The B.C. Lions (7-2) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (3-6) on Saturday night from BC Place for their second meeting of the season. The two teams met in Week 1 at Calgary with the Lions winning the game 25-15.
B.C. got quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. back. He returned to the field for the first time since his knee injury in Week 7 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Adams picked up where he left off.
On the first play for the Lions in the first quarter, Adams dropped back to throw a 21-yard pass to Jevon Cottoy. Two plays later, he tried to throw a deep pass to Keon Hatcher but it was incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference penalty on Calgary gave the Lions a fresh set of downs.
Two plays later, Adams threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Hollins to take a 7-0 lead with 12:14 left. Calgary’s secondary was all over the field, missing their assignments, and could not cover the Lions’ receivers throughout this game. In addition, Calgary was penalized four times for 50 yards in the first four minutes of the game.
Later in the first quarter, the Lions extended their lead to 10-0 on a 30-yard field goal by Sean Whyte with 7:07 left. Vernon Adams Jr. continued to carve up the Stampeders’ secondary late in the first quarter. He threw a 16-yard line pass to Justin McInnis and two plays later completed a 34-yard pass to Keon Hatcher. The two would connect again on the next play for 18 yards.
The Lions were on the Stampeders’ seven-yard line. Adams was positioned in a shotgun formation. Hatcher broke away from a Calgary defender before making the catch for a seven-yard touchdown. It was now 17-0 Lions with 2:03 left.
Usually when the game is starting to get out of hand, the opposing team makes adjustments whether it is changing up the roster or the playbook. Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson looked like he had no clue on how to get back into this game.
He was not angry or worked up on the sidelines. Dickenson failed to make the adjustments to get his team back in the game. His offense was getting pummeled by the Lions’ defense.
Calgary had the ball for the rest of the first quarter and Dedrick Mills rushed for a nine-yard gain on the Lions’ 39-yard line to end the first quarter down 17-0.
In the second quarter, Calgary failed to get the first down and settled for a Rene Paredes 46-yard field goal which made it 17-3 Lions with 13:39 left. The Lions would get those three points back a short time later on a 47-yard field goal by Sean Whyte for a 20-3 lead with 12:10 left.
Later in the second quarter, Calgary’s defense came up with a big play when Micah Awe intercepted Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass intended to Jevon Cottoy. But the Stampeders were unable to take advantage of the turnover and punted it back to the Lions.
With under a minute left in the first half, Vernon Adams Jr. threw a side pass to Taquan Mizzell who ran in for a six-yard touchdown. It was now 27-3 with 42 seconds left. Just as time expired, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes kicked a 40-yard field goal which made it 27-6 Lions at halftime.
B.C. had 306 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 15 of 20 passes (75%) for 234 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for four yards. Running back Taquan Mizzell had eight carries for 68 yards, two catches for four yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher had five catches for 130 yards, and one touchdown. The Lions had 11 first downs and were a disciplined team only committing two penalties for 25 yards.
Calgary had 110 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 11 of 20 passes (55%) for 90 yards, and three carries for 13 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had two carries for 18 yards, and Tre Odoms-Dukes had three catches for 22 yards. Calgary had five first downs.
The pace slowed down in the third quarter. Both defenses made quick work on the field. Late in the third quarter, Calgary went on a long drive with 5:42 left. Ka’Deem Carey, Dedrick Mills, and Jake Maier led the offense down to the Lions’ 14-yard line before kicker Rene Paredes converted a 21-yard field goal. It was now 27-9 as time expired for the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Lucky Whitehead for a 34-9 lead with 11:10. After Calgary quarterback Jake Maier failed to get a first down, Calgary benched him for Chris Reynolds. However, on Reynolds’s first snap of the game, his pass intended for Marken Michel was intercepted by Garry Peters.
The Lions turned the turnover into points when Sean Whyte kicked a 40-yard field goal that made it 37-9 with 4:39 left in the game. Both teams were committed to the running game the rest of the way.
Calgary had the ball for the final play of the game and Dedrick Mills ran for one-yard touchdown as time expired. The Lions cruised to a 37-9 win over the Stampeders. They are now 2-0 against Calgary this year.
The Lions did whatever they wanted to Calgary. This was practice to them. Calgary was never a threat. The Lions controlled the game from the beginning. They had 343 yards on offense. B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 23 of 32 passes (71.9%) for 322 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for four yards.
Running back Taquan Mizzell had 12 carries for 42 yards, and wide receivers Keon Hatcher and Alexander Hollins combined with 16 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns. B.C.’s defense had 40 tackles, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
For Calgary, major changes are needed if they ever want to compete again for the Grey Cup, and it’s not just the players, it’s the front office too. This team had declined rapidly since their Grey Cup win in 2018. Head Coach Dave Dickenson and the entire front office should be on the hot seat. The guys on offense did not help Maier out one bit.
They did not come back for the ball when he got into trouble and the play calling was not great. The Lions’ defense knew what plays were coming and adjusted to them and therefore Calgary did not do much to generate points.
The decisions they have made over the years have led to their decline rather than rebuilding for the future. In order for a true rebuild to begin, the Stampeders need to clean house in the front office and coaching staff.
Calgary had 203 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 17 of 31 passes (54.8%) for 131 yards, and three carries for 13 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had seven carries for 44 yards, and wide receiver Marken Michel had four catches for 36 yards. Calgary’s defense had 39 tackles, three sacks, and one interception.
Next week, the Stampeders host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday at 9 pm on CFL+, while the B.C. Lions visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Sunday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
