Pouring rain and howling winds put an end to the warm and cozy feeling that Stampeders fans had after a 2-0 start to the season. The Calgary squad squandered a winnable game against the Ottawa Redblacks, losing 20-12 in front of a generously announced crowd of 15,684 fans.
It was the coldest June 21 on record in Calgary and had the highest single-day rainfall total since 2013.
Here’s what I saw from the relative comfort of the pressbox.
Missed opportunities
The Stampeders shot themselves in the foot on several occasions in this game and left a substantial number of points on the field as a result.
First, there was a third-and-three from the Ottawa seven-yard line. The ball was thrown short, although Clark Barnes had an opportunity to make a challenging diving catch, and the result was a turnover. Adams suggested after the game that the ball slipped out on the throw, which didn’t help either. A minimum of three points were taken off the board.
Later in the game, P.J. Walker was stopped behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-goal from the one-yard line. That took another touchdown off the board and brought our total of lost points to 10.
Wind took a field goal attempt away from Rene Paredes, as the Stampeders elected to try an onside punt instead from the Ottawa 42-yard line, lining up two players behind new global punter Fraser Masin. Masin certainly put the ball high enough into the air, but also kicked it out of bounds just eight yards downfield.
Tack on a 10-yard penalty as a result, and the Stamps lost two yards on a punt that wasn’t returned. They also bypassed what is a makeable field goal for Rene Paredes on most June afternoons. Make that 13 missed points.
Paredes would also miss a field goal in the early going, which eventually led to a safety, so that is just a one-point deduction, which gets us to 14 total points.
Finally, there was a Vernon Adams Jr. fumble in positive territory that would have generated a field goal try to bring the grand total of points lost by mistakes to a minimum of 17. If you get the first touchdown catch from Barnes, it comes to 21 total.
21 points lost in a game the team lost by only eight. It also may have stopped Ottawa from looking like a…
Freight train a comin’
The Ottawa Redblacks certainly came in with a plan. Run right at the hole created by the injury to Marquel Lee and see what happens.
Double that with one of the more effective running backup QBs in the league in Dustin Crum. Finally, add in a tightly contested ball game where you have the lead for the vast majority of the contest, which encourages the run, and you have a disaster in waiting.
The Stampeders would surrender 239 yards to the Redblacks’ rushing attack.
Coach Dave Dickenson said after the game that the team would be spending the bye week addressing injury concerns, especially at linebacker. He signed future Canadian Football Hall of Famer Adam Bighill to the team’s practice roster the next morning.
Both Marquel Lee and Gary Johnson Jr., who started in Week 1, are now on the six-game injured list, although both are expected back this season.
Left no Crum’s
While the Redblacks were busy running the ball, there were still 22 pass attempts thrown by Crum. Only nine of those were completed for just 111 yards.
This new-look Stampeders secondary has done exactly what the coaching staff has been looking for the last few seasons. While the interceptions haven’t quite been there yet, the team is knocking down a ton of passes and defending well.
All three opponents have had inefficient days at the office, with much of their passing attack coming late in games that were all but decided. If Calgary can continue to ground elite receivers and stop teams from getting the ball downfield, they should continue to pile up wins.
Adams spreads it around
Vernon Adams Jr. is proving that it will be difficult to tell who the top dog is in the Calgary receiving corps.
Adams had completions to nine different receivers in the game. This time, Clark Barnes collected the most yards, turning his two catches on four targets into 61 yards.
In Week 1, it was Barnes who stood out. Then in Week 2, he wasn’t even targeted while Jalen Philpot handled the load.
As long as Adams can keep defenders and their coordinators guessing, the first passing TD of the season shouldn’t be too far down the road.
Hutchings was grabbing
While the defensive line was getting pressure with regularity during the game Saturday, a special mention should go out to Jaylon Hutchings.
The product of Texas Tech was a menace, collecting a safety and another tackle for loss on a three-tackle day. That gives him two sacks in three games so far this season.
Hutchings is in his second CFL season, after being released and re-signed by Calgary in 2024.
Up next
The Stampeders now head out on their bye week, hoping to get healthy in time for the inaugural Stampede Bowl. A trophy will be on the line when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers come to town on July 3.
Ryan Ballantine is a lifelong Stamps fan and host of the Go Stamps Go Show Podcast. He has been covering the team since 2008.
