Stamps and Roughriders battle to wild draw
The Calgary Stampeders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders battled to an exciting 44-44 tie Saturday afternoon to remain tied for top spot in the CFL's West Division with identical 8-6-1 records.
Rob Coté and Brett Ralph caught touchdown passes from Henry Burris in overtime for the host Stampeders, while Saskatchewan's Chris Szarka ran for his third major before Chris Getzlaf caught a 35-yard TD pass from Darian Durant.
Ralph caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Henry Burris in overtime to secure a 44-44 tie for against the Roughriders, as both teams remained tied atop the CFL West with 8-6-1 records.
"What better situation for him than to make the biggest play of the game, and that was to seal the deal and tie the game up," said Burris, who completed 23-of-34 passes for 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
"A guy like Ralphie, he's an even-keeled player. He always plays hard for you and you know he's going to make the plays when they count. He definitely did that in that situation."
Joffrey Reynolds ran for three touchdowns for the Stamps in regulation, while Sandro DeAngelis kicked a pair of field goals. Burke Dales added a single while the Stamps also recorded a safety.
Luca Congi kicked a pair of field goals and added two singles for the Riders, who needed a late fourth-quarter touchdown grab by Andy Fantuz, followed by a two-point convert, to force overtime.
In OT, Calgary scored first on Coté's touchdown, but the Riders came right back with a one-yard TD plunge by Szarka.
Getzlaf then caught a short pass from Durant and broke a tackle before rambling 35 yards into the end zone.
The Stamps, however, forced the tie when Burris tossed a five-yard TD pass to Ralph in the end zone.
Early success
On Calgary's first drive of the game, the Stamps had marched the ball 93 yards downfield on 14 plays, but had to settle for a 14-yard field goal by DeAngelis.
After Congi missed a 50-yard field goal, Saskatchewan had to settle instead for a 49-yard single.
Burris then engineered a six-play, 68-yard drive that resulted in Calgary's first touchdown in nine quarters when Reynolds rambled 38 yards into the end zone at the end of the first quarter.
The Riders responded right back early in the second quarter with a drive of their own which was capped off by a six-yard rushing touchdown by Szarka.
"It would have been great for us to get some separation from them (in the standings)," Durant said. "Two points would have been huge but at least we didn't lose."
Added Saskatchewan running back Wes Cates: "To get a tie helps us as Calgary has to come to our place in the final week."
After Congi conceded a safety in the Saskatchewan end zone, the Stamps built up a 19-8 lead when Reynolds ran for a three-yard TD to cap off a six-play, 74-yard drive.
Quick response
The Riders then responded with a 65-yard reception by Jason Clermont that gave Saskatchewan a first down on the Calgary four-yard line. Two plays later, Szarka plunged across the goal line for a one-yard TD.
Following a 67-yard single by Dales, Congi kicked a 15-yard field goal with four seconds left in the first half to pull the Riders within two points.
DeAngelis accounted for the only points of the third quarter by kicking a 30-yard field goal. Congi then replied with field goals from 71 and 29 yards out in the fourth quarter to pull the Riders within one point.
After struggling to move the ball in the second half, Burris got into a rhythm late in the fourth, driving the Stamps deep into Rider territory to set up a four-yard TD run by Reynolds.
Once again, Saskatchewan responded as Durant led the Riders on an eight-play, 67-yard scoring drive that was capped off when he tossed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Fantuz.
Durant then tied the game with a two-point convert to force overtime when he tossed the ball to Rob Bagg just across the goal line.