On Monday afternoon at McMahan Stadium, the Calgary Stampeders took on the Edmonton Elks for the third time this season. Calgary won the first two meetings and were looking to make it three in a row.
In the first quarter, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier dumped the ball to Ka’Deem Carey, who nearly took it into the endzone but was tackled at the one-yard line. On the next play, Carey waited for the offensive line to clear a path and walked in for the touchdown, giving Calgary a 7-0 lead with 7:47 left.
Just before the first quarter ended, Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius threw a 48-yard touchdown to Dillon Mitchell, tying the game 7-7 with 37-seconds left. Calgary had the ball to begin the second quarter facing second down.
In the second quarter, neither team did much to move the ball. Edmonton took an 8-7 after punter Jonathan Ryan punted the ball for 51 yards and was conceded in the endzone for a single point with 3:44 left.
Calgary started to put a drive together on their series but stalled at Edmonton’s 45-yard line. Edmonton made one last attempt to get more points but ran out of time and led 8-7 at halftime. Calgary had 115 yards on offense, and Edmonton had 200 yards on offense in the first half.
Meanwhile, both quarterbacks were fairly consistent. Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius was 13/15 for 162 yards and one touchdown, while Calgary quarterback Jake Maier was 5/11 for 80 yards and one interception.
In the third quarter, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier led the offense down to the Elks’ eight-yard line. Then, Maier dropped back and found Reggie Begelton alone on his right side, and he easily went in for the touchdown. Calgary went for a two-point conversion and got it for a 15-8 lead with 8:31 left.
The momentum was shifting in Calgary’s favor. After Edmonton went two-and-out, the Stampeders’ special teams blocked a punt and recovered it on the Elks’ 12-yard line. It took two plays for Calgary to find the endzone when Jake Maier got the ball off in time with the blitz coming at him, and Reggie Begelton made a nice sliding catch with a defender on him for the touchdown. Calgary’s lead grew to 22-8 with 5:27 left.
Just before the third quarter ended, Edmonton kicker Sergio Castillo made a 15-yard field goal, cutting Calgary’s lead 22-11 with 22-seconds left. Calgary had the ball to begin the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 25-yard field goal, extending the Stampeders’ lead, 25-11, with 12:12 left. On Edmonton’s next possession, Taylor Cornelius and running back Kevin Brown led the offense down to the Stampeders’ five-yard line. Then, Cornelius scrambled out of the pocket with a defender on him and threw the ball to a leaping Jalen Marshall for the touchdown. Marshall had a defender on him and used his ability to get up in the air to make the catch. The score was 25-18 Calgary with 5:38 left.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball towards Edmonton’s 33-yard line. Rene Paredes missed a 40-yard field goal, but the ball went out of bounds behind the endzone for a single point, 26-18, with 2:38 left. Edmonton had a couple of chances to get closer to Calgary and could not do it as the Stampeders beat the Elks 26-18. Calgary moves to 7-4, while the Elks are 3-9.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier went 18/26 for 238 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for six yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 13 carries for 61 yards, and one touchdown, while Reggie Begelton had five catches for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Calgary’s defense allowed 331 yards, 52 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups, and three fumble recoveries.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius was 22/33 for 257 yards, two touchdowns, and five carries for 16 yards. Running back Kevin Brown had five carries for 45 yards, while wide receiver Dillon Mitchell had six catches for 79 yards and one touchdown.
Edmonton’s defense allowed 305 yards, 38 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery. Both teams will go at it again next Saturday at 8 pm on ESPN+.
