Heading into the Week 20 matchup between the Lions and the Stampeders, all the smart money was on the team from British Columbia. After all, they had already beaten Calgary soundly twice this season and had double the amount of wins as the Red and White.
The crowd in attendance was dressed in costume for the last home game before Halloween but on this night it was all tricks and no treats at BC Place.
Apparently, no one told the team from the prairies how dire their situation was and the Stampeders dominated B.C. from the opening kickoff through to the final whistle, winning 41-16 and moving into third place in the CFL West Standings ahead of the rest of this weekend’s action.
Here’s what I saw from the living room:
Run, Ka’Deem, Run!
Before the season began, experts thought that Ka’Deem Carey would pick up right where he left off last year when he was the league’s rushing champion and the focal point of Calgary’s offensive set.
After spending most of the year battling injuries of one sort or another, we finally saw what could have been as Carey set a season-high in both carries and yards with 15 runs for 88 yards, adding three catches for 26 yards. Carey constantly provided the Stampeders with second and short situations and helped the team to victory despite still not reaching the endzone.
Peyton Logan added 105 yards on eight carries in relief — if you want to call it that — including a brilliant 39-yard touchdown to seal the game with two minutes left to play. Logan got the edge and no Lion had a chance to catch him on his way to the house. While it was probably less spectacular than a similar late touchdown he scored in B.C. last season, it may do more to build the team’s confidence heading into the playoffs.
Collectively, the Stampeders gained 213 yards on the ground with 31 total carries.
Judge plays with conviction
Cameron Judge has been on another level the past few weeks. While the Canadian linebacker has been great all year for the Stampeders, his pick-six last week and two turnovers this week may well have saved the Stampeders’ season.
For Judge, the fumble recovery was redemptive considering he had extended that drive on the B.C. side of the field with a pass interference penalty on second down. Following the fumble, the Stampeders would drive 109 yards for a touchdown, making a 14-point swing and stealing back any momentum from the Lions’ first real drive of the night.
Judge also led the way for the Stampeders with six tackles and added an interception.
Not “Just the Statz, ma’am”
Judge wasn’t the only player on the Calgary defence playing with an edge in this game, as they generated six turnovers in total, with four interceptions, including one on a two-point convert attempt, the fumble on the one-yard line and an odd turnover on downs late in the game.
Micah Awe caught the pass attempt on the conversion and Kobe Williams was in the right place at the right time as Vernon Adams sailed one well over the head of Justin McInnis. Finally, Nick Statz made a nice diving grab on a Julian Howsare deflection to set up the Stampeders in the red zone.
The defensive line also had pressure on both Lions quarterbacks all night, collecting four sacks and causing the QBs to have to run to avoid even more takedowns.
It was the kind of total effort that has eluded this team all season long, and the coaches have to be hoping that this result is repeatable, should the team wind up back here in two weeks for the West Semi-Final.
Undefeated as a father
As a reader of this space, hearing that Jake Maier became a father this week likely isn’t news to you. The sleep-deprived young pivot looked the best he has in a while despite not exactly collecting the sexiest stat line.
“Bias-dly (sic), (his newborn daughter) was completely the reason we won the game and that’s the story of the night,” Maier joked after the game before turning serious for a moment.
“We played complimentary football. I said during the week how important that was. Every time we forced a turnover, we cashed in points.”
There wasn’t much asked of Maier, as he only threw the ball for 123 yards with 10 completions on 21 attempts. However, he made the most of his limited opportunities and seemed to be in control for a good portion of the game, moving the offence and taking advantage of the short field he was often given.
The Stampeders were four for five in the red zone, with all the touchdowns coming following Lions turnovers. This has been a serious issue for the team all year long, but everything went their way in this game.
Maier was only sacked once by Mathieu Betts, who became the all-time single-season sack record holder for a Canadian on the play with 18 total. However, Betts was also guilty of a completely unnecessary roughing the passer call where he took three full steps after Maier released the ball and shoved the QB to the ground.
