Adams ties franchise record as Stampeders score 58 in win over Argonauts

CALGARY — Vernon Adams Jr. knew the Calgary Stampeders couldn't let up.



Facing a Toronto Argonauts offence capable of scoring in bunches, Adams kept Calgary's offence on the attack all night.



Adams tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes and added a rushing touchdown Thursday as the Stampeders defeated the Argonauts 58-36 in the annual Stampede Bowl at McMahon Stadium.



The victory improved Calgary to 2-2, while Toronto fell to 2-2.



Head coach Dave Dickenson said it became clear early that his team would need to stay aggressive.



"We were talking with Coach DelMonaco and just saying, 'Hey, we're going to have to keep scoring,'" Dickenson said. "I don't know if we're going to be able to hold them down on the other side."



Adams shared the same approach.



"I was just trying to score more points because I know I got a great quarterback over there, Chad Kelly," Adams said. "I just kept telling the offence, 'Hey guys, we've got to go score every time.'"



The result was one of the greatest offensive performances in franchise history.



Adams matched a club record previously shared by Dickenson, Jeff Garcia and others with six touchdown passes while accounting for seven total touchdowns. He connected twice with Jalen Philpot and Dejon Brissett, while Tevin Jones and Clark Barnes also caught touchdown passes. Adams added a 22-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.



Calgary set the tone early after Tyreik McAllister's 44-yard punt return gave the offence a short field. Adams capped the opening drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Philpot.



Toronto answered throughout the night behind Chad Kelly, who threw three touchdown passes before Nick Arbuckle added another late in the fourth quarter, but every time the Argonauts closed the gap, Calgary had an answer.



Philpot finished with two touchdown receptions, Jones turned a short completion into a 73-yard score late in the second quarter, Barnes hauled in a 45-yard touchdown early in the third, and Brissett added two touchdown receptions, including his second after Zy Alexander's second interception set Calgary up deep in Toronto territory.



Alexander finished with two interceptions, giving him three over Calgary's last two games.



"I was reading the quarterback's eyes," Alexander said of his first interception. "Coach always preaches at practice, if you see the ball in the air, we've got to go get it."



Adams wasn't surprised by Alexander's performance.



"One-handed? Oh my goodness," Adams said. "He's crazy, man. Good for him."



Adams said he saw Alexander's potential during training camp.



"I told him, 'You keep working. You're going to be on that field sooner or later. You're too good of a player not to be on the field.'"



Dickenson said the coaching staff saw Alexander's potential early, but his production has gone beyond what they envisioned.



"I think he's probably exceeded expectations," Dickenson said. "You could see he had the ball skills."



The Calgary coach also credited his receivers for creating explosive plays after the catch.



"When quarterbacks have big numbers, the receivers do a lot of great things for them with their feet."



Adams was especially pleased to see Brissett rewarded after continuing to work through the opening weeks of the season.



"I haven't been finding Brissett too much," he said. "I'm glad I found him in the end zone."



Despite scoring a season-high 58 points, Dickenson said there is still room for improvement.



"We do have to get better," he said. "We didn't play well enough."



The Stampeders have now won consecutive games after opening the season with two narrow losses.



"We were 0-2 and the sky was falling," Dickenson said. "I just told the guys to keep believing in the process of what we do. We'll get better. We'll win games. We know how to win games."



Adams echoed his head coach's confidence.



"We knew we had a good team," he said. "We lost those first two games by a total of five points. We knew we weren't far off."



Calgary will look to extend its winning streak to three games next Saturday when it visits the Montreal Alouettes in Week 6 before returning home to host Montreal on July 18.