The Calgary Stampeders (1-0) hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) on Friday night from McMahan Stadium which was the former Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s first game in two years. Mitchell missed last year’s game with a leg injury.
Before the game, the Calgary fans gave Mitchell a round of applause and showed a video package thanking him for his years in Calgary. After the ceremonies, it was time to play football.
First Quarter:
Hamilton began the game with an illegal substitution penalty. Hamilton had issues with personal along with two time count penalties in the first half. Hamilton went two-and-out on their first possession of the game.
When Calgary got the ball, quarterback Jake Maier threw a deep pass to newcomer wide receiver Cameron Echols-Luper for 26 yards at Hamilton’s 38-yard line. If the name Echols-Luper sounds familiar to fans, he played the last two seasons with the New Jersey Generals (USFL). Running back Dedrick Mills picked up three more yards before kicker Rene Parades made a 42-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 11:10 left.
On the third play for Hamilton at Calgary’s 53-yard line, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a deep pass to Shemar Bridges but he could not catch it. Hamilton’s receivers dropped a lot of balls in this game. However, Mitchell does get some of the blame for either overthrowing or underthrowing them. Hamilton punted the ball right back to Calgary and they started at the Calgary’s 10-yard line.
On Calgary’s second possession of the game, quarterback Jake Maier completed a 16-yard pass to Jalen Philpot. Had Maier used the pump fake, Hamilton’s coverage let Reggie Begelton go, and had Maier seen him, it would have been a touchdown. Instead, kicker Rene Parades made a 52-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead with 2:44 left.
On the last play of the first quarter, Hamilton running back James Butler rushed for a gain of 11 yards before getting tackled on Calgary’s 22-yard line. Calgary led 6-0 at the end of the quarter. Jake Maier completed 5 of 7 passes (71%) for 68 yards, while Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 4 of 6 passes (67%) for 20 yards, and one carry for 12 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hamilton kicker Marg Liegghio made a 10-yard field goal making the score 6-3 Calgary with 13:03 left. Calgary running back Dedrick Mills led the charge with three carries for 33 yards before kicker Rene Parades made his third field goal for 25 yards for a 9-3 lead with 8:58 left.
With 6:10 to go in the second quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a deep pass to Tim White, who separated himself from a Calgary defender but dropped the ball, or else it would have been a touchdown. Hamilton punter Nik Constantinou punted the ball for 67 yards that went out of bounds for a single point. It was now 9-4 Calgary with 5:32 left before halftime.
Up until this point of the game, neither team scored a touchdown until Calgary did with 2:45 left when Jake Maier scrambled outside of the pocket before throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Echols-Luper, who jumped to make the catch. Luper had three Hamilton defenders on him and still caught the ball for a touchdown and a 16-4 lead.
On the next play, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw an interception to Demerio Houston. Calgary turned the turnover into points when kicker Rene Parades made a 43-yard field goal extending their lead to 19-4 with 1:15 left.
Just before halftime, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell scrambled for a gain of 16 yards before getting hit on the helmet causing him to get taken out for the rest of the second quarter. Kicker Mark Liegghio made a 36-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter. Calgary led 19-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Calgary had 141 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 11 of 13 passes (85%) for 141 yards and one touchdown. Running back Dedrick Mills had a good first half with nine carries for 68 yards and one catch for 17 yards.
Wide receiver Cameron Echols-Luper made two catches for 33 yards, and one touchdown, and Clint Barnes made three catches for 27 yards. Calgary had 78 yards rushing and seven first downs while the defense made one sack and one interception.
Hamilton had 77 yards on offense. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 7 of 14 passes (50%) for 65 yards, one interception and two carries for 30 yards. Running back James Butler had seven carries for 63 yards. Wide receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange made two catches for 37 yards, and Steven Dunbar made three catches for 18 yards. Hamilton was penalized three times in the first half for 25 yards, and the defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a deep pass to Shemar Bridges. Bridges jumped in the air and the ball hit his hands but he could not make the catch. Then, kicker Mark Liegghio missed a 48-yard field goal wide left and Calgary returner Erik Brooks returned the missed field goal for 84 yards to Hamilton’s 32-yard line. Calgary kicker Rene Parades made a 37-yard field goal for a 22-7 lead with 6:02 left.
