REGINA - The Calgary Stampeders overcame a scheduling nightmare and brutal start to smoke the Saskatchewan Roughriders 24-10 on Saturday in a rescheduled CFL game.
The contest was originally slated for Friday night but after an almost four-hour weather delay, the game was postponed until Saturday. An air quality issue, caused by forest fires in northern Saskatchewan, resulted in the CFL deciding to reschedule the West Division showdown.
The Stampeders scrambled late Friday night to find accommodations with the players divided between a local hotel and dorms at the University of Regina.
Then when the game began Saturday, the Stampeders got off to an atrocious start. After quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw an interception on Calgary鈥檚 first play from scrimmage, the Stampeders fumbled the ball away on their second possession. Yet they controlled play and could鈥檝e had a bigger halftime lead than the 17-3 difference as the teams went to the locker rooms.
The Stampeders continue to be the biggest surprise of the young 2025 CFL season and Adams believes Saturday鈥檚 victory demonstrates the character of the team.
鈥淚t shows how tough this team is. We had adversity. Yesterday we were ready to play. And then some of us are at the dorms, some at the hotel but we just came out ready to go. We knew what was on the line,鈥 said Adams, who was dynamite in the opening half, completing 20 of 25 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns.
鈥淭hat's a really good team over there. I'm happy for these guys. I'm happy for the win. The game started off rough, and we just came back, and we just kept going and kept fighting.鈥
Calgary鈥檚 dominance of the first half was evident in the statistics. The Stampeders had 367 yards of total offence on 41 plays, while the Riders were limited to 96 yards of total offence on 21 plays.
Dave Dickenson, Calgary鈥檚 head coach and general manager, feels the actions of his players after the rough start indicates their belief in each other.
鈥淲e do preach resiliency. You can preach it, but it doesn't mean you are. You can tell players will sometimes, in moments like that, see their shoulders slump. You can see them drop their heads. I just didn't see that today,鈥 said Dickenson.
鈥淭here's a lot of confidence and trust between the coaches and our players, and they believe that, if they just do their job, that we've got a good group, and it's showing.鈥
The Stampeders knocked off an unbeaten opponent for the second straight week. Saturday鈥檚 victory came on the heels of a 37-13 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 3. Calgary now shares first place in the West Division with Saskatchewan with identical 4-1 records.
Despite the two big wins, Adams isn鈥檛 ready to book tickets to the Grey Cup just yet.
鈥淵ou don't win Grey Cups in July. You just got to keep going, you鈥檝e got to keep playing. We鈥檝e got Winnipeg again this week. They're coming off a bye and it's a short week for us,鈥 said Adams.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to celebrate tonight, have some fun, enjoy it, and then get back at it tomorrow.鈥
Adams eclipsed the 400-yard passing mark for the sixth time in his career as he totalled 428 yards on 28 of 36 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Four of his six 400-yard games have come against Saskatchewan.
In addition to Saturday鈥檚 game, Adams has games of 458, 455 and 451 yards against the Riders. His single-game career high is 488 yards which was against Winnipeg on Sept. 21, 2019, when he was a member of the Montreal Alouettes.
Rookie receiver Damien Alford, making his first career CFL start, had three first-half receptions including a 21-yard touchdown catch. Erik Brooks hauled in a 14-yard scoring pass with eight seconds left in the half.
Saskatchewan opened the second half by scoring a touchdown on their opening possession. Quarterback Trevor Harris connected with rookie receiver Joe Robustelli on an 18-yard major. It was the first CFL touchdown for Robustelli, who was Saskatchewan鈥檚 leading receiver on the day with 11 receptions for 191 yards.
With the touchdown closing the gap to 17-10, it appeared the Riders had taken over the game鈥檚 momentum.
However, that energy burst was short-lived as the Stampeders replied on the next offensive play as Adams hit a wide-open Alford down the right sideline for an 81-yard touchdown to restore Calgary鈥檚 14-point lead.
Adams believes the touchdown stunned the Riders and was the crucial play of the contest.
"It was very important, very important. I told the guys at the half, 鈥榃hatever they do, we have to match it.鈥 I think it was 17-3 at half and kept telling them we鈥檝e got to match them,鈥 said Adams. 鈥淥n that first play, we had seen a look on film that we thought a guy was going to be open, and we took the shot. Alford made the play for me.鈥
Saskatchewan turned the ball over on downs in the red zone twice in the second half, the first coming late in the third quarter and the second coming with 5:13 remaining in the game.
Looking back at the game, Harris suggested the game was closer than it appeared.
鈥淲e get inside the red zone, come up empty twice. We didn't get a rhythm offensively early. I don't think it's like one of those things where you look back and it's just like, 鈥楪ood Lord, we have no chance.鈥
"It's a couple plays here and there. If we finish in the red zone twice and at least keep our defence off the field a little bit in the first half, first quarter, at least, then I think it's a different ball game,鈥 said Harris, who also topped the 400-yard mark with 425 yards on 36 of 44 passing.
"But credit to them. They're a good defence, they鈥檙e a good football team, but so are we and we'll bounce back.鈥
A.J. Allen and Rolan Milligan had interceptions for the Riders. Jaylon Hutchings and Clarence Hicks recorded sacks for the Stampeders. Jameer Thurman had Saskatchewan鈥檚 lone sack.
Rene Paredes had a 16-yard field goal for the Stampeders while Brett Lauther hit a 47-yard field goal for the Riders.
UP NEXT
Stampeders: Visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, July 18.
Roughriders: Visit the B.C. Lions on Saturday, July 19.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2025.