The Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-1) visited McMahon Stadium on Saturday night to take on the Calgary Stampeders (1-2) for the first time this season. This was the 239th all-time meeting between these teams. Calgary leads the all-time series 136-93-9.
In the first quarter, Dedrick Mills had two rushes for 22 yards. Calgary got to the Roughriders’ 39-yard line before Rene Paredes made a 47-yard field goal for a 3-0 Calgary lead with 12:36 left. Later in the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 17-yard pass to Samuel Emilus. The Roughriders made it to the Stampeders’ 11-yard line where kicker Brett Lauther converted an 18-yard field goal.
The game was tied 3-3 with 3:49 left and it stayed that way after one quarter. There were a lot of incomplete passes. Some of them the receivers should’ve caught but dropped them.
In the second quarter, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier threw a 31-yard pass to Luther Hakunavanhu on the Roughriders’ 39-yard line. The drive stalled again and Rene Paredes converted a 46-yard field goal for a 6-3 Calgary lead with 11:44 left.
On the next Saskatchewan drive, running back Jamal Morrow had four carries for 17 yards. Then, Trevor Harris threw a couple of passes for ten yards to get to Calgary’s 44-yard line. The drive stalled and Saskatchewan attempted a 52-yard field goal by Brett Lauther but he missed it.
For the rest of the quarter, both defenses made key stops. Calgary had four sacks in the first half, while Saskatchewan had one sack. Calgary led 6-3 at halftime. Calgary had 112 yards on offense, and Saskatchewan had 141 on offense. The game got better in the second half.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter. On the second play, Trevor Harris’s pass was intercepted by Cameron Judge. Two players later, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier attempted to throw the ball to Cole Tucker but Rolan Milligan intercepted it on the Calgary’s one-yard line.
Saskatchewan sent backup quarterback Shea Patterson in and he scored the touchdown with a quarterback sneak but kicker Brett Lauther missed the extra point. It was now 9-6 Roughriders with 12:46 left.
Later in the third quarter, Calgary got the lead back when Jake Maier threw a short pass to Malik Henry and Henry sprinted for a 52-yard touchdown. Rene Paredes made the extra point and it was now 13-9 Calgary with 6:42 left.
Calgary’s defense was able to stop Saskatchewan’s offense and the Roughriders earned a single point when Adam Korsak punted the ball for 90 yards as it bounced in the endzone before going out of bounds. It was now 13-10 Calgary with three minutes left.
After the Roughriders’ defense stopped Calgary, Saskatchewan got the ball back with under a minute left of the third quarter. On the third play, Trevor Harris threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Jones that put the Roughriders up 17-13 at the end of the third quarter. This game was only getting better.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary had a nice drive going until Jake Maier’s pass was intercepted by Larry Dean and taken for 28 yards. The Roughriders went three plays before Shea Patterson punched it in for a one-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak. Saskatchewan tried a two-point conversion and didn’t get it. It was now 23-13 with 8:41 left.
For the rest of the fourth quarter, Calgary battled back. Jake Maier threw three passes for 40 yards. Then, Dedrick Mills had a carry for 15 yards to reach the Roughriders’ four-yard line. Two plays later, Jake Maier got the Roughriders’ defense to bite on a fake handoff and ran for a three-yard touchdown. It was now 23-20 with 5:17 left.
After Calgary’s defense stopped Saskatchewan, Calgary had one more shot to either tie the game or win it. Jake Maier threw three straight passes for 51 yards. However, Maier was briefly injured and Tommy Stevens came in.
Stevens threw a three-yard pass to Cole Tucker and rushed for a one-yard with less than 15 seconds left and facing third down. Rene Paredes tied the game with a 53-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. It was now 23-23 heading into overtime.
It took a while in overtime to decide a winner. First, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made an 18-yard field goal for a 26-23 lead. Later, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 46-yard field goal. It was now 26-26. When Saskatchewan got the ball back, they made it to the Stampeders’ 38-yard line and Brett Lauther put the Roughriders ahead 29-26.
Calgary had one more shot. However, the game ended when Jake Maier scrambled out of the pocket and tried to force a throw toward wide receiver Cole Tucker but Nic Marshall intercepted it which ended the game. The Roughriders defeated the Stampeders by the final score of 29-26.
What started out as a good defensive battle turned into a competitive game. Both teams fought till the very end and it’s a shame one team had to lose.
Saskatchewan quarterback finished the night with Trevor Harris completing 20 of 30 passes (67%) for 273 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 21 yards. Running back Jamal Morrow had 22 carries for 133 yards and two catches for six yards. Wide receivers Shawn Bane Jr. and Tevin Jones combined for eight catches for 152 yards and one touchdown.
Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made three field goals with a long of 38 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense allowed 410 yards, with 43 tackles, one sack, three interceptions, and one forced fumble.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier finished the night completing 18 of 35 passes (51.4%) for 288 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, four carries for 17 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Dedrick Mills had 14 carries for 74 yards and two catches for 14 yards. Wide receivers Malik Henry, Tre Odoms-Dukes, Cole Tucker, and Luther Hakunavanhu combined with 16 catches for 273 yards and one touchdown.
Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made four field goals with a long of 53 yards. Calgary’s defense allowed 419 yards, with 50 tackles, three sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. Both teams are off next week.
Saskatchewan’s next game is on Thursday, July 6th, against the Edmonton Elks at 9 pm on CBS Sports Network, while the Calgary Stampeders visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday, July 7th, at 8:30 pm on CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
