REGINA — It’s better late than never for the Calgary Stampeders as they won their first road game of the year in the regular season finale against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday evening. Jake Maier‘s three touchdown passes led his club to their fifth win of 2024 with a 27-12 result at Mosaic Stadium.
With Matt Shiltz on the injured list, Maier was solid in his return as a starter, going 19-26 for 293 yards to go with his three scores through the air. Clark Barnes finished the day with three catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Marken Michel and Cam Echols brought down the other two majors for Calgary, while Rene Paredes knocked in two field goals.
After the Winnipeg Blue Bombers secured the West Division title earlier in the day, the Roughriders rested key personnel, including quarterback Trevor Harris. Shea Patterson got the start under centre, throwing for 56 yards on 12 attempts before making way for Jack Coan late in the second quarter, who ended the game 10-21 with 100 passing yards and a touchdown
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Despite getting the surprise start, Patterson showed no signs of being unprepared on Saskatchewan’s first offensive possession. Patterson and the Riders charged downfield on a nine-play drive but receiver Joe Robustelli couldn’t haul in a target deep in the end zone, resulting in a Brett Lauther field goal.
Calgary began the ballgame with three scoreless drives but a couple of passes to Barnes quickly turned the tide. Barnes’ first reception had him win a jump ball down the left sideline which got Calgary 40 yards. On the following play, Maier went deep to find an open Barnes in the end zone for a 33-yard score to make it 7-3 after the opening quarter.
Both defences stood strong across three more scoreless drives before another good passing touchdown put more points on the scoreboard. Going for it on third-and-short in the red zone, Maier threw another nice touchdown strike, this time delivering the ball to Echols at the back of the end zone to put the Stamps up 14-3.
With the Stamps again making their way into scoring range in the final minutes of the first half, Saskatchewan’s defence came up with the game’s first turnover to keep the deficit at 11 points. Reggie Begelton looked like he had picked up a 17-yard play over the middle but C.J. Reavis punched the ball out of the receiver’s grasp before he was down, and Deontai Williams was ready to recover. Coan then entered the game at quarterback for the Riders but couldn’t lead the offence to any points off of the turnover as the half ended 14-3 in favour of the road team.
Coan would stay in the game for Saskatchewan after the break, leading the offence to a score on the first drive of the third quarter. His eight-yard scamper on third down allowed Lauther to make a manageable 50-yard field goal to narrow the Calgary lead.
On the next drive, running backs Dedrick Mills and Peyton Logan both produced first down plays, but a drop limited the Stamps to three points instead of a potential seven. Mills couldn’t get a handle on a short pass from Maier which would’ve gotten Calgary a first down in the red zone so his team had to instead settle for a 21-yard field goal by Rene Paredes to restore an 11-point advantage.
Back with the football, Calgary looked to be picking up some more steam in Saskatchewan territory, but another forced fumble by the Riders defence stopped their opponent in their tracks. Caleb Sanders knocked the ball out of Logan’s control and Benoit Marion recovered for the hosts. The Riders were again unable to deliver any points off of the turnover, with a quick two-and-out handing possession back to the Stampeders at the end of the third quarter.
It didn’t take long for Calgary to make the most of the two-and-out forced by their defence. Maier began the fourth quarter with a 67-yard passing touchdown to Michel, widening the gap to 24-6 after Paredes’ extra point.
The Riders got themselves back into the game midway through the fourth quarter after a face mask penalty by M. Lee tacked on an extra 15 yards to a 33-yard kick return by Mario Alford. Set up at Calgary’s 19-yard line, Coan threw for his first CFL touchdown, getting the ball to Jerreth Sterns at the goal line. A failed two-point conversion meant the score would remain at 24-12 with 7:07 to go.
Paredes’ second field goal of the night with 3:59 on the clock put three more points on the board and ensured a Calgary win as the game finished 27-12 from Mosaic Stadium.
The Roughriders will be back in action next weekend when they host the BC Lions for the Western Semi-Final on Saturday, November 2. The Stampeders have known their fate for a few weeks now and will miss out on playoff football for the first time since 2004.