Stamps draw even with Riders atop West
CALGARY — So much for the theory Canadian Football League games mean zilch until Labour Day.
So much for the theory Calgarians are too busy soaking up majesty of the Rocky Mountains to watch football during these very few precious days of summer.
A sellout crowd of 35,637 packed McMahon Stadium on a sun-splashed Friday night to witness the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Stampeders clash for first place in the West.
The game lived up to the every bit of the hype — from a Calgary perspective in the first half and from a Saskatchewan perspective in the second half.
But the Stamps pulled it out in the end with a 42-27 victory over their fiercest rivals.
With the victory, the Stampeders (5-1) vault into a tie for first in the West with the Riders (5-1).
On Thursday, Calgary rush end Charleston Hughes stirred up the already fierce rivalry by suggesting Saskatchewan tailback Kory Sheets is, in fact, mortal.
You can guess how those words went over in Rider Nation (note to Hughes: Don’t go buying real estate in Regina any time soon).
“I take pride in being the first to shut him down,’’ Hughes said.
“I don’t think he’s going to rush for over 100 yards against us. It’s going to feel good hitting him because I don’t think that he has been hit yet. He needs to get hit for sure. I don’t think he can take a hit.”
Sheets took a hit on the first offensive play for Saskatchewan when Hughes — holding true to his word — clobbered the CFL’s leading rusher on his first touch.
On the very next play, quarterback Darian Durant dumped the ball off to Sheets, only to have Calgary cover man Brandon Smith roar into the picture and strip the ball.
In the ensuing scramble, the pigskin hit Smith in the rear end and dribbled out of bounds. Calgary challenged the original ruling on the field giving possession to Saskatchewan.
Upon video review, the call was overturned and Calgary took over at the Saskatchewan 14. The fumble marked the first offensive turnover of the year for the previously unbeaten Riders.
Perhaps tired of hearing constant comparisons to Sheets, Calgary’s Jon Cornish took the direct snap and galloped into the end zone untouched for the touchdown.
Thus began a wild and crazy night at McMahon.
The headlines, on this night, ultimately belonged to Cornish. The Calgary tailback shredded the Saskatchewan defence like a combine thrashes wheat.
In the first half alone, Cornish carried the ball 11 times for 115 yards and three (!) touchdowns as the Stampeders all but silenced the sizable green contingent in the crowd.
The only bright spot for the visitors in the first half came on a 20-yard Darian Durant pass to Chris Getzlaf at 4:44 of the second quarter.
Through 30 minutes, Hughes and his compatriots limited Sheets to just eight yards on four carries, and Calgary held a healthy 26-7 lead at halftime.
Cue the inevitable comeback.
Sheets, the slippery Saskatchewan tailback, ripped off a 32-yard run on the first series of the second half.
The Riders settled for a field goal after Calgary linebacker Keon Raymond bobbled a sure interception in the end zone.
On the next Saskatchewan drive, the Riders served notice of their refusal to invoke curling rules, shake hands and call it a game. Durant authored a five-play, 75-yard drive that ended with the second touchdown of the night for Getzlaf.
The Riders added another field goal late in the third quarter to narrow the Calgary lead to 26-20 with 15 minutes on the clock.
Then the Stamps calmed things down. Newcomer Freddie Bishop and Demonte’ Bolden recorded back-to-back sacks — one for a safety touch in the end zone — to make it 28-20.
From there, Nik Lewis took over. Kevin Glenn hooked up with his veteran receiver three times for 55 yards on the same drive — including a 25-yard touchdown pass where Lewis swatted aside Dwight Anderson like an annoying wasp.
But the Riders simply would not die.
A wide-open Jock Sanders romped 23 yards into the end zone to narrow the Calgary lead to eight points with five minutes remaining.
Cornish sealed the victory for the Stamps with a 53-yard romp to the Saskatchewan 1.
With the Stampeders never to ever keep things simple, Bo Levi Mitchell fumbled on the ensuing plunge, but recovered.
Cornish finished it off with his fourth touchdown of the night with 2:34 left on the clock to make it 41-27 Calgary.
Short yardage: Calgary defensive back Brandon Smith left the game in the third quarter after colliding helmet-to-helmet with a fellow Stampeder.