Calgary Stampeders, Montreal Alouettes battle to 19-19 tie
The Calgary Stampeders may have snapped a four-game losing streak and the Montreal Alouettes may have remained unbeaten on the road, but Saturday's 19-19 tie was unsatisfying for both football clubs.
Atop the CFL at 10-2-1 and a playoff spot already locked in, the Alouettes could feel more cheerful about a stalemate than the Stampeders (4-8-1) at the bottom of the West Division.
"I thought that was one of the weirdest games I've played in my entire career. The first draw of my career," Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo said.
"There's worse situations. We could have lost the football game. Getting one point out of it is better than nothing."
What made the game weird was neither side parlayed breaks, including gaffes by the opposition, into any momentum.
Penalties also hampered their progress with clubs combining for 201 lost yards.
"There was a lot of things you should feel pretty good about other than the game ended in a tie, but 19 (points) probably not enough to win still," Stampeder quarterback Jake Maier said. "We've got to push that number to another touchdown or two if we want better results."
The Stampeders are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2004. A single point was cold comfort for head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson.
"We haven't had a win in awhile," Dickenson said. "It's tough for our guys to feel good about that. There were multiple occasions I felt we could have taken the game over."
The two clubs traded field goals in overtime.
Fajardo completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 204 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in his third start since he was sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Montreal's Jose Maltos kicked field goals from 53 and 42 yards, and from 30 and 37 yards in overtime.
His Stampeders counterpart Rene Paredes was good from 14 and 16 yards, missed from 51 and 52 yards, and then made a pair of 42-yarders in OT in front of an announced 20,187 at McMahon Stadium.
Maier was 29-of-37 in passing for 236 yards. He was restored to starter after backing up Logan Bonner in a 37-16 road loss to the Edmonton Elks.
Maier threw four interceptions in a 35-20 loss to the Elks on Labour Day, which prompted the quarterback shuffle.
"I thought Jake had a really good comeback game," Dickenson said. "I was impressed. I thought he threw the ball well. I thought he handled their blitz well. I thought he was confident in the pocket."
Calgary's Marken Michel had a touchdown catch and Dedrick Mills rushed for 122 yards.
Up 13-10, the Stampeders were on Montreal's 15-yard line with just over two minutes to go, but undid the work to get there with a major penalty on each of their next two possessions.
Paredes' 52-yard attempt was wide right and Montreal had the ball with a minute to play.
Fajardo marched the offence downfield. With a second remaining on the clock, Maltos tied the game with a 42-yard field goal.
Calgary led 10-7 with five minutes left in the first half when backup quarterback Tommy Stevens — inserted for a short-yardage touchdown attempt — fumbled on the two-yard line and turned the ball over.
Montreal's Mustafa Johnson recovered teammate Justin Sambu's knock-down of a Maier pass and rumbled for the end zone as the clock ticked down on the half.
Stampeder running back Peyton Logan brought down the defensive tackle at the five-yard line to preserve Calgary's three-point lead at the half.
Montreal's Sean Thomas-Erlington blocked a Cody Grace punt and corralled the ball in the end zone early in the second quarter.
Instead of a touchdown, however, the Alouette was assessed a penalty for roughing the kicker.
But Walter Fletcher's 55-yard dash up the middle set up Fajardo's three-yard touchdown early in the quarter.
Maier threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Michel in the end zone on Calgary's second possession.
The hosts didn't convert Montreal's fumble on the subsequent kickoff into a bigger lead.
James Letcher Jr. lost the ball on the Alouettes' 23-yard line. The Stampeders eked a 14-yard field goal out of the turnover.
Perpetual Paredes
Paredes moved into a tie for second in all-time Stampeder games with his 224th on Saturday. He drew even with defensive back and kicker Larry Robinson (1961-75). Kicker Mark McLoughlin (1988-2003) is the all-time leader with 276.
Indigenous night
Saturday's Indigenous Night game was radio broadcast in the Blackfoot language by Butch Wolfleg and Jacob Leblanc, in addition to the customary English broadcast.
Stampeder players wore orange jerseys during warm-up and their helmets featured a special horse logo to honour and raise awareness of thousands of Indigenous children sent to residential schools.
Up next
The Stampeders are home Friday to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Montreal Alouettes continue a run of three straight road games next Saturday against the Ottawa Redblacks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard found not guilty of sexual assault
Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago. The former Hedley frontman had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
Following child's death in Ontario, here's what you need to know about rabies
An Ontario child died last month after coming into contact with a rabid bat in their bedroom, which was the first known human rabies case in Canada since 2019.
NDP house leader laments 'agents of chaos' in precarious Parliament
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Here's what the jury didn't hear in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
A French judge in a shocking rape case allows the public to see some of the video evidence
A French judge in the trial of dozens of men accused of raping an unconscious woman whose now former husband had repeatedly drugged her so that he and others could assault her decided on Friday to allow the public to see some of the video recordings of the alleged rapes.
2 dead after fire rips through historic building in Old Montreal
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday morning, sources told Noovo Info.