On Thursday night at McMahan Stadium, the Calgary Stampeders (1-0) edged the Montreal Alouettes (0-1) 30-27 on a Rene Paredes game-winning 41-yard field goal to start the 2022 season.
Stampeders’ quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell had a decent game, going 21-34 for 199 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for 12 yards.
Mitchell overthrew a lot of his receivers. His only touchdown pass came early in the first quarter when he connected with Malik Henry for a ten-yard touchdown that put Calgary up 7-0 with 10:09 left in the first quarter. Michell would get injured late in the game, and Jake Maier took over. Jake Maier finished the game 4/5 for 57 yards.
Stampeders’ running back Ka’Deem Carey was Calgary’s firepower with 13 carries for 60 yards, two touchdowns, and three catches for five yards. His two rushing touchdowns came in the second and fourth quarters.
In the second quarter, Carey rushed up the middle for a two-yard touchdown that put the Stampeders back up 14-7 with 13:02 left in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, Carey waited for the offensive line to open up a lane, and he took it for a five-yard touchdown that put the Stampeders up 27-24 with 12:45 left in the game.
Richard Sindani led the Stampeders’ receivers with seven catches for 101 yards, and kicker Rene Paredes made two field goals, one for 26 yards and the game winner for 41 yards with 45-seconds left in the game that made it 30-27.
Calgary’s defense did not have a bad game, allowing 390 yards, 38 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, five pass breakups, and two interceptions. One of the Stampeders’ interceptions was neat to watch when Mike Rose tipped the ball in the air in the direction of Dionte Ruffin, who tipped it right back to Rose for the interception like they were playing volleyball.
Meanwhile, Alouettes’ quarterback Vernon Adams went 18/32 for 250 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and five carries for 22 yards and one touchdown. Adams’ only touchdown pass happened in the first quarter when he found William Stanback for an eight-yard touchdown pass that tied the game 7-7 with 6:05 left in the first quarter. He used his legs to score a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter, making it 24-14 with 24-seconds left.
Unfortunately for the Alouettes, they lost a key player when William Stanback went down with an injury in the second quarter and had to be carted off the field. He finished the game with three catches for 11 yards, two catches for 17 yards, and one touchdown. His backup, Jeshrun Antwi, had seven carries for 98 yards and three catches for 16 yards. So, if Stanback is out for a while, the Als have a reliable running back.
The other touchdown for the Alouettes came from backup quarterback Dominique Davis on a one-yard run that tied the game 14-14 with 6:26 left in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Montreal wide receiver Eugene Lewis had a nice game with four catches for 112 yards, while Reggie White had four catches for 51 yards. Kicker David Cote made 2/3 field goals for 26 yards and 23 yards. The Alouettes’ defense allowed 359 yards, 42 tackles, one sack, one pass breakup, and one interception.
Next week, the Alouettes visit the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday at 7:30 pm on ESPN2, while the Stampeders clash with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday at 6:30 pm on ESPN+. Tickets for both games can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
