.
The Esks managed to cut the lead in half as time expired in the first quarter with a 44-yard field goal from Whyte.
A big sack by Stamps defensive lineman Derek Wiggan forced Edmonton to punt the ball from deep in their own end, giving Calgary solid field position. Mitchell then completed a 17-yard strike to Begelton to help set up a 46-yard field goal attempt, but Paredes’ kick went wide to the right and resulted in a single point for the Stamps.
Mitchell opened things up late in the second quarter with a 51-yard bomb down the left sideline to receiver Richie Sindani. Mitchell froze the defence with a pump fake before finding Sindani deep down the field. Begelton followed it up on the next play with an 18-yard run, and Arbuckle capped off the drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Mitchell connected with Begelton on the two-point conversion to give Calgary a 15-6 lead heading into half-time.
Calgary added to its lead early in the third quarter on a 36-yard field goal from Paredes, but the Esks responded with a scoring drive of their own. Harris moved the chains with completions to DaVaris Daniels and Natey Adjei before moving the ball into scoring range on a nine-yard run, but Stamps defensive back Tre Roberson broke up a second-down pass to force a field goal.
Whyte made the 19-yard field goal to cut Calgary’s lead back down to nine points.
Mitchell extended the Stamps’ lead with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Begelton on the very first play of the fourth quarter, displaying brilliant touch to get the pass over defender Monshadrik Hunter. Paredes added the extra point to put Calgary up 25-9.
Edmonton put together a promising drive late in the quarter, but the Stamps came up with a goal line stand to force an incomplete pass and the turnover on downs to seal the victory.
The Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos will square off again next Saturday in Edmonton.