Mitchell throws over 300 yards for Stampeders in 30-23 win over Elks
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 321 yards and Malik Henry scored a third-quarter, go-ahead touchdown for the Calgary Stampeders in a 30-23 win over the visiting Edmonton Elks on Saturday.
Ka'Deem Carey and Tommy Stevens scored rushing touchdowns in addition to Henry's touchdown catch for Calgary (3-0) in front of an announced 22,739 at McMahon Stadium.
Henry compiled 173 receiving yards on six catches in the game.
Calgary's Rene Paredes kicked field goals from 46, 28 and 35 yards and added three points in converts in the first of four meetings this season between the CFL's Alberta clubs.
Calgary and Edmonton haven't played four games against each other in a single season since 2012.
Kai Locksley scored a short-yardage rushing touchdown and Emmanuel Arceneaux had a touchdown catch for Edmonton (0-3).
Sergio Castillo kicked a pair of 46-yard field goals and another from 47 yards. Matt Mengel scored a 60-yard punt single.
Mitchell, who was a game-time decision because of a sore foot that limited his reps in practice this week, completed 21 of 28 passing attempts with one touchdown pass in his 150th career CFL start.
In his first start against the team that gave him his start in the league, Elks quarterback Nick Arbuckle was 20-for-31 in passing for 225 yards and one touchdown throw. He was intercepted once.
Arbuckle spent his first two seasons with the Stampeders in 2018 and 2019. He went 4-3 in the latter season when Mitchell was injured.
The Stampeders trailed at halftime for a third straight game, but down three points was the smallest deficit of the three.
Calgary led 20-17 by the end of the third quarter on Mitchell's 28-yard touchdown throw to Henry and a Paredes convert in the last minute.
Paredes padded the Stampeders' lead to 23-17 with a 35-yard field goal to start the fourth quarter, but Castillo responded with a 46-yarder to keep the Elks in the hunt for the win.
Stevens, Calgary's third-string quarterback behind Mitchell and Jake Maier, scored his first CFL touchdown on a one-yard effort with two minutes remaining in the game, after Edmonton's defence denied Stevens from the same distance on the previous play.
The Elks trailed by a converted touchdown following Castillo's 47-yard field goal with 33 seconds to play in the game. Edmonton's attempt to recover an onside kick was foiled by Kamar Jorden grabbing the ball first.
Paredes' 26-yard field goal pulled Calgary within a point after Mengel's punt single to start the third quarter, but Castillo later extended Edmonton's lead to 17-13 with his first from 46 yards.
Stampeder linebacker Cameron Judge picked off an Arbuckle pass intended for Kenny Lawler to put the ball on the 38-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the quarter.
Mitchell threw to Henry on the next play and the receiver sprinted to plant his foot in the end zone's corner to score.
In addition to Judge's pick, the Stampeders also got defensive contributions in the third quarter from Shawn Lemon with a pair of sacks and a pass knockdown.
The Elks led 13-3 with two minutes remaining in the first half on Arceneaux's 33-yard catch and run to the end zone, and a Castillo convert.
But Calgary quickly countered with a six-play drive highlighted by Mitchell's throws of 24 and 37 yards to Reggie Begelton.
Carey capped the march with a three-yard dash to the end zone for the hosts to trail by a field goal at halftime.
Stampeder head coach Dave Dickenson was denied his challenge for pass interference on a Mitchell throw to Henry early in the second quarter. Paredes then halved a six-point deficit with a 46-yard field goal.
Edmonton's Deon Lacey knocked the ball out of Henry's hands for Thomas Costigan to recover on the Elks' 52-yard line midway through the opening quarter. The visitors didn't convert the turnover into points, however.
Dionte Ruffin's pass interference penalty on Arbuckle's throw to Lawler in the end zone put the Elks on the one-yard line during their opening drive of the game. Locksley scored on the short-yardage plunge for a 6-0 visitors lead.
Calgary's defence denied Edmonton's two-point convert attempt.
The Stampeders head into a bye week while the Elks are in Hamilton on Friday to face the Tiger-Cats.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.