September 13, 2014

Cowtown Comeback: Stamps storm back to stun Argos

CFL.ca

CFL.ca Staff
#TORvsCGY

CALGARY — Trailing by 19 heading into the second half, the Calgary Stampeders could have easily given up, and shifted their focus to next week’s clash with the Alouettes in Montreal.

Instead, the league-best Stamps stormed back to the tune of 30 second-half points, shocking the Argonauts en-route to a 40-33 win on Saturday night at McMahon Stadium.

Related: Stamps vs. Argos

» View Game Stats
» Images: Calgary vs. Toronto
» Video: Durie Scores in Return
» Video: Cornish Scores on 79-Yard TD
» Preview: Stamps welcome Argos

But it wasn’t all good news for the Stamps, as Bo Levi Mitchell was forced out of action with an apparent left leg injury midway through the fourth quarter. Drew Tate came in for relief, and was productive, completing all five of his passes for 49 yards and a TD.

Mitchell, meanwhile, was good on 19 of his 29 passes for 128 yards, two touchdowns and an interception before exiting.

The big story for the Stamps offensively, however, was Jon Cornish. The 2013 Most Outstanding Player had a field day, racking up 174 yards on 11 carries, while hauling in an additional four passes for 35 yards and two total touchdowns.

After a week off due to their second bye week of the year, the Argonauts were hoping to hit the ground running on their first possession of the evening.

However, despite winning the pre-game coin toss, Ricky Ray and the Boatmen offence didn’t even get a chance to hit the field, as newcomer LaVon Brazill fumbled on the game’s opening kickoff, handing possession right over to the Stamps.

Fortunately for the Brazill and the Argos, the Stamps weren’t able to find the endzone, instead settling for a 28-yard field goal by Rene Paredes.

Once Ray and his unit finally hit the field moments later, they didn’t waste any time making their mark.

Ray kicked off his first drive since a Week 10 loss against Hamilton by completing four consecutive passes for 67 total yards, the last of which was hauled in by Andre Durie for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Boatmen a 7-3 lead.

The score was Durie’s first since Week 17 of last season, as he’s spent the majority of the 2014 campaign recovering from a broken collarbone that he suffered in Week 2.

Following a quick two-and-out by Mitchell and the Stamps, Ray went back to work, this time marching his troops 89 yards on six plays, while capping off the drive with an 11-yard TD strike to Trent Guy.

But Toronto’s first half dominance didn’t end there.

With the second quarter underway, Mitchell saw his pass intended for Simon Charbonneau-Campeau picked off by second-year DB Jermaine Gabriel, who returned it 43 yards to Calgary’s 19 yard line.

Four plays later, Ray hooked up with Spencer Watt for a two-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 18.

On the short drive, Ray found Watt twice for a total of 10 yards, while tailback Steve Slaton carried the ball once for a gain of nine.

Cornish Dominant

Jon Cornish was dominant on Saturday night, registering 209 total yards and two touchdowns, while also sparking Calgary’s comeback with a sensational 79-yard touchdown romp.

» View Game Stats

Before the first half drew to a close, the Argos and Stamps exchanged majors, with Jason Barnes hauling in a 27-yard strike from Ray, while first-year receiver Sederrik Cunningham hit paydirt for the Stamps.

The two teams headed into the break with Toronto leading 29-10.

In the first half, Ray was simply brilliant, completing 15 of his 18 passes for 207 yards and four touchdown passes, all of which found the hands of different receivers.

Meanwhile, the Stamps saw receiver Marquay McDaniel and defensive lineman Ben D’Aguilar leave the game in the first half due to injury. Both did not return to action in the second.

As hot as the Argos offence was in the first half, their momentum didn’t appear to transfer over into the third quarter.

In fact, it was Mitchell, Cornish and the Stamps that came out firing to start the final 30 minutes.

After Swayze Waters connected on a 36-yard field goal to increase Toronto’s lead, the Stamps took the field and almost instantly victimized Toronto’s defence on the ground.

First, Mitchell took off running for a gain of 11 yards, which was followed up by a massive 79-yard touchdown romp by Cornish. Combined with the two-point conversion by Matt Walter, the Stamps trailed the Argos 32-18.

With the run, Cornish eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the third-straight game.

On Calgary’s ensuing possession, Mitchell continued to chip away at the deficit, this time hooking up with receiver Brad Sinopoli for a 14-yard touchdown strike.

The score brought the Stamps within seven of Toronto’s lead.

With just over five minutes remaining, disaster struck for the Stampeders, as Mitchell was forced out of the game with an apparent left leg injury after absorbing a hit from Shea Emry on a running play.

But with Tate now under centre, the Stamps didn’t miss a beat offensively. Taking over the reins from inside Toronto’s 20 yard line, Tate connected with Jabari Arthur for a 15-yard touchdown to bring the Stamps within two. Moments later, Tate found Cornish to tie the game with a two-point conversion.

Then, with just under two minutes to go in the game, Cornish capped off the comeback with his second touchdown of the game, crossing the plane at the tail end of a 25-yard pass-and-catch from Tate to give the Stamps a 40-33 lead that they would not relinquish.

Next week, the Stamps head to Montreal to face the Alouettes, while the Boatmen travel to Vancouver to take on the Lions.