The quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell validated the decision to play late and Malik Henry overcame some early difficulties with a go-to touch for the Calgary Stampeders in a 30-23 win over visiting Edmonton Elks on Saturday.
Mitchell, who decided to start the game in game time because of a foot injury, threw 321 yards and encounters in the 150th CFL start of his career. The 32-year-old Texan has completed 21 of his 28 passing attempts.
Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson decided to put Jake Maier on the bench until Mitchell said on Saturday afternoon the taping of his leg was enough to give him peace of mind.
“I talked to Dave and said ‘meet me on the field and see how it feels,’ and it feels good enough to move around in the pocket,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think I ran at full speed. I am so grateful that Dave trusted me.”
Dickenson said: “I could see in his eyes that he wanted to play and felt confident in that so I went with him. If you have leg pain and can still walk like that, I think that’s a good thing.”
Ka’Deem Carey and Tommy Stevens scored hasty touches alongside Henry’s catch for Calgary (3-0) against 22,739 goals announced at McMahon Stadium.
Henry aggregated 173 yards received on six catches in the game, including a 46-yard catch. He also fumbled to clear the ball and was penalized for offside in the first half.
So taking a 28-yard pass from Mitchell and sprinting to put his foot in the corner of the final zone for a last-minute touchdown of the third half felt like redemption.
“I need that. The early snooping makes me angry,” Henry said. “My teammates told me to stay in the game. Come back in the second half and play doubles. “
Calgary’s René Paredes kicked goals from 46, 28 and 35 yards and added three points in the conversions.
Kai Locksley scored a quick touchdown from short distance and Emmanuel Arceneaux had a touch that knocked Edmonton (0-3).
In his first game against the team that got him started in the league, Elks midfielder Nick Arbuckle led the ball 20 to 31 in a 225-yard pass and a throw-in. He was blocked once.
Arbuckle spent his first two seasons with the Stampeders in 2018 and 2019. He went 4-3 in the season after Mitchell was injured.
Sergio Castillo made a pair of goals from 46 yards and another from 47 yards. Matt Mengel has scored a 60-yard pitch in the first of four meetings this season between the CFL’s clubs in Alberta.
Calgary and Edmonton haven’t played four games together in a single season since 2012. The Stampeders face the Elks once again in Edmonton after their upcoming goodbye week.
“I love it. I like the fact that you’re going to go up against a team as well-trained as they are, that know how to win as well as they (do) because that makes you a better team,” he said. Elks head coach Chris Jones said, “You have to show up and play at the top all the time.”
“We were ahead and were unable to defend our lead due to many factors. All three balls in the second half were not good.”
The Stampeders took the lead at halftime for the third game in a row, but three points down was the smallest shortfall of the three.
Calgary defender Cameron Judge blocked Arbuckle’s pass for Kenny Lawler to put the ball at 38 yards less than a minute into the third round.
Mitchell’s throw-in for Henry the next inning gave the Stampeders the lead for the first time in the game.
In addition to Judge’s pick, defensive late Shawn Lemon contributed a pair of bags and a knockdown pass in the third inning that ended 20-17 in Calgary’s favor.
Paredes made it 23-17 for the Stampeders with a 35-yard goal to start the fourth half, but Castillo responded with a 46-yard player to keep Elks in range.
Stevens, Calgary’s third quarterback after Mitchell and Maier, scored his first CFL touchdown in a one-yard effort with two minutes remaining, after Edmonton’s defense denied Stevens from the same distance in the previous play.
The Elks took the lead with a converted touch after Castillo’s 47-yard goal with 33 seconds to play in the game. Edmonton’s attempt to recover a kick inside was thwarted by Kamar Jorden who stole the ball first.
The Elks took a 13-3 lead with two minutes left in the first half when Arceneaux caught the ball from 33 yards and ran to the back yard, and a conversion from Castillo.
But Calgary was quick to counterattack with a six-shot hit marked by Mitchell’s 24- and 37-yard throws for Reggie Begelton. Carey limited the march to a three-yard dash to the final zone.
Edmonton’s Deon Lacey headed the ball out of Henry’s hand to allow Thomas Costigan to recover on Elks’ 52-yard line midway through the opening half. However, the visitor did not convert the revenue into points.
Dionte Ruffin’s penalty pass from Arbuckle’s throw-in to Lawler at the back of the field sent Elks narrowly across the line in the opening phase of the game. Locksley scored in a short dive to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.
The Calgary defense rejected Edmonton’s two-point conversion attempt. The Elks are in Hamilton on Friday to take on the Tiger-Cats.
Canadian Press
