Stampeders dominate Blue Bombers with strong running game
Calgary's Jerome Messam provides 137 yards on 16 carries
Bo Levi Mitchell tossed touchdown passes to Simon Charbonneau-Campeau and Marquay McDaniel to lead the Calgary Stampeders to a 36-22 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday.
Running back Tory Harrison and rookie quarterback Andrew Buckley, with his first CFL touchdown, also scored on the ground, while Rene Paredes kicked three field goals and a single for the Stampeders.
Mitchell completed 24-of-37 passes for 309 yards, while Stamps running back Jerome Messam also had an impressive game as he carried the ball 16 times for 137 yards.
Winnipeg quarterback Drew Willy threw touchdown passes to Darvin Adams and Jace Davis in the fourth quarter, while his back-up Matt Nichols ran for a one-yard score in the second.
Justin Medlock added a single for the Blue Bombers (0-2), who have dropped 13 of their past 14 decisions to the Stamps at McMahon Stadium dating back to 2003.
Calgary (1-1) took a 3-0 lead at 6:54 of the first quarter thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Paredes.
The Stamps then looked to extend their lead with time ticking down in the first quarter as Paredes lined up to boot a 49-yard field goal. Instead, Winnipeg's Macho Harris charged ahead and blocked the kick while Julian Posey picked up the ball and ran it back to Calgary's two-yard line as time expired in the opening quarter.
When play resumed in the second, Andrew Harris ran for one yard before Nichols plunged into the end zone on the next play as Winnipeg jumped out to a 7-3 lead.
Paredes then kicked a 38-yard field goal before Mitchell led the Stamps on a 9-play, 69-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown run by Harrison.
Highlight-reel catch
While the Bombers continued to struggle on offence, the Stamps scored again on their next drive as Charbonneau-Campeau hauled in a 27-yard pass from Mitchell to cap off a six-play, 61-yard drive.
Paredes booted a 72-yard single late in the first half and then added a 36-yard field goal early in the third to give Calgary a 23-7 lead.
Joe West then made a great one-handed catch for a 36-yard gain, but was brought down on the Winnipeg one-yard line. On the next play, Buckley scampered into the end zone to cap off a five-play, 78-yard drive that also featured a 53-yard run by Messam.
After McDaniel hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell late in the third quarter, Adams caught a three-yard strike from Willy in the Calgary end zone early in the fourth.
Willy then engineered an impressive 14-play, 104-yard drive that ended with him tossing an eight-yard touchdown pass to Davis at 12:02 of the final quarter to round out the scoring.