By Max Campbell
Stampeders.com

The Calgary Stampeders are now the sole occupants of first place in the West Division with a 34-31 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Saturday evening’s Hall of Fame Game from Mosaic Stadium.

“It was an exciting game,” said Stamps head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. “It was a back-and-forth game, it was a close game — all the things that we expected, truthfully. We knew that we would have to do a good job to try to control their running game and try to control the running back. But they’re a good football team and we found a way to win.

“Anytime you win a football game, it’s important. And we’re just trying to win as many games as we can and count them up at the end, and hopefully we’ll be in a good position. This was an important game. It was our first road win, which was good, and against a divisional opponent, which was good also. Now we’re a first-place football team in the West, which is good.”

Slotback Eric Rogers now has a touchdown in six consecutive games and Matt Walter registered 100 yards along the ground as Bo Levi Mitchell moved to 21-4 as a starting quarterback.

Rene Paredes converted a 46-yard field goal on the Stamps’ opening possession, their first points scored on an opening drive through eight games.

The Riders managed only one first down when the Brett Smith-led offence took the field, and linebacker Juwan Simpson ensured Smith could not escape for first-down yardage on Saskatchewan’s second series.

A booming punt single of 70 yards from Rob Maver extended Calgary’s lead to four.

On the final play of the first quarter, it appeared as though Jamar Wall recorded his second interception of the season, but the call was ultimately overturned. As a result, the Riders found the end zone on the very next play with a 24-yard toss over the middle to rookie wideout Devin Wilson. A pass attempt on the subsequent two-point conversion fell incomplete.

In response to Saskatchewan’s major score, Mitchell – making his first start in Regina – facilitated a 12-play, 76-yard drive to regain the lead. Reserve tailback Tory Harrison caught a four-yard pass for a 10-6 advantage, the first touchdown of his young CFL career. The Red and White were unsuccessful while going for two on the following play after previously converting each of their two-point tries in 2015.

A heavy dose of running back Jerome Messam and Weston Dressler’s 500th career catch highlighted the Roughriders’ next drive before 23-year veteran Paul McCallum kicked a 30-yard field goal.

With just over one minute remaining until the break, Stamps’ kick returner Tim Brown had his second punt return TD negated due to penalty in as many weeks.

The Calgary defence then managed to force a Riders’ punt, and a 25-yard rough play penalty set up a Hail Mary heave as time expired. Rogers leaped over a multitude of Green and White defenders as the clock struck zeros. The 46-yard bomb not only gave the Stampeders an 18-9 advantage heading into the locker room, but also gave Rogers 555 receiving yards in 2015, more than any other player across the league.

“We had called it,” said Hufnagel, “but for some reason there was a delay in the play actually going. So I’m on the sideline after Dave (Dickenson, the Calgary offensive coordinator) called it and I said, ‘Dave, do you think we should still do it? It’s a long way for Bo to throw it.’ He said, ‘Well, he can get it to the end zone’, and I said,’ Well, we do have tall receivers’. Our offensive line did a nice job Bo bought some extra time, and he made a great throw and Eric did a nice job.”

Momentum stayed with the Stamps to begin the second half, as halfback Brandon Smith picked off the Saskatchewan pivot before he was halted at the edge of the red zone. Paredes would knock through his second field goal of the night to extend the lead to 12 just five plays later.

A 3:18-long possession for the home side was polished off with a 15-yard strike to first-year pro Alex Carroll. The Victoria, BC product and Queen’s alum also found the end zone against Calgary in the pre-season finale for both clubs.

Maver was then called on to punt the ball away, but the Calgary defence never left the sideline as Adam Berger recovered a loose ball on the return. The turnover resulted in a third Paredes field goal, this time from chip-shot range.

The score would soon be tied, however, thanks to a 72-yard catch-and-run from Roughrider first-round pick Nic Demski which set up a three-yard touchdown snag from Dressler and two-point convert reception from wide receiver Rob Bagg.

But the Stamps soon reclaimed their lead when Harrison slipped out of the backfield for his second receiving major of the contest, this time from a distance of 32 yards.

The 40-yard line was the spot of Paredes’ next three-point score as a 32-24 score favoured the Stampeders less than five minutes into the final frame.

Saskatchewan went on the record the next seven points, courtesy of a Ray Early punt single and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. Carl Fitzgerald was unblocked up the middle and Junior Mertile scooped and scored, but McCallum missed his first convert attempt in 802 career tries.

Walter reached the 100-yard rushing plateau while time ticked away and a Harrison first-down rumble all but clinched the victory for the Stamps, who improved to 6-2 on the campaign. The loss dropped the Riders to 0-8.

Calgary now prepares for a trip to Winnipeg while Saskatchewan will hit the road to face the RedBlacks.