Stampeders snap BC Lions win streak with home victory
CALGARY — The win streak for the BC Lions was broken as the Calgary Stampeders came out victorious, securing the 25-24 win in front of their home crowd at McMahon Stadium on Sunday night.
Jake Maier threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while Jalen Philpot led all receivers with 79 yards and a touchdown.
Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns as well as two interceptions, while William Stanback anchored the offence with the ground game rushing for 64 yards on nine carries.
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The Lions were the first ones on the board, as William Stanback had two big plays that moved the chains in order to set up Adams Jr. to connect with Stanley Berryhill III for a 14-yard score, his first in the CFL.
Both teams defences were able to stall the opposing offence, and as the Stampeders defence stopped the Lions to start the second quarter, they used the offensive drive to even the score as Maier found Reggie Begelton for the nine-yard touchdown.
As the solid defensive play continued with both teams trading punts, a return from Logan for 31 yards put the Stampeders in great position for Maier to connect with Philpot for 23 yards to give Calgary their first lead of the night.
On BC’s next drive, massive catches from McInnis for 31 yards and Ayden Eberhardt for 32 yards put the Lions on the Calgary 11-yard line, but the Stampeders defence stood tall and forced the Lions to settle for an 18-yard field goal from Sean Whyte to cut the deficit to four.
The Stampeders started off the third quarter on a high note as their first drive resulted in a 43-yard field goal from Rene Paredes, who is perfect on the season.
But just as the Stampeders felt they had momentum back on their side, the Lions responded with a five-minute drive that saw a 16-yard reception from Berryhill on second down keep the drive alive, before McInnis grabbed the nine-yard touchdown reception to tie the game once again.
To start the fourth quarter the Stampeders earned a safety, getting a slight 19-17 lead, but the Lions responded on the next drive as Whyte’s 23-yard kick put them back on top by a single point.
Clark Barnes was the Calgary hero on the next drive as he caught a 40-yard reception to get to the BC five-yard line before Maier found him once again for the touchdown, but after the two-point conversion was unsuccessful, it became a five-point game.
Needing to put points on the board on every drive in order to try and keep the win streak alive, the Lions relied on Whyte once again, who put through a 52-yard attempt to cut the deficit to two.
A single gave the Lions one last point, but it was not enough to overtake the Stampeders late.
The Lions will be on a bye during Week 8 action, while the Stampeders will travel to Ottawa to take on the REDBLACKS at TD Place Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on July 26.
