On Saturday afternoon at McMahan Stadium, the Calgary Stampeders (3-0) clashed with the Edmonton Elks (0-3) for the first of four meetings in the battle of Alberta.
Early in the first quarter, the Elks took the lead. Elks’ quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass was intended to Kenny Lawler for 37 yards but was incomplete. However, a pass interference penalty against Dionte Ruffin put the ball on Calgary’s one-yard line. Then, backup quarterback Kai Locksley scored the touchdown. Edmonton went for a two-point conversion but failed, and it was 6-0 with 9:43 left.
Stampeders’ wide receiver Malik Henry caught a pass from Bo Levi Mitchell. Unfortunately, Henry got the ball knocked out of his arm by Ed Gainey, and Edmonton recovered with 5:36 left of the first quarter. The Elks could not move the ball, so they gave it back to Calgary. Both offenses floundered the rest of the first quarter, and the Elks remained in front 6-0 heading into the second quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, the Stampeders got on the board with a 46-yard field goal by Rene Paredes, cutting Edmonton’s lead in half, 6-3, with 5:31 left. The Elks would then march down the field. From the pocket, Elks’ quarterback Nick Arbuckle made a nice pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux for a 33-yard touchdown, extending Edmonton’s lead 13-3 with 1:59 left.
Calgary responded on their next drive. A couple of long passes by Bo Levi Mitchell to Reggie Begelton helped the Stampeders reach the Elks’ three-yard line. That is when Ka’Deem Carey took it to the house that cut Edmonton’s lead 13-10 with 25-seconds left. Edmonton took possession and ran out the clock ending the first half.
In the third quarter, Elks’ punter Matt Mengel punted the ball that went 63 yards into the Stampeders’ endzone, and returner Peyton Logan conceded a single point, 14-10. However, the Stampeders responded on their next drive, getting to the Elks’ 21-yard line before Rene Paredes made a 28-yard field goal to pull within one, 14-13, with 7:36 left in the third quarter.
Nick Arbuckle led the Elks down to Calgary’s 42-yard line. However, the Stampeders defense sacked him, and Arbuckle recouped some of the yards before Sergio Castillo made a 46-yard field goal for a 17-13 lead with 4:33 left.
Late in the third quarter, Nick Arbuckle’s pass was intercepted by Cameron Judge. Then, Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Malik Henry, giving Calgary its first lead of the game, 20-17. The Elks had the ball to start the fourth quarter.
Edmonton gained a few yards before punting the ball back to Calgary. The Stampeders marched down the field with Bo Levi Mitchell’s 42-yard pass to Malik Henry. Calgary reached the Elks’ 27-yard line before Rene Paredes made a 35-yard field goal, making it 23-17 with 8:55 left in the game.
On the next Elks possession, Nick Arbuckle led the offense down to Calgary’s 38-yard line before settling for a 46-yard field by Sergio Castillo, cutting Calgary’s lead 23-20 with 6:04 left.
When Calgary got the ball back, they took their time getting to Edmonton’s side. Bo Levi Mitchell made another nice pass to Malik Henry for 46-yards. Calgary got to the Elks’ one-yard line, and Tommy Stevens scored, adding to their lead 30-20 with 1:52 left in the game.
With their backs against the wall, Edmonton needed to respond. However, they could only get another field goal from Sergio Castillo for 47 yards with 38-seconds left. Calgary won the game 30-23.
Stampeders’ quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell went 21/28 for 321 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and two carries for three yards. Ka’Deem Carey led the rushers with 19 carries for 91 yards and one touchdown, while Malik Henry had a big day with six catches for 173 yards and one touchdown. Calgary’s defense allowed 289 yards, 45 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, four pass breakups, and one interception.
Meanwhile, Elks’ quarterback Nick Arbuckle was 20/31 for 225 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for two yards. James Wilder Jr. led the rushers with 11 carries for 45 yards, while Emmanuel Arceneaux had seven catches for 99 yards and one touchdown. He looked good for not playing in three years. Edmonton’s defense allowed 437 yards, 54 tackles, one forced fumble, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Elks play the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at 7:30 pm on ESPN+, and Calgary is off next week.
