Stampeders earn first win of season, defeat Lions 41-33 in Kelowna

KELOWNA, B.C. — Vernon Adams Jr. threw three touchdown passes against his former team and the Calgary Stampeders used a dominant stretch spanning the end of the first half and the opening of the fourth quarter to earn their first victory of the 2026 CFL season, defeating the BC Lions 41-33 on Saturday at Apple Bowl.



The win improved Calgary to 1-2 while handing BC its third consecutive loss to open the season. It also marked the 50th victory of Adams Jr.'s CFL career.



Calgary struck first on its opening offensive possession, marching 75 yards in eight plays. Jalen Philpot drew a 33-yard pass interference penalty before Adams Jr. found Dedrick Mills for a 20-yard touchdown reception.



BC answered with Nathan Rourke's 14-yard touchdown pass to Zander Horvath before Jude McAtamney restored Calgary's lead with a 57-yard field goal.



The Lions pulled ahead 14-10 after a trick play sparked the drive. Nathan Rourke completed a pass to Keon Hatcher, who lateraled the ball back to the quarterback for a 21-yard gain to the Calgary 16. On the following play, Rourke found Jermaine Jackson for a 16-yard touchdown.



Calgary responded immediately.



Adams Jr. engineered a nine-play, 89-yard drive, capping it with a six-yard touchdown pass to Philpot—his first touchdown of the season—to give the Stampeders a 17-14 lead with just over a minute remaining in the first half.



The momentum swung even further moments later.



Jackson Sombach forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Ben Labrosse recovered at the BC 34-yard line, and Calgary capitalized with a six-play, 34-yard drive. After Adams Jr. converted a key third-and-short with his legs and Dedrick Mills was stopped at the one-yard line, Quincy Vaughn powered into the end zone before halftime to extend the lead to 24-14.



BC cut the deficit to seven on Sean Whyte's 36-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, but Adams Jr. answered late in the period, connecting with Tevin Jones for a 56-yard touchdown to restore Calgary's two-possession advantage at 31-17.



The Stampeders' special teams delivered another game-changing play early in the fourth quarter when Tyreik McAllister returned a Carl Meyer punt 90 yards for a touchdown, pushing Calgary's lead to 38-17.



The Lions would not go away. Horvath scored on a one-yard rushing touchdown before BC added a successful two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 38-25 with 2:48 remaining.



McAtamney answered with a 30-yard field goal with 1:36 left to extend Calgary's lead to 41-25, but BC scored once more when Rourke found Hergy Mayala for an 18-yard touchdown with 21 seconds remaining. The Lions added another successful two-point conversion to account for the 41-33 final.



Although BC outgained Calgary 479-288 in total offence, the Stampeders capitalized on timely opportunities. Calgary's defense came up with key plays throughout the night, including Zy Alexander's interception and a second-quarter sack by Charles Wiley and Miles Brown that forced the Lions out of field-goal range. Special teams also proved pivotal, with Jackson Sombach forcing a fumble that Ben Labrosse recovered, Jude McAtamney drilling a 57-yard field goal and Tyreik McAllister returning a punt 90 yards for a touchdown.



"I think our special teams won us the game," Dickenson said. The head coach also praised Vernon Adams Jr.'s game management, crediting the veteran quarterback for protecting the football while continuing to make plays.



Calgary returns home on a short week to host the Toronto Argonauts in the Stampede Bowl on Thursday night at McMahon Stadium.