On Friday night at McMahan Stadium, the Calgary Stampeders battled the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the second time this year. They met back in week two when the Stampeders won 35-32 in overtime at Tim Hortons Field. A win for Calgary would put them in second place, and for Hamilton, a win would tie the Roughriders for the final playoff spot in the East Division.
In the first quarter, Hamilton’s defense came up big when Julian Howsare intercepted Jake Maier’s pass. Five plays later, Hamilton took a 3-0 lead with 11:08 left on a 24-yard field goal by Seth Small.
Later in the first quarter, Calgary running back Ka’Deem Carey had two carries for 12 yards. Then, Calgary quarterback Jak Maier found wide receiver William Langlais for a 13-yard touchdown, putting Calgary up 7-3 with 2:42 left. Hamilton had the ball and faced third down to begin the second quarter, trailing 7-3.
In the second quarter, Hamilton defensive back Richard Leonard intercepted Jake Maier’s pass for a pick-six 32-yard touchdown, putting Hamilton back up 10-7 with 2:28 left. It was Maier’s third interception of the night. Then, Hamilton got a single point when kicker Michael Domagala’s kick went into the endzone as Jalen Philpot took a knee for an 11-7 lead.
Calgary pulled within one when kicker Rene Paredes made a 43-yard field goal, trailing Hamilton 11-10 with 1:06 left, but Hamilton got those three points back when Seth Small made a 46-yard field goal for a 14-10 lead at halftime.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans was 3/7 for 30 yards, as the offense had 64 yards on offense. Meanwhile, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier was 14/20 for 126 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions as the offense accumulated 247 yards.
In the third quarter, Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans threw a 33-yard pass to Felix Gauthier-Garand. Four plays later, Dane Evans scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak, extending their lead 21-10 with 12:28 left.
On the third play for Calgary, Jalen Philpot ran for 32 yards. Four plays later, Rene Paredes made a 39-yard field goal, cutting Hamilton’s lead 21-13 with 8:55 left. However, Hamilton got those three points back when kicker Seth Small made a 57-yard field goal for a 24-13 lead with 6:19 left.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier threw five passes for 61 yards to get to Hamilton’s eight-yard line. Then, Maier threw a touchdown pass to DeVontres Dukes. Dukes broke the pylon, and the Stampeders trailed 24-20 with 42-seconds left.
Then, Calgary caught Hamilton sleeping when Rene Paredes made an onsides kick recovered by Tyson Middlemost and ran for 24 yards before being pushed out of bounds on Hamilton’s ten-yard line. The Stampeders faced second down to begin the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made it a one-point game, 24-23, with 14:25 left on a 26-yard field goal. Later in the fourth quarter, Rene Paredes put the Stampeders up 26-24 with a 41-yard field goal, but Hamilton kicker Seth Small put the Ticats back in the lead, 27-26, with 4:10 left.
With 2:08 left, Hamilton’s offense tried to convert third down, but Calgary’s defense stopped them. This gave Calgary a bit of momentum. Quarterback Jake Maier threw a couple of passes for 16 yards, and running back Ka’Deem Carey had a four-yard run at the Ticats’ one-yard line. Then, third-string quarterback Tommy Stevens scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak. However, Calgary tried a two-point conversion and failed. The score was 32-27 with 1:03 left.
Hamilton had one more shot at winning the game. On the fourth play, quarterback Dane Evans threw a 42-yard pass to Tim White. White jumped for the ball with three Calgary players on him. Then, Evans went to White again, this time for a seven-yard touchdown, as White had two Calgary players on him. Hamilton went for a two-point conversion and got it for a 35-32 lead with eleven seconds left.
On the kickoff, Calgary made a questionable move when punter Cody Grace got the ball and punted it toward Hamilton’s side of the field in hopes of getting it. However, it didn’t pay off, and Hamilton got the ball and ran out the clock to take a 35-32 win. It’s the first time since 2004 that Hamilton won in Calgary.
Calgary would’ve been better off going down and giving Jake Maier a hail-mary opportunity. As a result, the Tiger-Cats are now tied with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Division. Hamilton moved to 6-10, while the Stampeders fell to 10-6.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans was 17/25 for 244 yards, one touchdown, two carries for two yards, and one touchdown. Running back Wes Hills had 11 carries for 52 yards, while wide receiver Tim White had six catches for 106 yards and one touchdown.
Hamilton’s defense allowed 434 yards, 62 tackles, two sacks, one pass breakup, and three interceptions. Hamilton hosts the Ottawa Redblacks next Friday at 7 pm on ESPN+.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier went 26/35 for 251 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and one carry for six yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 12 carries for 64 yards, while wide receiver Reggie Begelton had seven catches for 62 yards.
Calgary’s defense allowed 300 yards, 34 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. Calgary visits the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN+.
