The Calgary Stampeders let the Labour Day Classic and an 18-point lead slip away Monday at McMahon Stadium.
The Edmonton Elks stormed back for a 38-28 win, scoring 24 points in the final 10 minutes to stun their rivals and improve to 9-3 in front of an announced crowd of 25,698 rain-soaked fans.
The host Stampeders appeared in control after building a 28-10 advantage, but their offence stalled when the game tightened, going two-and-out on three straight possessions and opening the door for and Elks comeback.
Justin Rankin delivered the decisive blow, breaking loose for a 50-yard touchdown that gave the Elks their first lead with four minutes remaining. The visitors then added another seven-point score to complete the collapse.
The loss dropped the Stampeders to 5-7 and turned what looked like a statement win into their worst defeat of the season.
At least they won’t have long to stew over it.
The rivals meet again Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium at 5 p.m., when the Stampeders get a shot at redemption.
5 KEY PLAYS WHY THE STAMPS LOST
- The Elks couldn’t get anything going until deep into the second quarter. They didn’t get their first down until 23 minutes into the game, and that came on an iffy pass interference call flagged on Stamps halfback Jaydon Grant. It meant the first first down for the Elks and the first of six on a drive that finally got the visitors on the scoreboard — on a six-yard Cody Fajardo touchdown pass to receiver Kalon Julien-Grant.
- Up 25-7 late in the third quarter, Stamps pass-rusher Clarence Hicks took an unnecessary and flagrant rough-play penalty that kept an Elks drive alive and offered the visitors hope. They took advantage of it a few plays later when QB Fajardo hit receiver Austin Mack in the back of the end zone. The 11-play, 90-yard scoring march was a nice and necessary answer to the Stamps’ first-possession touchdown drive of the half.
- A Nick Anderson sack of Vernon Adams Jr. on second down stalled what should have been a nail-in-the-coffin drive by the Stampeders early in the fourth quarter. Instead the home team settled for a Rene Paredes field goal of 42 yards to keep it a two-score game, and the Elks responded with a quick six-play touchdown drive of 70 yards, capped by ShunDerrick Powell’s three-yard run.
- Three plays after the Powell score, Elks defensive back Cordell Jackson punched the ball out of Barnes’ hands to get the ball back. A few plays later, kicker Vincent Blanchard powered home a 52-yard field goal to bring the visitors within four points at 28-24.
- One play after a sneaky 35-yard punt return by Powell, a 50-yard run right by Justin Rankin went for a timely touchdown by the Elks. The go-ahead points were aided by sloppy tackling by the Stamps, who had a handful of defenders whiff on tackle attempts.
4 GAME STORIES
- The Stamps have been their own worst enemy in being unable to close out games this season. That happened again Monday in a Labour Day Classic they were positioned to win in the third quarter. But it fell apart with the offence failing to move to ball and the defence running out of steam that led to sloppy tackling and all kinds of late offence for the visitors. That helped the Elks rally for 31 points over the final 18:15 of the game.
- The Elks’ Anderson was a game star with a game-high 12 tackles and that key fourth-quarter takedown of Adams. However, the middle linebacker should’ve never seen the field after his first-quarter head hit on the Stamps QB. Officials dropped the ball on the call, when Anderson lowered his helmet to lay a vicious shot on a sliding Adams that drilled the quarterback in the head. Adams stayed in the game, but Anderson shouldn’t have been allowed to.
- Fajardo gained confidence as the game wore on. The Elks QB looked lost in the early stages, missing his receivers with pretty much every throw, and his ability to run seem compromised by tentativeness. That all turned around in the second half when he found his dual-threat mojo and took advantage of an increasingly tiring Stampeders defence.
- The Stampeders needed the win to climb back to .500, but more importantly, they needed the win to get them a 6-6 record and in to a tie with both the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers for third place in the CFL’s West Division standings. With six games left in the regular season, including Saturday’s upcoming visit to Edmonton for a rematch with the Elks, they now need to win their next three games to climb back into what is still a tight race between the five West teams for what looks like four playoff spots, given only two teams in the East look destined to make the post-season.
3 STARS
- Cody Fajardo, QB, Elks — His game stats were pedestrian, but he really only found his feet in the second half to finish with a game-high 76 rushing yards and two touchdown passes on 17-of-31 passing for 181 yards.
- ShunDerrick Powell, WR/KR, Elks — Another half-game guy, Powell lit the fuse to start the Elks rally with a few key rushes in the second half to help tire out the Stamps defence and punt-return yardage that added up to 86 yards. His highlight runback was the 35-yarder to set up the winning points.
- Mark Vassett, P, Stamps — It’s never a good sign when the punter is your best player, but even in a win, Vassett would’ve been a star. He piled up an unreal 510 total yards on 10 punts for an average of 51 per kick. One boot was a 72-yarder, and the all-CFL star also tagged one for a single and laid one down inside the Elks 10-yard-line.
2 STATS
4 — The number of sacks recorded by the Elks in the win. The Stamps only had one early QB takedown by Hicks, who also had a key hurry.
49 — The number of ground yards gathered by Stamps star rusher Dedrick Mills, who is usually the path to success for the Stamps. Mills has only had one less productive game this season, but in that one, he had 30 receiving yards as opposed to just 6 on Monday.
1 QUOTE
Adams told the media: “It sucks, you know, because we understand where we are. You know what I’m saying? That win would have been huge for us and for the organization. We see them again in five days. That’s a good team, man. Coached well, they play hard, and we’re a good team, too. So we just have to finish. You know, we had a lead and just got to take care of that.”