In the last six minutes of the third quarter, Hamilton started from their 45-yard line and got to Calgary’s one-yard line as time expired to end the third quarter down 22-7.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, former Calgary now Hamilton running back Ante Milanovic-Litre scored a one-yard touchdown diving on top of bodies cutting the Stampeders lead down to 22-14 with 14:44 left in the game.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier threw two passes for 19 yards. They also got backup running back B.J. Emmons involved with a carry for seven yards. On the next play, Maier took advantage of Hamilton’s blown coverage throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Clint Barnes for a 29-14 lead with 11:30 left in the game.
In Hamilton’s next series, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 32 yards plus a James Butler seven-yard rush which led to kicker Mark Liegghio making a 42-yard field goal making the score 29-17 Calgary with 9:08 left.
Late in the game, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier threw a 10-yard pass to Cole Tucker. He was the eighth receiver to catch a pass from Maier. After getting the ball to Hamilton’s 29-yard line, Calgary kicker Rene Parades made his sixth field goal of the night for 36 yards for a 32-17 lead.
With the game out of reach, Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson called off the dogs and they played preventive defense. Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell took advantage of Calgary’s generosity by throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith, who was wide open and the score was now 32-24 Calgary with 1:11 left in the game.
Hamilton attempted an onsides kick but the ball did not go 10 yards. Calgary were unable to run the clock out and Hamilton had 25 seconds left to get another score but they took too much time and the game was over. Calgary defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by the final score of 32-24.
Final Stats:
Calgary had 362 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 21 of 26 passes (81%) for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Dedrick Mills had 13 carries for 87 yards and made two catches for 19 yards while B.J. Emmons had five carries for 23 yards, and made one catch for seven yards.
Wide receiver Clark Barnes led the receivers made six catches for 61 yards, and one touchdown. Calgary kicker Rene Parades made six field goals with a long of 52 yards, and the defense made 41 tackles, seven tackles on special teams, one sack, and one interception.
Hamilton had 459 yards on offense. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 27 of 38 passes (71%) for 300 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for 36 yards. Running back James Butler had 13 carries for 119 yards and made one catch for 12 yards.
Wide receiver Shemar Brooks made seven catches for 85 yards while Brendan O’Leary-Orange made four catches for 62 yards. Kicker Mark Liegghio made three of four field goals with a long of 42 yards. Hamilton’s defense made 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, five tackles on special teams, and one sack.
Final Thoughts:
One position that does not get talked about ever is the fullback. It was great to see Hamilton still using fullback James Tuck. Tuck played a big part in this game opening up holes for James Butler. I would like to see the rest of the league establish fullbacks back into the game.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier played decent in this game. However, he continues to give away plays by staring at the receivers he is going to throw the ball to. I would like to see him see the field more and use more pump fakes. He could’ve had better numbers than he did in this game.
Calgary running back Dedrick Mills is now the new leader for running backs and Calgary must continue to establish the running game. Mills did a nice job finding openings and taking advantage of them. He is going to play a major role for Calgary this season.
For Calgary’s receivers, Maier has a ton of options. Everyone who was involved in this game found a way to get open even though Maier did not see them most of the time. If they can continue this performance, Calgary will give opposing defense nightmares.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the rest of the offense need to get in sync. Mitchell had issues with some of his throws either way high or down low. Now, his receivers did not do him much favors. Mitchell should’ve had two touchdowns on top of his one in this game but they could not make the catches. Their one strength on offense is James Butler, who I think will have a solid season.
Next Saturday, the Calgary Stampeders visit the B.C. Lions at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
