SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jul 19, 2014
Stampeders 10, Tiger-Cats 7: Rene Paredes hit the go-ahead field goal with 6:44 remaining as host Calgary fended off Hamilton to remain unbeaten.
The Stampeders (3-0) came into the night having allowed 23 points over their first two games, and looked even more impressive defensively against a Tiger-Cats side missing starting quarterback Zach Collaros. Bo Levi Mitchell went 20-for-35 for 201 yards, Brad Sinopoli scored the game's lone touchdown on a 26-yard scamper and Matt Walter had 11 carries for 56 yards to lead the backfield effort.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli earned his first CFL start for Hamilton (0-3) but was replaced by Dan LeFevour after struggling for three quarters. The duo combined to throw for just 183 yards with an interception - one of three Tiger-Cats turnovers.
After Hamilton provided the lone first-quarter scoring on a single and Justin Medlock's 42-yard field goal, the Stampeders finally responded with just over eight minutes left in the second. Sinopoli gathered the ball in the backfield and eluded a half-dozen Hamilton tacklers before surging across the goal line for his first career CFL touchdown.
Both teams' offensive struggles continued in the second half, with Medlock's 29-yarder representing the only points of the third quarter. Paredes lifted the Stampeders back in front on a 39-yarder that narrowly missed the left upright, a botched hold foiled Medlock's game-tying field goal attempt with just over two minutes left and Mitchell's 16-yard run on the ensuing possession helped Calgary run the Tiger-Cats out of time.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Masoli was the MVP of the 2008 Holiday Bowl, racking up 364 all-purpose yards in Oregon's 42-31 win over Oklahoma State. ... Collaros is recovering from head and neck injuries suffered in a 28-24 loss in Edmonton on July 4. ... Paredes, who set a league record last season by making 39 straight field goals, had a miss Friday and has failed on three of his last six attempts.