Adams threw for 294 yards, rushed for 32 in a 31-29 overtime victory over the host Calgary Stampeders on Saturday. Acquired from the Montreal Alouettes in an Aug. 31 trade, Adams didn’t throw a pass for the Lions, but didn’t throw an interception either. “It means so much. It means a lot,” Adams said. “I’ve been through a lot. Roller-coaster guy of the year. I had a bad practice the first day and the guys stuck with me. We fought all night.” James Butler scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, including one in overtime. The Lions (9-3) maintained second place in the CFL’s West Division, two points ahead of the third-place Stampeders (8-5) and six points behind the league-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers (12-2). The two-time defending Gray Cup Bombers lost for just the second time this season on Saturday, falling 48-31 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Adams backup Antonio Pipkin scored a rushing touchdown and added a two-point conversion in overtime Saturday. BC’s Sean Whyte hit field goals of 38, 30 and 14 yards in front of an announced crowd of 22,319 at McMahon Stadium. Lions receiver Dominique Rhymes racked up 91 receiving yards to reach 1,000 this season and Bryan Burnham posted a 100-yard night. BC improved to 2-0 against Calgary with a pair of narrow wins. The Lions came from behind to win 41-40 at McMahon on Aug. 13 with quarterback Nathan Rourke under center. “I think you can understand how disappointing it is, especially where we are in the standings,” Calgary defenseman Jameer Thurman said. “We have to get 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 on Saturday in Vancouver. Jake Maier completed 26-of-38 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns, but fell to 2-2 in starts since replacing 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 big play on BC’s opening drive in overtime with an eight-yard carry. Calgary’s offside penalty gave BC a second chance at a two-point conversion, which Pipkin converted with a two-yard scamper. Calgary countered with Meyer throwing a four-yarder to Philpott in the end zone. The Stampeders challenged pass interference after Maier crashed into Reggie Begelton for two points. The officials ruling against him sealed another close win for the Lions at McMahon. “It’s huge. I can’t give our players enough credit for winning twice here in Calgary,” said BC head coach Rick Campbell. Calgary’s Rene Paredes made field goals of 38, 37 and 13 yards, but was wide left on a 48-yarder with 23 seconds left in regulation. Calgary was held to 128 penalty yards to BC’s 87 on the play, with the ball in BC’s hands for 35 minutes, 28 seconds into the game. “We have to get off the field after the second down,” Thurman said. “Too many times, we had them second and second and we didn’t get down. We have to get the ball on offense.” White’s 14-yard field goal put the Lions within one with five minutes left in the game. Calgary evened the score with two minutes left when Meyer found an all-alone Hakunavanhu in the end zone with an eight-yarder. Meyer drove the Calgary offense to the 48-yard line in the final minute for a Paredes attempt, which he missed. Calgary also didn’t convert a first down 22 yards into a meaningful one early in the fourth quarter. The Stampeders settled for a 13-yard field goal by Paredes and trailed by four points. Pipkin’s one-yard plunge late in the third quarter found the Lions ahead 20-13. Calgary’s unnecessary roughness and pass interference penalties accelerated BC’s march to the Stampeders’ doorstep. Pipkin scored on his third try after being blocked twice by the Calgary defence. Whyte’s 30-yard field goal early in the second half drew the Lions even at 13-13. With BC threatening from Calgary’s 21-yard line late in the second, Stampeder linebacker Cameron Judged chased down a fumbled Adams, forced a fumble and grabbed his league-leading fifth fumble recovery. the season. A 37-yard field goal by Paredes with 12 seconds left in the first half gave the home team a 13-10 lead in the third quarter. Maier and Henry combined on a 77-yard touchdown run early in the second. Henry broke through coverage downfield, pulled over the shoulder and headed into the end zone for his eighth touchdown of the season. BC took advantage of Calgary’s 35 yards in penalties over the first six possessions of the game. The visitors turned the field advantage into a touchdown on their opening drive with Butler scoring on a 10-yard run. The two clubs then traded 38-yard field goals to give the Lions a 10-3 lead after one quarter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 17, 2022.
