CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders closed out Week 12 with their second win over Saskatchewan this season, pulling closer to the West Division-leading Roughriders with a 32-15 victory at McMahon Stadium on Saturday night.
What began as a back-and-forth battle between the two top teams in the CFL turned decidedly in Calgary’s favour in the second half, as the Stampeders capitalised on offensive opportunities and smothered the Riders’ attack on defence.
Hoping to post their best 10-game start in club history, Saskatchewan instead fell to 8-2 and must remain on high alert with the Stamps threatening at 7-3.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Calgary Stampeders’ win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
RELATED
» Stamps topple Riders in West Division showdown
» Roughriders at Stampeders, by the numbers
» Depth Charts: SSK | CGY
» Injury Reports: Stay up to date
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
0 – SASKATCHEWAN SECOND-HALF POINTS
It was a tale of two halves for Trevor Harris and the Riders’ offence. A missed field goal from Brett Lauther hinted at a slow start, but Saskatchewan mostly kept pace with Calgary through the first two quarters, even erasing a 12-point deficit to take a one-point lead into halftime. The Stampeders’ defence, however, shut that momentum down — and did so with a bang.
Clarence Hicks set the tone with a drive-killing sack on the Riders’ first third-quarter series, and the rest of the defence followed with three turnovers, including two turnovers on downs in the late stages to keep Saskatchewan off the board and out of striking distance of a potential comeback.
4 – CALGARY SACKS
It wasn’t just Hicks pressuring Harris — though he added two of the team’s four sacks. Shaun Peterson Jr. and Justin Sambu also made their impact felt, with Peterson forcing a crucial third-quarter punt and Sambu setting up a long second down that led to a turnover on downs in the fourth. Saskatchewan entered Week 12 allowing the second-fewest sacks (11) in the CFL, but on Saturday, the offensive line struggled against Calgary’s creative and aggressive blitz packages.
On the other side, Saskatchewan’s front had trouble tracking Vernon Adams Jr., whose evasiveness kept him clean and the Riders without a sack. With Saskatchewan entering the matchup leading the league with 28 sacks, it was an impressive showing in the trenches for Calgary.
3 – VERNON ADAMS JR. TOUCHDOWNS
It was feast or famine for the Stampeders’ offence on Saturday. They had six two-and-outs and two more drives ending in interceptions, but when they needed it, Adams Jr. delivered. The Stamps quarterback found the end zone three times while throwing 14-for-21 for 222 yards — punctuating his night by threading a dime to Erik Brooks for a game-sealing fourth-quarter score and running in the two-point conversion himself.
It would have been difficult to replicate his performance in the Stamps’ Week 6 win over the Riders — where he threw for 428 yards and three touchdowns — but he once again outdueled Harris, guiding Calgary to the win despite the offence sputtering at times.