It’s all about the finish.
The Stamps rallied from a first-half deficit to beat the visiting Alouettes 28-22 in an absolute nail-biting thriller in front of 21,199 at McMahon Stadium Friday night to record their first win of the season, improving to 1-2 on the campaign.
The Red & White trailed 14-12 at the midway point but went on a 16-0 run in the second half en route to the win.
The Als marched down the field on their final possession of the game and had one last crack for a major with one-second left but couldn’t find the endzone, being stopped at the one-yard line, although the play was reviewed making for added suspense.
Jake Maier – starting at quarterback in place of the injured Bo Levi Mitchell – went 16-of-29 for 304 yards and one TD. He was picked off twice early in the tilt.
Ka’Deem Carey rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns, while Kamar Jorden also had a major and Rene Paredes kicked a pair of field-goals.
Markeith Ambles had a career night with 113 yards receiving.
Carey finished off an eight-play, 100-yard drive for the Stamps’ first rushing major of the season with less than four minutes left in the first half.
The drive started after Royce Metchie picked off Montreal pivot Vernon Adams Jr. on the Stamps 10-yard line. Calgary went for a two-point convert attempt but was denied.
The Stamps got off to a quick start in the game when Malik Henry fielded the kick-off and scampered back for 35 yards, tripped up as he got close to daylight.
Maier handed off the ball on the Red & White’s first three offensive possessions, Carey racking up the yards on the ground, with runs of 10, 9 and 16 yards.
The young pivot’s first two pass attempts after were incomplete, with Paredes booting a 39-yard field-goal to give Calgary a 3-0 lead. The kicker hit the 1,600-point plateau on the play.
Adams tossed a pair of incompletions of his own on Montreal’s first crack with the pigskin, leading to a punt from deep in their zone.
Maier was intercepted on his first pass from scrimmage after and the Als marched down the field, with Adams making a 26-yard run and fumbling but Montreal recovering at the nine-yard line.
Montreal then scored a major when Jake Wieneke hauled in a TD strike from Adams at the back of the endzone, finishing off an 11-play, 70-yard drive.
Maier tossed a 39-yard pass to Ambles to start Calgary’s next drive, then went looking for him again, the ball going off his hands as he was dragged down but Richie Sindani was Johnny on the Spot to make a one-handed grab.
With the Stamps sitting at first-and-10, deep in Montreal territory, a Maier pass to Carey went off his hands as he was tackled, and Adarius Pickett was able to pick it off for the visitors with a short run after the INT.
They made good, putting up another touchdown early in the second quarter after a nine-play, 86-yard drive that was finished off by a three-yard plunge from William Stanback.
After Carey’s major, Paredes nailed a 52-yarder to end the scoring in the half.
As time ticked down in the third quarter, Maier tossed a four-yard strike to Jorden as he sprinted near the back of the endzone to cap off a seven-play, 41-yard drive that was kept alive by a roughing the passer call on Montreal’s Nick Usher.
On Montreal’s next possession, they were pinned deep in their zone and conceded the two-point safety to make it 21-14.
Maeir tossed up an 83-yard bomb to No. 83 Josh Huff in the fourth quarter that ended up in a first-and-one for Calgary. They were stopped on the first attempt and then called for a penalty that moved them back to the six-yard line. Carey was stopped on two runs but Montreal was given an unnecessary roughness penalty giving the Stamps a first-and-goal back on the one-yard line.
Carey made no mistake on the do-over, going airborne to punch it in.
Calgary gave up a safety after and the Als added another touchdown after the three-minute warning.
SHORT YARDS: Defensive linemen Folarin Orimolade and Jarrell Owens both left the game with injuries … The night was dubbed the Great Neighbour Game, presented by the Calgary Hitmen and Enmax. As part of the initiative, fans were asked to bring diapers and formula to the game to donate. When everything was tallied up, there was 28,066 diapers and 116.116 kg of formula donated by the Stamps faithful. The Hitmen also unveiled a new jersey. For more details, click here.