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The Calgary Stampeders suffered defeat in their pre-season opener on Saturday night, dropping a 23-13 decision to the Edmonton Eskimos at McMahon Stadium.
Early back-to-back first downs through the air got the Eskimos offence across midfield before a Mike Reilly pass was knocked down, bringing out Shaun Whyte and the field goal unit. The 49-yard kick was good, as the Esks took an early 3-0 lead.
On Calgary’s opening drive, Bo Levi Mitchell connected with Joe West on a shallow crossing route for a 26-yard pickup. The promising possession would come to a close with a field goal courtesy of Rene Paredes from 23 yards out.
Micah Johnson then met John White in the backfield for no gain, which preceded a second 49-yard attempt from Whyte. The kick was unsuccessful, allowing Greg Wilson to return the ball out of the end zone and scamper down the sideline.
The following series saw Drew Tate take the field in relief of Mitchell. The 11-year veteran managed to orchestrate one first down before Rob Maver came on to punt the ball back to the visitors.
With less than two minutes remaining in the opening 15 minutes, Tory Harrison found daylight around the left side of the line to move the chains with a gain of 16 yards. Paredes’ 14-yard chip shot in the early stages of the second would give the Red and White a 6-3 advantage.
A muffed punt by Grant Shaw resulted in a Cameron Ontko recovery at Edmonton’s 54-yard line, but Harrison would fail to secure the handoff on the very next play. Jimmy Gains of the Eskimos was first to the football, allowing James Franklin and his unit to convert in short order. Anthony Barrett then beat Adam Thibault in one-on-one coverage for the game’s first major.
The subsequent point after was no good, however Reggie Whatley would fumble the ensuing kickoff. Rookie defensive back C.J. Morgan of the Green and Gold fell on the loose ball, but the Stamps escaped further damage as Whyte’s eventual field goal attempt bounced off the right upright.
It was then Andrew Buckley’s turn to take command of the huddle for the home side before the two teams headed off for the halftime break.
The fourth and final quarterback on the Stampeders roster got things going to kick off the third with Bryant Moniz lining up under centre. The Hawaii native was promptly picked off by Cord Parks on just his third play from scrimmage, but Calgary once again would avoid surrendering any points.
A 10-play, 56-yard drive was completed with a one-yard QB sneak from Jordan Lynch as the Eskimos increased their lead to 16 points.
Moniz’s second interception came over the middle when Daryl McBride Jr. gave the Esks offence a short field to work with. Bryant Mitchell capitalized, finding space past the pylon to enable the Esks to go ahead by three possessions with 3:20 remaining in the third quarter of action.
When the Stamps went back to Buckley, Greg Wilson made his first reception of the night, which went for 22 yards. Then, despite finally scrimmaging in the red zone, a pass out of the backfield was stripped from the grasp of first-year running back Lache Seastrunk for the Red and White’s fourth turnover of the evening.
Calgary’s first touchdown came via a Ciante Evans scoop-and-score, as the former Nebraska Cornhusker emerged from the scrum and ran 34 yards to cross the goal line.
The Stamps will travel to Vancouver next week to conclude their pre-season schedule against the Lions. Kickoff in BC is set for 8:00 p.m.
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