Stampeders hold off Riders to continue hot run

Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 242 yards and four touchdowns as the Calgary Stampeders won their third straight game to continue their hot pursuit of a CFL playoff berth with a 37-31 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday.

Calgary improved to 8-8 while the Riders dropped their third straight to fall to 8-7. Saskatchewan could have clinched a playoff berth with a win but the Stampeders instead won the season series to have a tiebreaker over the Riders.

The West Division standings are tight with four teams fighting for playoff spots behind the first-place, playoff-bound Edmonton Elks (11-4). The B.C. Lions are 8-6 while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are 7-7. On Saturday, the Lions play the Toronto Argonauts while the Bombers take on the Montreal Alouettes.

Carrying a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter, the Stampeders put the game away with two touchdowns.

After quarterback Adams connected with Erik Brooks on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 9:13 left in regulation, the Stampeders increased their lead to 34-13 on a four-yard touchdown reception by Jalen Philpot with 5:19 remaining.

It was the seventh game of the season for the veteran quarterback with three or more touchdown passes and no interceptions. Adams finished 22-of-29 passing.

The Riders scored three late touchdowns. Daniel Wiebe caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Harris with 2:42 remaining, Dhel Duncan-Busby nabbed a five-yard scoring pass with 1:04 left and Johnny Johnson had an eight-yard TD reception on the final play of the game. The Riders failed two-point convert attempts after all three touchdowns.

Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 42-yard field goal in between the first two of those three Saskatchewan touchdowns.

The Stampeders took a 17-10 lead into halftime with touchdown receptions by Clark Barnes (13 yards) and Damien Alford (48 yards), along with a 51-yard field goal from Paredes.

Calgary’s opening major came after Saskatchewan’s Quali Conley fumbled a punt with the Stampeders recovering on the Riders 34-yard line. Barnes scored two plays later.

Kian Schaffer-Baker scored Saskatchewan’s lone touchdown in the opening half, hauling in a 23-yard major. Schaffer-Baker had three catches for 64 yards on the touchdown drive.

Rookie kicker Dawson Hodge had a 38-yard field goal but missed from 54 and 45 yards in the second quarter.

Harris completed 36 of 50 passes for 453 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

UP NEXT

Stampeders: Travel to Winnipeg to play the Blue Bombers on Oct. 10.

Riders: Visit the league-leading Alouettes in Montreal on Oct. 12.