Instant Recovery: Mitchell leads Stamps by Ottawa

CFL.ca Staff
#OTTvsCGY

CALGARY — One week removed from their first loss of the season, the Calgary Stamepeders put together arguably their strongest 60-minute effort of the year.

Bo Levi Mitchell completed 26 of his 36 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another as he led the Calgary Stampeders to a 38-17 win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Saturday night.

Coming into Week 7 the REDBLACKS and Stampeders were not having the production they expected from their offences, with both QBs having trouble finding the endzone over the last few weeks

Despite their troubles, both units were put to the test early on in the final game of Week 7.

But while the REDBLACKS continued to search for answers offensively in the early stages of the matchup, the Stampeders stormed out of the gate, finding the endzone on just their second possession.

After Jock Sanders gave Mitchell a short field to work with thanks to a 52-yard punt return, the Stamps offence needed just six plays to hit pay dirt – though it wasn’t so simple for the second-year passer.

Appearing as if they were setting up for a 15-yard field goal, Mitchell, who was holding for kicker Rene Paredes, quickly lined up under centre, took the snap, and battled up the middle for an eight-yard touchdown run.

At the end of the first frame it was clear that both offences were still trying to get comfortable, with a trick play accounting for the only points of the game.

To start the second quarter the REDBLACKS punted the ball away for an 18-yard punt by Brett Maher that gave Calgary half of the field to work with.

Once the second quarter got underway, the Stampeders went to work on extending their lead.

With excellent field position as a result of an 18-yard punt by Brett Maher, Mitchell guided the Stamps on a four-play, 44-yard drive that was capped off by a 17-yard TD strike to Jeff Fuller.

The REDBLACKS, meanwhile, started looking more comfortable, but couldn’t put together many positive drives, highlighted by Burris throwing an interception to Jamar Wall on their second possession of the quarter.

The Stamps took advantage of another mistake by the REDBLACKS by pushing the ball down the field and finishing the drive with another Mitchell touchdown, this time to Marquay McDaniel for 22 yards.

The REDBLACKS began to show some signs of life when Mitchell was picked off by Jasper Simmons on Calgary’s next possession.

On the ensuing drive, the REDBLACKS found themselves at Calgary’s goal line thanks to a pair of penalties by Keon Raymond for pass interference and objectionable conduct.

From there, Ottawa needed just one play to put their first points of the game on the board, as Chevon Walker crossed the plane with a short plunge up the middle.

With one last chance before the end of the half, Mitchell got the ball back looking to recover from the interception. He would do just that, finishing off another drive by throwing another touchdown pass for 17 yards to Jabari Arthur.

The two teams entered the half with the Stampeders leading 28-7.

Burris and the Ottawa offence continued to look out of sorts at the start of the third quarter, with the unit once again finding it hard to get in gear.

Calgary, on the other hand, came out looking to continue putting points on the board. With 8:49 remaining in the third quarter, Paredes connected on a 12-yard field goal to increase their lead to 31-7.

But just when the game seemed completely out of reach, Burris and his troops came alive, as they marched 68 yards on six plays, with the veteran pivot finding Wallace Miles for a 32-yard touchdown strike.

Despite the score, the experienced Stampeders were simply too much for the expansion REDBLACKS to handle.

The final frame saw both teams combine for just nine points, with Calgary connecting on two field goals, while the REDBLACKS split the uprights once.

Next week, Ottawa will return home to face the Eskimos, while the Stampeders will look to continue their winning ways on the road against the Tiger-Cats.