CALGARY — Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s first start as a B.C. Lion was a memorable one.
Adams threw for 294 yards, rushed for 32, and engineered a 31-29 overtime win over the host Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
Acquired from the Montreal Alouettes in an Aug. 31 trade, Adams didn’t throw any touchdown passes for the Lions, but he didn’t throw any interceptions either.
“It means so much. It means a lot,” Adams said. “I’ve been through a lot. Roller-coaster type of year. I had a bad practice on day one and the guys still stayed with me. We fought throughout the night.”
James Butler scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, including one in overtime.
The Lions (9-3) held onto second place in the CFL’s West Division, two points up on the Stampeders (8-5) in third, and six points back of the front-running Winnipeg Blue Bombers (12-2).
The two-time defending Grey Cup champion Bombers lost for just the second time this season Saturday, falling 48-31 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Adams’ backup Antonio Pipkin scored a rushing touchdown and added a two-point convert in overtime Saturday.
B.C.’s Sean Whyte kicked field goals from 38, 30 and 14 yards in front of an announced 22,319 at McMahon Stadium.
Lions receiver Dominique Rhymes compiled 91 receiving yards to reach over 1,000 this season, and Bryan Burnham posted a 100-yard night.
B.C. improved to 2-0 against Calgary with a pair of narrow victories.
The Lions came from behind to win 41-40 at McMahon on Aug. 13 with quarterback Nathan Rourke under centre.
“I think you can understand how disappointing it is, especially where we are in the standings,” Calgary linebacker Jameer Thurman said. “We’ve got to be better. Simple as that.”
Rourke injuring his ankle the week after the win in Calgary precipitated the trade for Adams.
The two clubs meet again Saturday in Vancouver.
Jake Maier went 26 of 38 in passing for 301 yards and three touchdown throws, but he dropped to 2-2 in starts since supplanting Bo Levi Mitchell as Calgary’s starting quarterback last month.
Maier threw touchdown passes to Malik Henry and Luther Hakunavanhu, and another to Jalen Philpot in OT.
Butler scored his second major of the game on B.C.’s opening overtime drive with an eight-yard carry.
Calgary’s offside penalty gave B.C. a second chance at a two-point convert, which Pipkin converted with a two-yard dash.
Calgary countered with Maier throwing a four-yard touchdown throw to Philpot in the end zone.
The Stampeders challenged for pass interference following Maier’s incompletion to Reggie Begelton for two points.
Officials ruling against it sealed another close victory for the Lions at McMahon.
“It’s huge. I can’t give our players enough credit for winning twice here in Calgary,” B.C. head coach Rick Campbell said.
Calgary’s Rene Paredes kicked field goals from 38, 37 and 13 yards, but was wide left on a 48-yard attempt with 23 seconds remaining in regulation time.
Calgary was hampered by 128 penalty yards to B.C.’s 87 in the game, with the ball in B.C.’s hands for 35 minutes, 28 seconds in the game.
“We’ve got to get off the field on second down,” Thurman said. “Too many times, we had them on second and long and didn’t get off. We’ve got to get the offence the ball.”
Whyte’s 14-yard field goal put the Lions up by a converted touchdown with five minutes remaining in the game.
Calgary drew even with two minutes to go when Maier found an all-alone Hakunavanhu in the end zone with an eight-yard throw.
Maier navigated Calgary’s offence to the 48-yard line in the final minute for a Paredes attempt, which he missed.
Calgary also didn’t convert a first down from 22 yards out into a major early in the fourth quarter.
The Stampeders settled for a Paredes 13-yard chip shot to trail by four points.
Pipkin’s one-yard plunge late in the third quarter spotted the Lions a 20-13 lead.
Calgary’s unnecessary roughness and pass interference penalties accelerated B.C.’s march to the Stampeders’ doorstep.
Pipkin scored on his third attempt after he was twice repelled by Calgary’s defence.
Whyte’s 30-yard field goal early in the second half drew the Lions even at 13-13.
With B.C. threatening from Calgary’s 21-yard line late in the second, Stampeder linebacker Cameron Judged hunted down a scrambling Adams, forced a fumble and collected his league-leading fifth recovery this season.
A Paredes’ 37-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in the first half gave the hosts a 13-10 lead heading into the third quarter.
Maier and Henry combined on a 77-yard touchdown early in the second.
Henry outsprinting coverage downfield hauled in an over-the-shoulder catch and headed for the end zone for his eighth touchdown this season.
B.C. exploited Calgary’s 35 yards in penalties over the game’s first six possessions.
The visitors turned advantageous field position into a touchdown on their opening drive with Butler scoring on a 10-yard run.
The two clubs then traded 38-yard field goals for the Lions to lead 10-3 after one quarter.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2022.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