Maier’s numbers would have been better on the night but his receivers yet again had trouble corralling the ball and had at least three very catchable drops. Forgivable given the result, but on the first drive alone, the Stampeders had about 50 yards dropped and that’s not considering the potential YAC either.
For his part, Maier wasn’t getting too inflated about the result.
“I don’t know if this is the ‘real Stampeders’ team,” he said when asked if the team was finally playing up to its potential.
“I just think this is a growing Stampeders team. We are a young team and a team that is starting to get a little healthy. I just think this is a Stampeders team that played well for a night and has to do so again. It’s nice to win two in a row, but we have to win three in a row to go where we want to go.”
Two-Yard Tommy
For reasons I can’t understand, Tommy Stevens has been called “Wild Thing” by the home PA announcer at McMahon the last few games and has the accompanying music played as he gets on or off the field.
Seemingly tribute to the classic baseball film Major League, I’ve had trouble figuring out why a QB would want that nickname considering it’s rooted in the story of a player who couldn’t make an on-target throw.
In that vein, I submit my own terrible nickname to the pile: Two-Yard Tommy.
This of course refers to the absolute certainty of his results in short yardage. Got a third-and-one? Call in Two-Yard Tommy. First-and-goal from the one? It’s time for a Two-Yard Tommy TD.
Stevens was again perfect on five attempts this week and scored a pair of touchdowns with his plunges behind the Stamps’ offensive line.
With respect to Rene Paredes, who remains the greatest player at his position in league history, there has been no more consistent Stampeder in meeting and exceeding his assignment than Two-Yard Tommy.
It’s not you, it’s me
I always preface this type of criticism by admitting I didn’t play the game past high school and haven’t coached anyone other than a pack of swarm-tackling nine-year-olds, but I noticed an odd trend tonight.
Luther Hakunavanhu caught a touchdown pass in the first quarter but on at least three of his other targets, the defender had a better chance of catching the ball than the product of York University.
What I am not educated enough to know at first glance is if B.C. just knew when he would be targeted and they jumped those routes, or if Hakunavanhu isn’t doing enough to come back to the quarterback for the pass. Either way, with one exception, any time Maier was almost intercepted in the game, the Canadian receiver was the target — save for one jump ball to Reggie Begelton near the endzone/
Thankfully from the Stampeders’ standpoint, none of the Lions’ defenders were able to make those catches.
Consolation formation?
There was a weird finish to this one as the Lions got the ball with less than two minutes to play and instead of trying desperation plays to bring the score a little closer, they took a knee three times and turned the ball over with a minute left on the clock.
Never one to rub an opponent’s face in it, Dave Dickenson sent out third-string QB Logan Bonner to do the same and use the rest of the clock in a Stampeders victory formation.
This is not something I think you’d see in many other buildings, but the respect between Dave Dickenson and his former defensive coordinator turned Lions head coach Rick Campbell is obvious any time you see them together.
Winning at the right time
The Stampeders are looking to keep a few streaks alive with this late-season surge, winning back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Not only are the Stampeders riding a 17-season playoff streak of their own but with the Elks eliminated, failure to get into the postseason would mark the first time since there have been two Alberta teams in the league that at least one hasn’t been in the hunt for the Cup.
The Stampeders do have the inside track for that final playoff spot by virtue of a season series victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who play the Argos on Saturday.
Should Saskatchewan lose the game against Toronto, it would punch Calgary’s ticket to the dance. However, if the Riders sink the Boatmen, then Calgary needs to win in Winnipeg next week with the Riders at home on a bye week.
If the Riders lose and Calgary falls to Winnipeg next week, the Stampeders would have the worst record of any playoff-qualifying team this century, as Edmonton was the last team to qualify for the playoffs with just six wins in 1999.
But as they always say, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The Stampeders have been on both sides of a Grey Cup celebration for a below .500 team and if they can play like they did tonight for a few more weeks, who knows what could happen?
