The Calgary Stampeders (4-8) concluded Labor Day Weekend on Monday night from McMahon Stadium against the Edmonton Elks (2-10) in their first meeting of the season. Since 2011, Calgary is 8-2 against Edmonton in the Labor Day Classic.
This game was a tale of two halves. Edmonton played well through three quarters but Calgary’s fourth-quarter comeback made this game interesting.
In the first quarter, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier threw a 52-yard pass to Marken Michel before he was tackled on the Elks’ 33-yard line. A couple of carries for Ka’Deem Carey for 13 yards would lead to a Rene Paredes 15-yard field goal that made it 3-0 Calgary with 11:06 left.
Later in the first quarter, Calgary went two-and-out on their 55-yard line. Punter Cody Grace punted the ball 65 yards into the endzone where CJ Sims conceded a single point. It was 4-0 Calgary with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
Edmonton’s offense got going with 2:20 left when Tre Ford rushed to his right side then switched to his left side for a 40-yard run before going out of bounds at the Stampeders’ one-yard. Two plays later, Taylor Cornelius scored the touchdown with a quarterback sneak for a 7-4 lead with 46 seconds left. Calgary was on the Elks’ 54-yard line facing third down when the first quarter ended.
Calgary punted the ball to begin the second quarter. When Edmonton went two-and-out, Calgary returner Tommylee Lewis ran for a gain of 54 yards before he was tackled on the Elks’ 34-yard line. Calgary quarterback Jake Maier completed a 14-yard pass to Ka’Deem Carey.
The drive stalled and kicker Rene Paredes made a 24-yard field goal which tied the game 7-7 with 9:17 left of the second quarter.
After Edmonton had another stalled drive, punter Jake Julian punted the ball 76 yards before it went into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. It was now 8-7 Elks with 8:04 left in the second quarter. Edmonton’s defense came up with a huge play when Marcus Lewis intercepted Jake Maier’s pass. The turnover would lead to a Dean Faithfull 42-yard field goal.
However, a penalty by Calgary gave them a fresh set of downs. Despite this, they could not take advantage and Dean Faithfull kicked a 24-yard field goal which made it 11-7 with 3:19 left in the second quarter.
On Edmonton’s next drive, they went with a trick play. The Elks were set up in a flying sweep motion. Tre Ford pitched the ball to Kyron Moore before he threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. for an 18-7 lead with 30 seconds left. Then, just as the clock expired, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes converted a 48-yard field goal. The Elks led 18-10 at halftime.
Edmonton had 188 yards on offense. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 7 of 12 passes (58%) for 72 yards, and four carries for 57 yards. Running back Kevin Brown had five carries for 18 yards, and Eugene Lewis had four catches for 39 yards. The defense sacked Maier three times in the first half.
Calgary had 164 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 11 of 15 passes (73%) for 154 yards, and one interception. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had five carries for 27 yards, and wide receiver Marken Michel had one catch for 52 yards. The defense sacked Ford one time.
In the third quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford and running back Kevin Brown combined with five carries logging 41 yards. Ford completed a short pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux before they settled for a Dean Faithfull 39-yard field goal for a 22-10 lead with 9:50 left.
Later in the third quarter, Calgary running back Dedrick Mills rushed up the middle for a gain of 18 yards. However, he was penalized for unnecessary roughness.
This call bothered me, Ed Gainey instigated it by getting in his face which led to Mills responding but Mills got the penalty and not Gainey. There should not have been a flag on Mills.
Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 32-yard field goal. It was now 22-13 Edmonton with 5:31 left. On the last play of the third quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford threw a short pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. for a seven-yard touchdown. Edmonton led 28-13 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary began its comeback. Quarterback Jake Maier completed five passes for 38 yards. Two plays later, Maier rushed for a five-yard touchdown. Edmonton’s lead was down to 28-20 with ten minutes left.
Later, Edmonton kicker Dean Faithfull made a 46-yard field goal for a 31-20 lead with 5:44 left. During Calgary’s drive, Edmonton’s defense committed two penalties which led to a Tommy Stevens one-yard touchdown. Calgary went for a two-point conversion and got it. It was now 31-28 Edmonton with 2:50 left.
Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out before punting the ball back to Calgary. The Elks’ defense committed two more penalties during Calgary’s drive. Jake Maier completed a short pass to Markeith Ambles for a gain of 19 yards before he was tackled on the Elks’ four-yard line.
On the next play, Dedrick Mills bounced off an offensive lineman before running to his left side and in for the touchdown. Calgary led 35-31 with 20 seconds left in the game.
Edmonton had one more chance to win the game. Quarterback Tre Ford threw a short pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux instead of a Hail Mary. Arceneaux was tackled down, and the game was over. Calgary came back from 15 points down to beat the Elks 35-31.
Calgary’s offense had 401 yards. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 27 of 34 passes (79.4%) for 315 yards, one interception, one carry for five yards, and one touchdown. Running backs Ka’Deem Carey and Dedrick Mills combined with 15 carries logging 101 yards, one touchdown, and five catches for 61 yards.
Wide receivers Marken Michel, Markeith Ambles, and Reggie Begelton combined with 17 catches for 220 yards. Calgary’s defense had 42 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
Edmonton’s offense had 389 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 14 of 23 passes (61%) for 137 yards, one touchdown, and 11 carries for 135 yards.
Running back Kevin Brown had 12 carries for 89 yards, and wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. had two catches for 24 yards and two touchdowns. Edmonton’s defense had 44 tackles, three sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
While many will look at this game as a great game. There were a lot of red flags on both teams. First, why are the head coaches not playing their best players? There were a few of them who have done well this year and spent the majority of the game on the sidelines.
For example, Marken Michel caught a 52-yard pass early in the game. After the catch, he spent the majority of the game on the sidelines and ended up with four catches for 95 yards. Why was he not more involved with the offense? He has proven to be a valuable weapon for Calgary’s offense, and it is a shame he was not more involved in the game.
For Edmonton, Tre Ford was more of a running back than a quarterback. He ran so many times that eventually, the defense figured him out. He cannot be the lone savior for the Elks. Edmonton needs to mix up the play-calling or else Ford is going to get beaten up down the road and could get hurt.
The two teams will meet again next Saturday at 7 pm on CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
