GAME RECAP
JUST PLAIN CRAZY: MITCHELL, STAMPS HOLD OFF FURIOUS BOMBERS COMEBACK FOR 10TH STRAIGHT WIN
CALGARY — It was close, but in the end the Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary Stampeders were just too much for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Mitchell completed 29 of his 43 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns, while Kamar Jordan reeled in nine passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, as the Stamps held off a furious comeback attempt by the Blue Bombers en-route to a wild 36-34 win on Saturday afternoon.
Matt Nichols was also solid, overcoming a rough first half en-route to a 287-yard, two-touchdown performance.
The win was Calgary’s 10th straight, and snapped a seven-game win streak by the Bombers.
The Stamps haven’t lost a game since Week 1, with a Week 3 tie to the REDBLACKS serving as their most recent blemish, while the Bombers had won seven straight, with their most recent loss prior to today coming to Calgary back in Week 5.
As per usual, Mitchell and the vaunted Stampeders offence wasted no time making their mark on today’s affair.
Thanks to a 47-yard return off the game’s opening kickoff by Roy Finch, Mitchell began his first possession from his own 46 yard line with an eye on the endzone.
From there, he proceeded to complete four of his next six passes before finding Kamar Jorden on a corner route for a five-yard touchdown pass.
Rene Paredes would tack on a 27-yard field goal on Calgary’s next drive to give the Stamps a 10-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
After a few quiet drives by Mitchell’s standards, the CFL’s most prolific offence went to work on extending their first half lead.
Starting on his 52 yard line, Mitchell embarked on a six play, 58-yard drive which culminated in a 14-yard touchdown completion to Lemar Durant.
But while the Stamps were alive and rolling, the same couldn’t be said for the Bombers, who to that point in the game managed to register just 50 total yards offensively.
Things only got worse for the visitors on the offensive side of the ball, as Nichols saw a pass towards the sideline intercepted by Jamar Wall, who used a convoy of blockers to return it to 40 yards into Winnipeg territory.
The pick proved to be extremely costly, as the Stamps – seemingly at will – worked their way to the endzone, with Messam plowing himself in from 15 yards out.
The score increased Calgary’s lead to 24-0.
But Winnipeg’s slumbering offence wouldn’t sleep for much longer. And it was tailback Timothy Flanders who proved played the part of the alarm clock.
Facing third and one with less than three minutes remaining in the half, Flanders found a hole and busted through the line for a 50-yard touchdown dash.
With Andrew Harris still on the shelf with a nagging lower-body injury, Flanders made the most of his start last week against the Argos, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown, while adding 34 more yards on four receptions.
But the Stamps did whatever they could to squash out any hopes of a Bomber comeback, as they responded with a 17-yard field goal by Paredes to improve their lead to 20 before the break.
Mitchell was solid after 30 minutes of action, completing 16 of his 23 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Nichols, meanwhile, was good on only nine of his 20 attempts for just 88 yards and one interception.
Much like last week, however, Nichols appeared to save his best for the second half. Down 23 points with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter, Nichols guided the Bombers on a seven-play, 72-yard drive which ended with a 10-yard touchdown strike to Clarence Denmark.
The score brought the Bombers within 16 of Calgary’s lead, and they weren’t done there.
On their next possession, Nichols continued to pick apart the once-indestructible Stamps defence, en-route to a one–yard touchdown run that brought them within 10.
The drive saw Nichols complete all four of his passes, including a spectacular effort by receiver Ryan Smith for a gain of 40.
On the ensuing Calgary possession, Stamps receiver Simon Charbonneau-Campeau hauled in a pass from Mitchell, but immediately fumbled it after being tackled by Tony Burnett. The ball was eventually scooped up by Shayon Green and lateraled to Khalil Bass who ran untouched into the endzone for six.
The extra point brought the comeback effort within just a field goal.
The Stamps had a chance to slow down the bleeding, but Paredes saw his 42 yard field goal attempt ping off the field goal post.
However, Paredes had a measure of redemption on Calgary’s next possession, as he connected on a 37-yard field goal to increase their lead to six.
Not discouraged, Nichols led a furiously-efficient last-minute drive, while resulted in a touchdown pass to Julian Feoli-Gudino to tie the game at 33. Justin Medlock’s extra point gave them a one point lead with 20 seconds to go in the game.
But 20 seconds was all Mitchell needed to put the Stamps in a position to win. The veteran gunslinger completed two quick passes to Jordan and Durant for gains of 14 and 22 yards respectively, setting up a 52-yard attempt for Paredes with only four seconds left on the clock.
Nursing a calf injury, the icey-veined kicker drilled it right down the middle for the game winner, sending McMahon Stadium into a frenzy.
Next week, the Stamps travel to Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats, while the Bombers will return home to face off against the Eskimos.
