THE CANADIAN PRESS
Calgary, August 27, 2011 – The Calgary Stampeders strengthened their grip on the CFL’s West Division lead with a 38-31 win over the visiting Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.
Calgary improved to 6-2 to cushion their lead on the 5-3 Edmonton Eskimos, who have this week off. The Stamps, winners of four straight, open a crucial two-game series versus the Esks next Monday in the Labour Day Classic.
The Alouettes fell to 5-3 to sit second behind the 7-1 Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the East Division.
A Keon Raymond interception set Calgary up for the winning touchdown – a six-yard run by quarterback Henry Burris with 55 seconds left in the game. Raymond had picked off an Anthony Calvillo pass intended for S.J. Green.
Johnny Forzani had a pair of touchdown catches and Ken-Yon Rambo also scored a major for the hosts. Kicker Rene Paredes made all three field-goal attempts, including a 46-yarder late in the fourth quarter.
Montreal’s Jamel Richardson caught two touchdown catches and Brandon Whitaker caught one late in the game. Montreal kicker Sean Whyte was good from 37, 43 and 42 yards.
Burris threw for 422 yards to surpass the career 40,000-mark. He made 26 of 42 passing attempts for three touchdown passes. Montreal counterpart Calvillo was 28-for-48 for 369 yards and three touchdowns.
Kickoff at 2 p.m. local time was under sunny skies and a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius in front of 30,386 at McMahon Stadium.
The game marked the return of CFL all-star Dwight Anderson to Calgary after playing the previous three seasons as a Stampeder. The colourful and verbose halfback isn’t afraid to trash talk or show his emotions on the field.
Stampeder Nik Lewis mocked one of Anderson’s post-play celebration gyrations in the fourth quarter to the crowd’s delight.
While Calvillo and the Alouettes controlled the game in the first half, the Stampeders surged in the second. The lead changed three times before the Als’ tied the game 31-31 with just over two minutes remaining. Calvillo found Whitaker in the end zone from 19 yards out at 12:52 and Whyte converted to deadlock the game.
Forzani’s second touchdown catch of the game put Calgary up 28-24 at 4:34 of the fourth quarter. He snared Burris’s 37-yard throw just outside the goal-line and fell backwards over it for the TD. Parades was good from 46 yards out at 8:40 to give his team breathing room at 31-24.
Montreal led 24-21 on Whyte’s 42-yard field goal at 2:47.
The hosts took the lead for the first time in the third quarter on Burris’ 11-yard throw to Rambo in the end zone at 8:46. Paredes was good on a 35-yard field goal attempt to start the second half. But Whyte deadlocked the game 21-21 before the end of the quarter with a 43-yard field goal.
While Calgary compiled more passing yards than Montreal, their running game in the first half was abysmal. The Stamps couldn’t manage a first down off the rush and ran for just eight yards.
A Calgary drive to end the first half stalled on a pair of incomplete passes. The Stamps settled for a 17-yard field goal by Paredes and trailed 18-11 heading into the third quarter.
Richardson scored his second major of the game at 12:17 of the second quarter with a basket catch on a 10-yard pass from Calvillo.
Forzani was wide open behind the goal posts for Calgary’s first touchdown of the game at 4:01. Burris strung together passes of 29 yards to Jabari Arthur and 22 yards to Forzani to move the Stampeders into scoring position. The Calgary QB went again to Forzani with a 15-yard pass to finish the drive at 4:01 of the second quarter.
Montreal quickly took a 10-0 lead within six minutes. After Whyte’s 37-year field goal, Moton Hopkins stripped Stampeder running back Joffrey Reynolds of the ball. Mark Estelle ran it back 35 yards and Calvillo found Richardson in the end zone with a 16-yard pass on the next play. Lewis brought Estelle down hard on his fumble return and the Montreal cornerback didn’t return to the game.
Montreal’s next game is on Labour Day in Hamilton. The Stamps and Als meet again Oct. 30 in Montreal.
