Stampeders end mini-slump, earn another crack at Cup
CALGARY— The Calgary Stampeders will get their shot at Grey Cup redemption.
Calgary advanced to the CFL’s championship game for a second straight year Sunday by downing the visiting Edmonton Eskimos 32-28 in the West Division final.
After posting a15-2-1record in 2016, Calgary lost last year’s Grey Cup in a massive upset. The Stampeders were beaten 39-33 in overtime by the Ottawa Redblacks (8-9-1).
“Last year was a success, but it didn’t mean a lot when you can’t finish,” Stampeder head coach Dave Dickenson said. “Winning the West is not going to be enough. If we can’t finish the deal and get the job done against a great opponent, wellcoached, it’s going to feel hollow again.”
The Stampeders will appear in their fifth Grey Cup in a decade. They won in 2008 and 2014.
Calgary had lost three games in a row heading into Sunday’s game, but the Stampeders recovered their winning form. The defence held the CFL’s No. 1 offence to 18 points for three quarters.
Calgary’s ground game clicked with running backs Jerome Messam and Roy Finch each scoring a touchdown and combining for 152 rushing yards.
Finch, a finalist for the CFL’s best special teams player this year, had 233 total yards, including returns, receiving and rushing.
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Marquay McDaniel. Mitchell, who has played through an undisclosed injury in his throwing arm for much of the season, completed 20 of 32 passes for 228 yards.
It was a harder road to the championship game in 2017 for the Stampeders and their quarterback.
“It means the world to me,” Mitchell said. “It’s what I play this game for. I expect to be back there every single year and do what I can to make sure I lead my team to the Grey Cup every single year.
“We did what we did in the regular season but, obviously (with) that three-game losing streak, we had a little bit of desperation going into this game and doubt from a lot of people.”
Quarterback Mike Reilly, C.J. Gable and Derel Walker scored touchdowns for the Eskimos.
Reilly, the West nominee for the CFL’s outstanding player award, was 23-for-38 for 348 yards.
Kicker Sean Whyte missed fieldgoal tries from 42 and 30 yards, but made them from 34 and 20 yards.
Trailing by a converted touchdown, the Eskimos chose to kick a 20-yard field goal with one minute 43 seconds remaining instead of gambling on third and four.
Calgary punted with 24 seconds remaining. Edmonton’s Jamill Smith fumbled the ball on the return.
“We have faith in our whole football team that the defence was going to make the stop, the special teams were going to get the ball back for us and the offence would do their job and go down and score,” Edmonton head coach Jason Maas said.
“Ultimately it didn’t turn out that way.”