Calgary — Bo Levi Mitchell led the way as the Calgary Stampeders grabbed their fifth win of the season in a 25-8 home victory against the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday night. Mitchell looked sharp in his return from last week’s injury against Ottawa, finishing with 25 completions for 292 yards and two touchdowns.
The 28-year-old quarterback completed his first 12 passes of the game and passed Doug Flutie on the Stampeders’ all-time passing yards list.
Eric Rogers led Calgary’s receiving corps with nine catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, and Calgary’s defence looked strong once again with two interceptions and two sacks.
Alouettes quarterback Matthew Shiltz replaced an injured Drew Willy in the second quarter, and the young passer finished 16 of 25 for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
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The Alouettes got on the board right away with a single point off a big opening kickoff from Boris Bede, but it was a short-lived lead. Calgary’s offence took the field and Mitchell got things rolling on the opening drive, completing all six of his passes for 71 yards. Mitchell threw an accurate strike into double coverage to Rogers for a 40-yard gain, and he found the receiver again two plays later for a seven-yard touchdown.
Mitchell added the two-point conversion by completing a short pass over the middle to Kamar Jorden, giving Calgary an early 8-1 lead. The Stamps later added a single point on a 44-yard punt from Rob Maver after the Als’ defence held strong on a lengthy drive.
Montreal was presented with an added challenge when defensive back Joe Burnett had to be carted off after suffering an ankle injury while tackling DaVaris Daniels.
The Stamps kept things moving on offence in the second quarter, and Mitchell continued to complete every single pass he attempted. The veteran passer put together another impressive drive that saw him pass Doug Flutie on the all-time Stampeders passing yards list. Mitchell connected with Rogers for a 16-yard gain before throwing a quick pass to Jorden for a 30-yard touchdown. Jorden gained 17 yards after the catch to find the end zone, and Rene Paredes kicked the convert to give Calgary a 16-1 lead.
Drew Willy left with an injury in the second quarter, and Shiltz came into the game for Montreal in his first appearance this season. Montreal won a big challenge that set the offence up in scoring position after a pass interference call, but the Stamps quickly got the ball back after Shiltz was picked off by veteran defensive back Brandon Smith. Calgary capitalized off the turnover with a 40-yard field goal from Paredes, giving Calgary a 19-1 lead heading into halftime.
Willy remained out of the game in the second half, but Shiltz stepped up and lead the Als on a long scoring drive to start the third quarter. The young quarterback cut into the Stamps’ lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham, and Bede kicked the convert to make the score 19-8. Cunningham got open with a sharp route, and Shiltz put the ball exactly where it needed to be for the score.
Tyrell Sutton gave the Als’ offence another spark on their next drive when he took a short pass and turned it up field for a 23-yard gain, but momentum went back the other way on the following play when Shiltz was intercepted by defensive back Emanuel Davis.
Calgary added to their score near the end of the third quarter when Paredes knocked through a 15-yard field goal, giving the Stamps a 14-point lead.
Montreal’s defence made a big play in the fourth quarter when defensive back Tommie Campbell picked off a pass in the end zone intended for Daniels. The interception was Campbell’s first as a member of the Alouettes, but the offence was unable to capitalize and turn it into points. Paredes later added a 19-yard field goal for Calgary to secure the 25-8 victory.
The next test for the Alouettes will come when they host the 3-2 Edmonton Eskimos next Thurday, while the Stampeders will head on the road to face the 3-2 Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday night.
