Stampeders defeat East’s Tiger-Cats in Hamilton

58-yard interference penalty leads to game-winning kick at the buzzer

HAMILTON, ONT. When the Calgary Stampeders needed their offence to deliver something special, they delivered.

After a game in which the Hamilton Tiger- Cats ( 4-11- 0) had proven to be worthy adversaries for a Stampeders (13-1-1) offence that seemed off its game, Bo Levi Mitchell & Co. found the little bit of magic they needed on Friday night.

On one drive, Kamar Jorden showed why the Stamps had been missing him so much during his 10-week injury absence by snagging a tough pass for his team’s first offensive touchdown on the game.

After the Ticats drove down field to tie things at 25 with just over 30 seconds remaining, Mitchell launched the ball downfield towards Anthony Parker as the clock turned to zero.

After what seemed like an eternity, the ball bounced on the ground.

Only a second later, so did the referee’s flag, signalling defensive pass interference and moving the Stampeders 58 yards downfield.

Up stepped Rene Paredes, who kicked a 17-yard field goal to give the Stampeders a 28-25 victory and extend their winning streak to 11 games.

“Have a will, have a way,” Mitchell said after the game. “It’s just knowing how to win a football game. Finding your guys and putting trust in them.”

It was a scrappy win for the Stampeders, but a win’s a win and the Calgarians are inching evercloser to clinching first-place in the West Division.

Mitchell, for one, struggled to find his receivers and finished the game having completed 19-of-34 passes for 279 yards, one touch- down and one interception.

After the game, he admitted that the shoulder injury that hampered him earlier in the season had bothered him again against the Ticats.

That could be a concern going forward, seeing as this game was coming after a bye-week and the last time the shoulder seemed to cause him issues was in Week 9 against the B.C. Lions.

That game was after a bye week, too, and with the Stampeders looking like they’ll have a bye in the first week of the playoffs, they’ll need to make sure their star quarterback is as close to 100 per cent as possible for the West Division Final.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m holding the baby too much or what I’m doing,” Mitchell said.

“Last week, I felt amazing, honestly. My arm felt great and I don’t know if it’s because we had a shorter week and it’s easier to come off that, but having a long week, I think I might have overthrown because it didn’t feel good.

“Either way, I have to perform. It’s not an excuse, it can’t be. When I’m on the field I’ve got to be able to throw the ball.”

While the defence held strong against a dangerous Ticats defence and limited QB Jeremiah Masoli to 326 yards through the air, Mitch- ell wasn’t the only Stampeders offensive star with somewhat underwhelming numbers on Friday, though. Not by a long shot.

Running back Jerome Messam finished with only 11 yards on six carries, while backup Terry Williams had 30 yards on three runs.

“It felt like we had really had many seams on the inside, so I went away from the run,” said Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson. “That’s a choice of mine.”

Marquay McDaniel, meanwhile, came up big in the fourth quarter and had six receptions for 87 yards, but left the game early with a leg injury shortly before Jorden had his big moment.

And what a moment it was. After 10 weeks on the sideline, Jorden fought through rust in the early-going, but came down with a 25-yard grab that will be on most end-of-season highlight reels.

“Once the ball was in the air, I just knew I had to make a play for the team,” Jorden said.

“At the end of the day, it was a tough game for the offence, but we do know what we can do, as long as everyone comes together and does their job on the same play.”

With the win, the Stamps ensured that they’ll host the West Division Final if the Winnipeg Blue Bombers lose another game.

The road ahead isn’t easy, though, as the Stamps will be playing three big Western rivals to round out the regular season.

The Riders are up first next weekend at McMahon Stadium, followed by a trip to Edmonton to take on the Eskimos and then a regular season finale against the Bombers at home.

None of those games figure to be easy, and maybe that means there was some value in pulling out a big win against a desperate team like the Ticats the way the Stamps did on Friday night.

Either way, I have to perform. It’s not an excuse, it can’t be. When I’m on the field I’ve got to be able to throw the ball.