National Post (National Edition)
Stampeders flatten battered Eskimos
CALGARY BOLSTERS CASE AS LEAGUE’S TOP DOG IN ONE-SIDED SHOWDOWN
Iin Calgary t was billed as a showdown between the two best teams in the West.
And maybe that’s exactly what the Labour Day Classic was.
But if nobody puts up more of a challenge for the Calgary Stampeders (8-1-1) than the Edmonton Eskimos (7-3-0) did on Monday afternoon, fans can start booking their tickets for a home game in the West Division Final at McMahon Stadium now.
The beat-up Eskimos looked nothing like the team that rolled to a 7-0 record to start the season. A 12-point fourth quarter made the score line respectable — sort of — but Monday’s 39-18 victory for the Stampeders was much more lopsided than it looked.
The Stampeders defence smothered Mike Reilly, getting in his face and forcing the Eskimos to settle for short passes. Reilly’s receivers just couldn’t find any room behind the Stampeders secondary to go for big plays.
Even as the Eskimos played things conservative, starting SAM Shaquille Richardson had a breakout game, finishing with two interceptions and recovering a fumble.
Yes, the Stampeders defence surrendered their first touchdown since Week 5 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders when Reilly found Kenny Stafford in the end zone in the fourth quarter, but the game was well out-of-reach for the Eskimos at that point. When it mattered, the Stamps didn’t let their guests anywhere near the end zone.
Reilly’s impressive fourth quarter did help out his numbers, though, and he finished the game completing 34-of-52 passes for 320 yards to go along with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
It wasn’t nearly enough, though.
Now with the Stampeders offence having their way with the Eskimos and executing a game plan that relied on spreading the ball among receivers while allowing Jerome Messam to do what he always does and run through the middle for two touchdowns and 61 yards on 13 carries.
Bo Levi Mitchell’s numbers weren’t as eye-popping as they sometimes are, but numbers don’t always tell the full story. Mitchell played it smart and kept the Eskimos defence on its toes by keeping the ball moving among his receivers and completed 19-of-27 passes for 277 yards.
DaVaris Daniels had his second big game in a row, finishing with 98 yards receiving on three receptions, while Marquay McDaniel had five receptions for 54 yards and Anthony Parker had two catches for 38 yards while also running one in for a 24-yard touchdown.
All together, it added up to the fifth-straight Labour Day Classic in which the Stampeders have led from wire-to-wire and a sixth-straight victory in the season’s big all-Alberta showcase.
Saturday’s rematch in Edmonton promises to be a bit closer, given the fact that the Stampeders haven’t lost at home in 15 games, but there was little Monday to suggest that the Eskimos have the weapons to match their rivals to the south.