Stampeders and Alouettes battle to a 19-19 tie Achi-News

The Calgary Stampeders may have gone on a four-game losing streak and the Montreal Alouettes may have gone undefeated on the road, but Saturday’s 19-19 draw was unsatisfactory for both football clubs .

At the top of the CFL at 10-2-1 and a playoff spot already locked up, the Alouettes could feel more cheerful about a situation where the Stampeders (4-8-1) are at the bottom of the Western Division.

“I thought that was one of the strangest games I’ve played in my entire career. First tie of my career,” Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo said.

“There are worse situations. We could have lost the football game. To get one point out of it is better than nothing.”

What made the game strange was that neither side, including gaffes from the opposition, had any momentum.

Penalties also hampered their progress with clubs combining for 201 lost yards.

“There were a lot of things you should feel pretty good about other than the game ending in a tie, but I guess 19 (points) still wasn’t enough to win,” said quarterback Stampeder Jake Maier. “We have to push that number another touch or two if we want better results.”

The Stampeders are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. One point was cold comfort for head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson.

“We haven’t had a win in a while,” Dickenson said. “It’s hard for our guys to feel good about that.

“There were several occasions where I felt we could have taken the game over.”

The two clubs traded field goals in overtime.

Fajardo completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 204 yards and scored a touchdown in his third start since being sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury.

Montreal’s Jose Maltos kicked field goals of 53 and 42 yards, and of 30 and 37 yards in overtime.

His Stampeders counterpart, Rene Paredes, was good from 14 and 16 yards, missed from 51 and 52 yards, and then made a pair of 42-yarders in OT in front of 20,187 announced at McMahon Stadium.

Maier was 29-of-37 passing for 236 yards. He was reinstated to start after backing up Logan Bonner in a 37-16 road loss to the Edmonton Elks.

Maier threw four interceptions in a 35-20 loss to the Elks on Labor Day, which prompted the quarterback change.

“I thought Jake had a really good comeback game,” Dickenson said.

“I was impressed. I thought he threw the ball well. I thought he handled their blitz well. I thought he was confident in the pocket.”

Calgary’s Marken Michel had a touchdown and Dedrick Mills rushed for 122 yards.

Up 13-10, the Stampeders were on the Montreal 15-yard line with just over two minutes to go, but didn’t get the job done to get there with a major penalty on each of their next two possessions.

Paredes’ 52-yard attempt was wide and Montreal had the ball with a minute to play.

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Fajardo marched the offense down the field. With one second left on the clock, Maltos tied the game with a 42-yard field goal.

Calgary led 10-7 with five minutes left in the first half when backup quarterback Tommy Stevens – lined up for a short yardage attempt – fumbled at the two-yard line and turned the ball over.

Montreal’s Mustafa Johnson recovered Maier’s pass, his teammate, Justin Sambu, and fell into the end zone as the clock ticked down on the half.

Stampeder running back Peyton Logan brought down defensive tackle at the five-yard line to keep Calgary ahead by three points at the half.

Montreal’s Sean Thomas-Erlington blocked Cody Grace’s punt and corralled the ball in the end zone early in the second quarter.

Instead of a touchdown, however, the Alouette was assessed a penalty for roughing the kicker.

But Walter Fletcher’s 55-yard run up the middle set up Fajardo’s three-yard touchdown run early in the quarter.

Maier threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Michel in the end zone on Calgary’s second possession.

The hosts did not convert Montreal’s fumble on the ensuing kickoff to extend their lead.

James Letcher Jr. lost the ball on the Alouettes’ 23-yard line. The Stampeders managed to get a 14-yard field goal off the turnover.

Permanent Paredes

Paredes moved into a tie for second in all-time Stampeder games with his 224th on Saturday. He tied with defensive back and kicker Larry Robinson (1961-75). Kicker Mark McLoughlin (1988-2003) is the all-time leader with 276.

Indigenous night

The Indigenous Night game was broadcast on the radio in the Blackfoot language by Butch Wolfleg and Jacob Leblanc, in addition to the usual English broadcast.

Stampeder players wore orange jerseys during warm-ups and their helmets featured a special horse logo to honor and raise awareness of the thousands of indigenous children sent to residential schools.

Up next

The Stampeders are home on Friday to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Montreal Alouettes continue a streak of three straight road games next Saturday against the Ottawa Redblacks.

This report was first published by The Canadian Press on September 14, 2024.

& copy 2024 The Canadian Press