By Max Campbell
Stampeders.com

The Calgary Stampeders managed to hold on for a 25-23 victory at Investors Group Field over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and thus became the first CFL team to 10 wins in 2015.

The Stamps also swept the season-series with the Blue Bombers, downing Winnipeg once on home turf and twice on the road.

Leading the way for Calgary was Marquay McDaniel with nine receptions for 159 yards, along with Jon Cornish, rushing for 94 yards on 16 attempts.

“It was a close football game and it’s good to see the team hang in there and make some plays to win close games,” says Stamps head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. “I’m not disappointed with that whatsoever. We came out at halftime and knew we were going to be in a dogfight for the 30 minutes of the second half and we came out and built a 10, 11-point lead. Then made a play at the end to make it close.”

Cornish rumbled untouched for an 18-yard gain on the game’s opening possession, but Eric Rogers would be unable to gather in a second-down toss from Bo Levi Mitchell soon thereafter. Troy Stoudamire picked off the deflected pass, which led to a 42-yard touchdown grab three plays later by the Bombers’ Darvin Adams.

Rob Maver’s punt-single on Calgary’s next drive put the Stampeders on the scoreboard at the 7:27 mark of the opening quarter.

A trio of tosses to McDaniel eventually set up the Stamps at Winnipeg’s nine-yard line when the offence returned to the field. Then, Lemar Durant’s first CFL touchdown was scored off a nine-yard slant route, as the Simon Fraser product gave the visitors a one-point advantage.

After two consecutive catches by Joe West – returning to the line-up for the first time in five weeks – Rene Paredes was good from the 32-yard line for three points as the Red and White promptly increased their lead to four.

The Blue Bombers replied with a six-play, 75-yard effort finished by a three-yard scamper to the pilon by Cameron Marshall.

A botched pass attempt from McDaniel back to Mitchell following a handoff in the backfield paved the way for a 27-yard Paredes field goal to tie the game at 14 apiece prior to the three-minute warning of the first half of play.

Making his ninth reception of the night was McDaniel, who was left alone over the middle as Calgary entered the red zone to begin the third quarter. Mitchell followed that play with a nine-yard run into the end zone after being unable to locate a pass catcher, creating a seven-point cushion over Winnipeg.

With 1:14 remaining in the third, Maver booted the ball into the end zone once again for the Stampeders 222nd point on the evening.

Rogers made a miraculous leaping snag of the football midway through the final frame, gaining 47 yards in double-coverage to move the chains. A third kick from the leg of Paredes was good, as the 10-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with under six minutes to go on the clock.

The resilient Bombers answered with a Stoudamire punt return of 41 yards, which set up a Rory Kohlert touchdown and Marshall two-point conversion.

As the score narrowed to 25-22, the Stamps went two-and-out, punting the ball back to Winnipeg with just 1:17 left to go. But a procedure penalty negated a successful third-and-inches plunge by Matt Nichols, and Lirim Hajrullahu’s potential game-tying field goal was no good.

“The way our defence was able to respond with the three injuries,” says Hufnagel. “We lost Juwan Simpson, we lost Joe Burnett, we had already lost Adam Berger who would have gone in when Joe got hurt. But those three (who filled in) soldiered on and we played good defence.”

The Stampeders will now travel to Hamilton to face the East-leading Tiger-Cats on Friday, October 2 with kick-off slated for 5:30 p.m. MDT.