Less than a week ago, the Calgary Stampeders were on an incredible high after engineering a remarkable 21-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Toronto Argonauts and secure their fourth win of the season.
The momentum seemed to continue into the rematch at BMO Field as the Stampeders would take a 15-8 lead into the locker room at halftime. 30 minutes of game time later, they were left stunned, on the wrong end of a 39-24 score. They remain winless on the season when away from Calgary, falling to 0-5 on the road.
Here’s what I saw from my living room.
Stats don’t lie?
When you think about the typical metrics of football, there are a lot of statistical anomalies in this game that might raise eyebrows when seeing the final score.
Calgary allowed 39 points but outgained the Argos offensively by a substantial margin, as they amassed 442 yards to Toronto’s 289.
Stampeders’ QB Jake Maier completed 33 passes on 45 attempts for 373 yards with a touchdown and an interception compared to his counterpart Nick Arbuckle, who was held to just 181 yards through the air with 18 completions on 26 attempts and had a matching touchdown and interception.
Calgary held possession for 34:07, a substantial amount longer than Toronto’s 25:53.
Statistics aside, there were three game-breaking moments that stand out — one in each of the game’s three phases — and prevented the Stampeders from recording a second straight win.
Janarion Grant is a filthy wizard
Stop me if you’ve heard this one but Janarion Grant had a punt return for a touchdown.
The 86-yard return down the sidelines was his fourth return touchdown — three punts and one kickoff — of the season and his 12th career score in just 50 games.
Grant sits third all-time for punt return TDs with 10 and has moved into a tie for fourth in total return scores at 12, joining Keith Stokes and Earl Winfield, who played 88 games and 130 games respectively.
Proving this is a glory age for returners, Mario Alford is also climbing the standings in Saskatchewan with 11 total return scores in just 55 games, good for fifth all-time.
Henry “Gizmo” Williams leads the overall standings with 31 return scores, 26 of which were punts, in 200 career games.
Miserable moment for Maier
Jake Maier’s interception percentage is low. At seven interceptions on 302 attempts this season, the Stampeders pivot throws a pick just 2.3 percent of the time. Of the quarterbacks that have made multiple starts for their respective clubs, only Dru Brown in Ottawa and Cody Fajardo in Montreal have thrown picks less often and both of them have attempted fewer than 230 passes.
That said, the ones Maier has thrown have been absolute backbreakers, including a pick-six in this game that was taken to the house by former Stampeder DaShaun Amos to give Toronto a late lead.
Amos wasn’t the only former Stampeder to take the ball away from Maier on the night, as defensive end Folarin Orimolade knocked the ball from the QB’s hand deep in Stampeders territory to set up another score.
Maier typically exhibits extreme ownership when speaking to the press after games but was somewhat tight-lipped when asked about the interception, perhaps choosing not to throw a teammate under the bus.
“I don’t want to get into too much detail on that specific play, other than it just can’t happen,” Maier said in a departure from his typical forthright analysis.
Maier sits third in total yardage among QBs this season, is tied for second with Vernon Adams Jr. for touchdown throws, and trails only Cody Fajardo in completion percentage within the top eight starters. Yet, there still seems to be something off with this Stampeders’ offence.
Maybe it’s generations of watching hall-of-fame-worthy QBs in the Red and White creating miracle plays that has me feeling this way, but I can’t quite put my finger on the issue.
Officials blow it
There has been a ton of criticism directed at the CFL command centre and the officials this season, and this game was no different.
I will preface this by saying I watched the game on television and was not in the stadium, so that needs to be accounted for. However, as far as I could see and hear it, Cameron Judge had a touchdown taken off the board by the officials. Then, in the aftermath of a booth review, the Stampeders were also penalized in their field position.
The play started with a Nick Arbuckle pass to Ka’Deem Carey, who was stripped of the ball by defensive back Bentlee Sanders. The ball flew right to Judge, who took off from the 14-yard line and looked to have a clear path to the endzone, which would have extended the lead. It was only after he returned the ball past the 25-yard line that the whistle blew and the play stopped as the official on the field ruled Carey was down by contact.
After a booth review, the Stampeders were awarded the ball at the 14-yard line where it was originally recovered and not at the spot it was on the field when the referees whistled the play dead.
Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson was apoplectic on the sideline, demanding to know first why the play was stopped and then later, why the ball wasn’t being placed where the play was whistled dead.
The ensuing Stampeders’ drive ended with a fumble in their own end and help set up an Argos’ field goal from 41 yards out. Even if you accept that every play from that point was going to happen the same way, the Argos may not have elected to try a 52-yarder, therefore changing the scoreline.
Later in the quarter, play was allowed to continue when it was unclear if the Stampeders had fumbled or if there was a forward pass attempt. Toronto picked up the ball and returned it unabated, with the referees announcing an incomplete pass only after the fact.
If the Stampeders had been given the same treatment, they would have led by a pair of touchdowns early in the third quarter and the dynamics of the game would have been greatly affected. Instead, they led by four and the Argos were able to snatch away that valuable momentum.
Reggie ragdolls ’em
Reggie Begelton often gets overlooked when talking about the game’s great receivers but a play in the fourth quarter reminded everyone that he belongs in that discussion.
Begelton would catch the ball at the Argos’ 32-yard line, shake a few tacklers and head upfield. He was grabbed by Toronto defender Robert Priester at the 20-yard line, who would be piggybacked the rest of the way. Three former teammates also got in on the action as Fraser Sopik made contact at the 10, DeShaun Amos added himself to the mix at the seven, and Royce Metchie dove at his legs at the five before Begelton was finally stopped two yards short of the goal-line.
If he had been able to make it into the end zone, it would have been one of the best touchdowns in a long time. Begelton finished with 104 yards in the game off of eight catches on 13 targets.
Rene misses one
I’d say I don’t believe in the announcer jinx, but TSN’s Marshall Ferguson was on the play-by-play talking about how Rene Paredes had kicked 25 consecutive field goals and hadn’t missed this season right before his second-quarter attempt went off the right upright from 35-yards out.
The flags on the top of the uprights were sticking out straight to the right and you could see the ball curving as it flew on the replay. Ferguson incorrectly identified it as the “fourth longest streak in history” which is more likely what drove it wide.
For what it’s worth, the fourth longest streak does belong to Paredes — just when he hit 32 straight in 2016. Paredes now has four streaks of 25 or more consecutive made field goals in his career.
Lions’ kicker Sean Whyte is the only other kicker to have done it more than once, having hit exactly 25 on two other occasions and is currently riding a streak of 42 in a row that extends back to last season.
That’s good for the second-longest all-time behind Ottawa’s Lewis Ward, who missed his first attempt in the league and then hit his next 69 tries.
Tommy Touchdown gets tackled
In keeping with the announcer jinxes offered up on the broadcast, Tommy Stevens was tackled for a loss for the first time in a third-and-short situation, shortly after it was mentioned that he had been perfect on the year.
Stevens was dragged down from behind with what appeared to be a horsecollar tackle outside the pocket but to the Stampeders’ chagrin, no flag was thrown and the play resulted in a turnover inside their 30.
Stevens would get a rushing touchdown in the game and was also given the ball by handoff from Jake Maier, a play that was necessitated by the Stampeders having one running back and no fullbacks on their roster.
Home sweet home?
Next up for the Stamps is a rare Thursday night home game, this time hosting the Ottawa Redblacks fresh off a tie against Saskatchewan.
If the pattern stays true, the Stampeders should win this game. While they may be winless on the road, they are undefeated at home.
