Stampeders down Tiger-Cats 38-26 in Calgary debut for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
CALGARY – Dedrick Mills scored three rushing touchdowns for the Calgary Stampeders in a 38-26 win over the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 19 of 28 pass attempts for 284 yards in his Stampeder debut while also rushing for 33 yards on three carries. He was intercepted twice in the second quarter.
His backup P.J. Walker contributed a short-yardage touchdown and Rene Paredes kicked field goals from 42, 29 and 38 yards in front of an announced 18,682 on a breezy, hazy evening at McMahon Stadium. Mills rushed for 94 yards on 17 carries in the game.
Kenny Lawler and Isiah Wooden scored Hamilton's touchdowns, while Marc Liegghio booted field goals from 47, 37 and 25 yards in the CFL season-opener for both clubs.
The Tiger-Cats haven't won their first game of the season since 2019, while the Stampeders improved to 3-3 in their last six openers.
Ticats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 31 of 50 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown throw in an interception-free start. Hamilton turned the ball over on downs three times in the game.
The Stampeders scored a pivotal touchdown to start the second half when Paredes' kickoff hung in the wind. Calgary's Jeshrun Antwi got a hand on the football and teammate Kelon Thomas recovered at Hamilton's 13-yard line.
After Mills ran the ball to the one, Walker scored and Paredes' convert gave Calgary a 25-10 lead. Paredes added a 29-yard field goal, while Hamilton got an 80-yard punt single from Nik Constantinou late in the third quarter.
Adams scrambled out of the pocket to connect with Clark Barnes on a 65-yard passing play to end the quarter. Mills started the fourth with a five-yard dash to score, but Hamilton's Wooden returned the subsequent kickoff 105 yards for the visitors' first touchdown of the game to trail 35-18.
Mitchell got the offence moving midway through the fourth quarter, but the Tiger-Cats turned the ball over on downs on third and two at Calgary's seven-yard line.
Hamilton's Mario Kendricks salvaged a two-point safety, however, by sacking Adams in the end zone on Calgary's next drive.
Lawler scored his first touchdown as a Tiger-Cat with a 19-yard catch and run with two-and-a-half minutes remaining on the clock. Calgary defensive back Tyler Richardson denied Hamilton's attempted two-point convert by tackling Ante Milanovic-Litre.
The Tiger-Cats failed the subsequent onside-kick recovery attempt. Paredes' 38-yard field goal had the hosts up 38-26 with just over two minutes to play.
Calgary led 18-9 at halftime. Mills generated his second major of the game with 11 seconds left, followed by a Paredes convert.
The Tiger-Cats had turned the ball over on downs with under a minute to go in the half. Mills punched the ball in from the three-yard line five plays and 38 yards later.
Calgary's 75-yard single by new Australian punter Fraser Masin with a minute left in the half gave the hosts an 11-9 lead.
A Mills' 24-yard carry had Calgary threatening, but Adams was intercepted a second time in the second quarter half with Jonathan Moxey getting Hamilton the ball. The Ticats converted that turnover into a 37-yard Liegghio field goal to trail by a point.
Calgary led 10-3 after the opening quarter. The Stampeders scored on the game's first possession with Adams marching the offence 85 yards on nine plays for Mills to cap with a one-yard dart into the end zone.
Hamilton countered with Liegghio's 47-yard field goal on the Tiger-Cats' first drive of the game.
Mitchell reached 11th all-time in passing yardage in the CFL on that drive to get to 39,047 yards, with 32,541 of those produced as a Stampeder between 2012 and 2022.
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Calgary's Paredes responded from 42-yards later in the first quarter, while Liegghio was good from 25 yards to start the second.
UP NEXT
Stampeders: Visit the Toronto Argonauts next Saturday.
Tiger-Cats: Host the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
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