JUST PLAIN CRAZY: MITCHELL, STAMPS HOLD OFF FURIOUS BOMBERS COMEBACK FOR 10TH STRAIGHT WIN
CALGARY — It was close, but in the end the Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary Stampeders were just too much for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Mitchell completed 29 of his 43 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns, while Kamar Jordan reeled in nine passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, as the Stamps held off a furious comeback attempt by the Blue Bombers en-route to a wild 36-34 win on Saturday afternoon.
Matt Nichols was also solid, overcoming a rough first half en-route to a 287-yard, two-touchdown performance.
The win was Calgary’s 10th straight, and snapped a seven-game win streak by the Bombers.
The Stamps haven’t lost a game since Week 1, with a Week 3 tie to the REDBLACKS serving as their most recent blemish, while the Bombers had won seven straight, with their most recent loss prior to today coming to Calgary back in Week 5.
As per usual, Mitchell and the vaunted Stampeders offence wasted no time making their mark on today’s affair.
Thanks to a 47-yard return off the game’s opening kickoff by Roy Finch, Mitchell began his first possession from his own 46 yard line with an eye on the endzone.
From there, he proceeded to complete four of his next six passes before finding Kamar Jorden on a corner route for a five-yard touchdown pass.
Rene Paredes would tack on a 27-yard field goal on Calgary’s next drive to give the Stamps a 10-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
After a few quiet drives by Mitchell’s standards, the CFL’s most prolific offence went to work on extending their first half lead.
Starting on his 52 yard line, Mitchell embarked on a six play, 58-yard drive which culminated in a 14-yard touchdown completion to Lemar Durant.
But while the Stamps were alive and rolling, the same couldn’t be said for the Bombers, who to that point in the game managed to register just 50 total yards offensively.
Things only got worse for the visitors on the offensive side of the ball, as Nichols saw a pass towards the sideline intercepted by Jamar Wall, who used a convoy of blockers to return it to 40 yards into Winnipeg territory.
The pick proved to be extremely costly, as the Stamps – seemingly at will – worked their way to the endzone, with Messam plowing himself in from 15 yards out.
The score increased Calgary’s lead to 24-0.
But Winnipeg’s slumbering offence wouldn’t sleep for much longer. And it was tailback Timothy Flanders who proved played the part of the alarm clock.
Facing third and one with less than three minutes remaining in the half, Flanders found a hole and busted through the line for a 50-yard touchdown dash.
With Andrew Harris still on the shelf with a nagging lower-body injury, Flanders made the most of his start last week against the Argos, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown, while adding 34 more yards on four receptions.
But the Stamps did whatever they could to squash out any hopes of a Bomber comeback, as they responded with a 17-yard field goal by Paredes to improve their lead to 20 before the break.
Mitchell was solid after 30 minutes of action, completing 16 of his 23 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Nichols, meanwhile, was good on only nine of his 20 attempts for just 88 yards and one interception.
Much like last week, however, Nichols appeared to save his best for the second half. Down 23 points with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter, Nichols guided the Bombers on a seven-play, 72-yard drive which ended with a 10-yard touchdown strike to Clarence Denmark.
The score brought the Bombers within 16 of Calgary’s lead, and they weren’t done there.
On their next possession, Nichols continued to pick apart the once-indestructible Stamps defence, en-route to a one–yard touchdown run that brought them within 10.
The drive saw Nichols complete all four of his passes, including a spectacular effort by receiver Ryan Smith for a gain of 40.
On the ensuing Calgary possession, Stamps receiver Simon Charbonneau-Campeau hauled in a pass from Mitchell, but immediately fumbled it after being tackled by Tony Burnett. The ball was eventually scooped up by Shayon Green and lateraled to Khalil Bass who ran untouched into the endzone for six.
The extra point brought the comeback effort within just a field goal.
The Stamps had a chance to slow down the bleeding, but Paredes saw his 42 yard field goal attempt ping off the field goal post.
However, Paredes had a measure of redemption on Calgary’s next possession, as he connected on a 37-yard field goal to increase their lead to six.
Not discouraged, Nichols led a furiously-efficient last-minute drive, while resulted in a touchdown pass to Julian Feoli-Gudino to tie the game at 33. Justin Medlock’s extra point gave them a one point lead with 20 seconds to go in the game.
But 20 seconds was all Mitchell needed to put the Stamps in a position to win. The veteran gunslinger completed two quick passes to Jordan and Durant for gains of 14 and 22 yards respectively, setting up a 52-yard attempt for Paredes with only four seconds left on the clock.
Nursing a calf injury, the icey-veined kicker drilled it right down the middle for the game winner, sending McMahon Stadium into a frenzy.
Next week, the Stamps travel to Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats, while the Bombers will return home to face off against the Eskimos.
