Rival Elks out-play home-side squad to win 35-20 CFL contest at McMahon Stadium
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It was presupposed to be a blackout at McMahon Stadium.
However not this fashion.
Whereas Calgary Stampeders followers have been urged to come back wearing black for the Labour Day Basic on Monday, their workforce went one step additional, trying unconscious themselves for a lot of the annual tilt.
They blacked out, for positive — and couldn’t fairly get better sufficient as soon as they wakened within the 35-20 loss to the rival Edmonton Elks.
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“Irritating — that was a poor efficiency,” stated Stamps GM/head coach Dave Dickenson, visibly upset following the hassle in entrance of 28,467 spirited followers. “It was proper from the git-go. Guys weren’t able to play, and that’s the coaches’ job.
“That one was robust to swallow.”
Worse but to swallow was once they did regain consciousness within the fourth quarter, Stamps quarterback Jake Maier threw three well timed interceptions within the ultimate body.
Too usually, that’s occurred, begging the query of whether or not Logan Bonner is due for extra snaps — after getting some late-game — within the close to future.
“I’m not saying I’m going there, however we’ve acquired to be higher,” stated Dickenson, when requested concerning the days forward at quarterback. “I don’t know. Jake’s battling — he’s our chief. Folks have unhealthy video games and unhealthy teaching days.
“However not ok — he is aware of it,” continued Dickenson of Maier, who completed with 22-of-34 for 297 passing yards and one landing towards 4(!) INTs. “I don’t thoughts some interceptions, however simply too many simply form of lob throws. We gained’t have the ability to play as an offence if we proceed to try this.”
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After getting down 20-6 late within the third quarter — yeah, it took that lengthy to get on observe — the offence acquired it chugging behind Maier for a 69-yard drive, capped by a 12-yard catch-and-run landing for his or her first main of the competition.
However on their subsequent drive, an unsightly choose thrown by Maier into double protection downfield — and proper into the fingers of the lurking Elks defender Loucheiz Purifoy — sewered momentum.
It didn’t assist that unhealthy luck befell the Stamps a couple of performs later, when the Elks fumbled a ball — after Eugene Lewis caught the cross downfield — however noticed it scooped up by teammate Tevin Jones, who ran it 81 yards for a remarkably deflating play of 106 yards. Dakota Prukop then snuck in from one yard out for a TD and a 27-13 lead with simply 10 minutes left.
Then on the following march — once more with the Stamps threatening — Maier threw into double protection, with Devodric Bynum coming away with the ball once more for the Elks.
The second of three fourth-quarter INTs tossed by Maier capped a troublesome triple-play towards the house facet, successfully killing the sport for the Stamps.
Peyton Logan’s electrifying 104-yard punt return for the workforce’s first special-teams rating of the season with simply 3:19 left gave the Stamps late life, however the Elks responded with one other massive play of 73 yards for Jones’ second rating of the affair.
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Certainly, Coach, it was one other robust one — each the massive play and recreation — to swallow.
“You’ll be able to’t win with 18 yards speeding for and 500 yards given up passing,” stated Dickenson of Elks QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s day — 25-of-36 for a whopping 486 passing yards and three touchdowns.
“We’re fooling ourselves if we expect that may win soccer video games, as a result of that won’t win soccer video games.”
Neither will such a lacklustre effort out of the gates — one thing Dickenson was overtly involved about after 18 days off from their final outing.
The Stamps’ solely factors within the first half got here off the foot of veteran kicker René Paredes. He hit excessive field-goals of 57 yards — the longest of this profession — and 13 yards.
“We acquired whooped,” stated Stamps linebacker Micah Awe. “They not solely gained extra performs than we did, they gained much more performs than we did.
“We weren’t ready — we weren’t prepared. They usually have been ready — they have been prepared. Clearly, sure, we watch movie and we had all this further time to arrange. However on the finish of the day, what it comes right down to is while you get on the sector, you’re going to get punched within the mouth and are you ready for that? And we weren’t.”
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“After which we simply weren’t enjoying nicely sufficient,” continued Dickenson. “They bodily out-played us — ran tougher. The hassle was simply not sufficient.
“We gotta clear it up. Most likely must make some adjustments.”
The outcome leaves the Stamps — with a 4-7 report — missing a win of their final three tilts, placing them in peril of dropping into final spot within the CFL’s West Division.
The Elks — at 4-8 — presently occupy that basement putting however gained a recreation on the Stamps with the victory.
That’s not good with the rematch and the Elks proudly owning home-field benefit developing Saturday at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium (5 p.m., TSN, QR Calgary).
“We gotta discover methods to get higher,” added Dickenson. “We now have to play them in 5 days, so a possibility will likely be there to play higher. We should always have the ability to compete with them higher than we did (Monday).
“We get one other shot at them.”
SHORT YARDAGE
OL Bryce Bell (calf) was scratched simply forward of game-time for the Stamps … In different CFL information, former Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell is now 7-0 in Labour Day begins after guiding the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-9) to a 31-28 Monday upset of the Toronto Argonauts (6-5). Oof! … Gotta adore it when expertise will get in the way in which of a soccer recreation. Making what was a snoozer much more of a sleep-fest was the spider cam — that digicam that follows the motion from instantly above the sector — malfunctioned and stalled near the turf throughout play, stopping the competition for at the least 5 minutes. Blacked out, it did.
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