On Saturday afternoon at Tim Hortons Field, the Calgary Stampeders (2-0) battled the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-2) in the Hall of Fame game honoring Marv Levy, Henry Burris, and other members from the class of 2020 and 2021. They were treated to a show.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Dane Evans was 36/51 for 425 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and led the rushers with six carries for 22 yards. The first points of the game went to kicker Michael Domagala who went 21-yards for a 3-0 lead with 11:26 left in the first quarter.
Then, Dane Evans’s first touchdown pass happened late in the first quarter, when he threw a 14-yard pass to Sean Thomas-Erlington. After a missed extra point by kicker Michael Domagala, the Ticats led 9-0 with 3:40 left in the first quarter.
Evan’s put more points on the board when he threw, from the pocket, a 38-yard touchdown pass right into the hands of Steven Dunbar with two seconds left. The Ticats converted a two-point play, making it 17-0 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, the Ticats piled on the points. Quarterback Dane Evans threw his third touchdown to Tim White for 25-yards. He dropped back from the pocket and threw the ball in the direction of Tim White, who caught it with one hand while a Stampeders’ defender was on him. The Ticats led 24-0 with 2:08 left in the second quarter. Tim White led the Ticats receivers with 11 catches for 131 yards and one touchdown.
Just before the first half ended, the Stampeders finally added points on the board when Rene Paredes made a 28-yard field goal, cutting the Ticats lead 24-3 at halftime. The Ticats dominated the first half on both sides of the ball.
In the second half, the Stampeders started to make a comeback. It took a while for the Stampeders to find the endzone. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw the ball into coverage that Luther Hakunavanhu caught for an eight-yard touchdown that made it 24-10. After the Stampeders’ defense stopped Hamilton, the offense got the ball back to start the fourth quarter.
The Stampeders marched down to the Ticats 39-yard line, and Rene Paredes made a 46-yard field goal, making the score 24-13 Ticats. After that, you could feel the momentum changing in favor of Calgary. On the Ticats’ next drive, they scored their first points in the second half on a Michael Domagala 18-yard field goal, making it 27-13 with 8:40 left in the game.
Calgary’s next drive had Michell leading the team down to Hamilton’s 17-yard line. He threw his last touchdown pass to Reggie Begelton for 17-yards, and now the Stampeders trailed by one touchdown, 27-20. Mitchell was 28/42 for 313 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
On the Ticats’ next possession, the Stampeders’ defense stepped up. On third-and-one, Ticats quarterback Dane Evans went for a quarterback sneak, but Titus Wall stripped the ball from Evans and returned it for a 45-yard touchdown, tying the game 27-27. Ticats fans and players could not believe what they saw after being up 24-0 early in the game.
Then, with less than two minutes left in the game, Michael Domagala made a 39-yard field to give Hamilton a 30-27 lead. All the Ticats’ defense had to do was stop Calgary. The Stampeders quickly rushed down the field to reach Hamilton’s 32-yard line with 16-seconds left. Stampeders’ kicker Rene Paredes made a 39-yard field goal to send the game into overtime tied 30-30.
In overtime, Stampeders’ kicker Rene Paredes made a 35-yard field goal, putting Calgary up 33-30, and the Ticats could either tie the game or win. However, Evans’s passes was intercepted by Jameer Thurman, which ended the game, and the Stampeders won 33-30.
It was a tale of two halves. Hamilton was in control in the first half, and it looked like they were on their way to winning their first game of the season. But they forgot that there was a second half, and Calgary took advantage in the second half and stunned the Ticats in overtime.
Hamilton’s offense had 499 yards and had the ball for over 31 minutes, while the Stampeders had 378 yards on offense. The Ticats’ defense had 52 tackles, one sack, three pass breakups, and one interception. Meanwhile, Calgary’s defense had 57 tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Stampeders host the Edmonton Elks on Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN+, while the Ticats are off next week.
