Stamps polish off sweep of Eskimos
Last-minute TD against Alberta rivals gives Calgary complete control of CFL West
If the Labour Day Classic looked easy for the Calgary Stampeders, Saturday’s rematch was anything but.
Instead, the Stampeders had to scrape and claw for every yard against an Edmonton Eskimos team that looked significantly more prepared than they had five days earlier in Calgary.
In the end, though, the Stampeders (9-1-1) had just enough to grind out a victory that gives them some serious breathing room atop the West Division. The Eskimos (7-4), meanwhile, dropped their fourth game in a row and are squarely in the middle of the pack after missing a 47-yard field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. Breathing down their necks now are the B.C. Lions, who improved to 6-5 with a win over the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night.
Instead, the Stamps are bringing home a pivotal 25-22 win.
The Eskimos made the Stampeders work for it, though.
The home team’s defence put Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell under serious pressure, even causing the league’s reigning Most Outstanding Player to throw two uncharacteristic fourth quarter interceptions.
Mitchell’s night wasn’t helped by an injury to DaVaris Daniels that put the Stamps’ top receiver on the sidelines for the night, but got help from a couple of young players as Marken Michel finished with 72 yards on two receptions, while Juwan Brescacin showed that he’s got a little Marquay McDaniel in him by coming down with five receptions for 57 yards.
For his part, McDaniel pitched in with five receptions for 56 yards and provided the sort of outlet for Mitchell that’s made him so invaluable to the team for the past couple seasons.
Most importantly, McDaniel was there in the end zone with 35 seconds left when Mitchell found him for a TD on a third-and-goal play with the Stamps down four points. It would prove to be the winner.
On the other side of the ball, the Stampeders were confronted with a Mike Reilly-led offence that looked much more dangerous than what Calgary fans saw on Monday.
Reilly looked like a different quarterback than he had at McMahon Stadium, finishing by completing 37-of47 passes for 461 yards and coming up huge in the final minutes when he found Duke Williams for a 34-yard catch-and-run touchdown that put the Eskimos ahead 22-18.
He was helped by a receiving group that was absolutely lights-out, with Brandon Zylstra giving the Stamps defensive backs nightmares with his 10 receptions for 187 yards. The returning Derel Walker showed why he may have a role to play in the rest of the season, too, finishing his first game of the CFL season with eight receptions for 93 yards.