Stampeders erase 22-point deficit, fall short in 38-32 thriller against Alouettes

CALGARY — For more than three quarters, the Calgary Stampeders were trying to dig themselves out of a hole. After they finally did, the Montreal Alouettes found one final answer.



Davis Alexander connected with Kaseem Ferdinand for a 27-yard touchdown with 1:04 remaining as the East Division-leading Alouettes improved to 5-1 with a 38-32 victory Saturday at McMahon Stadium. Calgary fell to 2-4 and remains fourth in the West after dropping both ends of the home-and-home series with Montreal.



The Stampeders still had a chance.



José Maltos missed the ensuing convert, leaving Calgary six points behind and giving Vernon Adams Jr. an opportunity to complete a last minute comeback that had seemed improbable for much of the afternoon.



On Calgary's final offensive play, facing third-and-10 from the Montreal 32, Adams connected with Erik Brooks for a 23-yard gain. But Faion Hicks forced Brooks to fumble, and Najee Murray recovered at the Montreal 9 before returning the ball to the 11.



Alexander took a knee from there to seal the victory.



Adams immediately went to Brooks after the game and made it clear he did not view the turnover as the reason Calgary lost.



“I told him, definitely wasn't that play. That's not the reason why we lost,” Adams said. “Again, we only put up three points in the first half.”



The dramatic finish came after Montreal controlled much of the first three quarters.



Travis Theis opened the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run before a kickoff single gave Montreal an 8-0 lead.



Alexander then found Cole Spieker for an 18-yard touchdown on the final play of the first quarter, and Tyler Snead added a 25-yard touchdown reception in the second as Montreal raced out to a 22-0 advantage.



Calgary didn't get on the board until Jude McAtamney connected on a 32-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining before halftime, sending the Stampeders to the locker room trailing 22-3.



Adams took responsibility for Calgary's inability to generate offence early.



“I got to start faster,” Adams said. “I need to get it right and help this team out, and stop letting the organization down. So, all this hero stuff at the end, it doesn't have to be like that.”



The Stampeders began to find life in the third quarter.



Dedrick Mills powered in from 3 yards out for Calgary's first touchdown. The play stood following a review, and Mills added the two-point conversion to cut Montreal's lead to 22-11.



The Alouettes responded when short-yardage quarterback Dustin Crum scored from 1 yard out, restoring an 18-point advantage and giving Montreal a 29-11 lead entering the fourth quarter.



Then Calgary's offence came alive.



Adams found Brooks for a 15-yard touchdown just 13 seconds into the fourth quarter. After a 35-yard Maltos field goal pushed Montreal's advantage to 32-18, Adams connected with Jalen Philpot for a 5-yard score with 4:48 remaining.



Suddenly, Calgary was within seven.



The Stampeders' defence then delivered one of the biggest plays of the game.



With Montreal facing third-and-inches deep in its own territory, Calgary's defensive front, led by Miles Brown, stopped the Alouettes short. Montreal challenged the spot, but the ruling on the field stood, giving Calgary possession at the Montreal 15.



For Brown, the stop was about giving Calgary's offence another chance.



“I'm just happy to give my team an opportunity,” Brown said. “It was a play that, you know, I felt like I could make, I guess, in that moment.”



One play later, Adams found Mills for a 15-yard touchdown. McAtamney's convert completed a 21-point fourth-quarter surge and tied the game 32-32 with 3:03 remaining.



Montreal needed less than two minutes to respond.



Alexander drove the Alouettes back into Calgary territory before finding Ferdinand for the 27-yard touchdown that ultimately decided the game.



It capped another big performance from Alexander, who completed 25 of 32 passes for 402 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Snead caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, while Spieker added 73 yards and a score.



Montreal also found success on the ground. Theis rushed 19 times for 123 yards and a touchdown while adding five receptions for 49 yards.



Calgary countered with a standout performance from Mills, who rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and added 38 receiving yards and another score.



Adams completed 23 of 37 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Jalen Philpot led Calgary's receivers with six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Brooks finished with five catches for 55 yards and a score.



The Stampeders' comeback ultimately came down to the final minutes.



After trailing 22-0 in the first half and 29-11 entering the fourth quarter, Calgary scored three touchdowns in the final period to draw even. But Alexander's late strike to Ferdinand and Montreal's forced fumble on Calgary's final possession ensured the comeback would fall just short.



The loss dropped Calgary to 2-4 and left the Stampeders fourth in the West Division after dropping both ends of the home-and-home series with Montreal.



“We've had a lot of close games we're losing,” Dickenson said. “And you got to be careful because winning is contagious and losing is contagious.”