Bakes' Game Takes | BC 13 CGY 32
Zach Dittberner, BC Lions
CALGARY- This one had all the makings of one team that had everything to play for and another whose position was already locked in. The Calgary Stampeders got fourth-quarter touchdowns from Ajou Ajou and Quincy Vaughn to pull away and prevail 32-13 over the BC Lions at McMahon Stadium on Saturday night.
The result snapped the Lions' four-game winning streak and dropped them to 10-7, while the Stampeders finished their regular season at 9-9 and will hope for a Lions victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next week. Should that happen, Calgary would back into the playoffs. A Bomber victory would put them into the dance. It remains possible for the Lions to host the Roughriders, Stampeders or Bombers in the Division Semi-Final. Now for some game takes.
Desperate Stamps prevail
Calgary knew they had to win to stay alive after Saskatchewan took down Montreal earlier on Saturday. The visiting Lions got off to a fast start, as Nathan Rourke hit Justin McInnis for a highlight-reel touchdown in the opening quarter to put them ahead 10-3. The game was tied 13-13 at halftime before the Lions pulled Rourke in favour of Kaidon Salter, while McInnis and Keon Hatcher were among the other offensive starters to come out of the game. The balance of rest versus being sharp will be a big dilemma that gets talked about over the next week.
"Obviously, it was slow," Salter said of the offence's inability to generate anything after halftime.
"That's one thing that I know we've got to be better at. Once I get in the game, we've got to keep it rolling and once I'm in the game, it should look no different from when it works in the game."
Buck Pierce wouldn't commit to a starter for next Friday, but one might expect Salter and maybe even newcomer Chris Oladokun to see some action. Those questions will be answered when the team gets back to practice on Tuesday.
"Every week I'm expecting to play as a quarterback," Salter added.
"You never know what happens in this league, so I'm expected to play every week."
Another backbreaker in the late stages was Salter's interception to Anthony Johnson that set up the Vaughn major. Salter was 6/14 for 113 yards and the interception, while adding three carries for 24 yards. The Stampeder defence also totalled four sacks on the evening. That was a big difference in the game. Vernon Adams Jr. churned out one of his better outings of the season when his team needed it most, completing 30 of 43 passes for 324 yards, one touchdown and an interception to Cristophe Beaulieu. That third-quarter takeaway should have given the Lions more life, but they ultimately couldn't cash in on it.
Pierce was quick to remind his troops after the game that it doesn't take much to sometimes get humbled.
"I think just overall execution. I didn't think that there was enough focus tonight," explained the head coach.
"You looked at some of the mistakes that were being made. Really hadn't shown up in the last number of weeks, so, and then just the response, you know, after some adversity, I didn't think we responded the way that we needed to.
As for the play of Salter, Pierce had this to say.
"I mean, he's still learning and growing, but his demeanour was good. He didn't get down on himself. He was motivating guys, but you know there are a lot of things to learn, right? So he shows promise. He's going to continue to work at it and I know he's wishing he could have done a little bit more for his teammates."
Key Stats
474- Net offence for the Stampeders, compared to only 259 for the Lions.
105- Calgary tailback Deonta McMahon eclipsed 100 yards rushing and was a key cog in the Stamps' wheel.
14- Lion quarterbacks had only 14 total completions: eight for Rourke and six for Salter.
1,000- Sean Whyte became just the third Lion after Lui Passaglia and Paul McCallum to notch 1,000 points with the franchise.
Next Up
The Lions host the 8-9 Winnipeg Blue Bombers next Friday, October 23 to wrap up the regular season. Kickoff is at 7:00 pm. Join us for Oktoberfest, presented by London Drugs, featuring a German-inspired menu and $5 beers. It gets going at 4:00 pm on Terry Fox Plaza. Upper Bowl seating is OPEN with tickets starting at $19. Get yours HERE.