Stampeders 17 Redblacks 16
OTTAWA — A last-second 31-yard field goal from Rene Paredes gave the Calgary Stampeders a 17-16 win over the Ottawa Redblacks Thursday night.
The Stampeders looked like they were going to score their first touchdown of the game on their previous series, but Richie Sindani fumbled trying to dive into the end zone and the ball was recovered by Redblacks defensive back Sherrod Baltimore with less than two minutes to play.
The Redblacks elected to concede a safety two plays later rather than punt from their end zone, cutting the lead to 16-14.
The Stamps drove the field after the kickoff and got the winning boot from Paredes.
Brad Sinopoli had given the Redblacks a 16-12 lead with a 23-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter.
Lewis Ward kicked three field goals in the game for the Redblacks, giving him 63 consecutive in the regular season as Ottawa (2-4) dropped its fourth straight.
Jonathon Jennings was making his second start in place of the injured Dominique Davis and threw for 125 yards passing and two interceptions.
The Stampeders (4-2) got 370 passing yards from Nick Arbuckle, but 98 yards in penalties cost them.
Paredes tried a late field goal from 49-yards but the ball hit the left upright, keeping the Redblacks lead at four.
The first half featured field goals, six turnovers, 78 yards in penalties — all against Calgary — and one punt.
Ottawa had only 66 yards of total offence in the first half. The Stampeders had 229 yards of offence.
Of Calgary’s 78 yards in penalties, 45 came on one sequence in the first quarter when a blindside block took away a gain that would have seen the Stampeders set up inside the Ottawa 10.
Arbuckle fumbled on the next play and another 15-yard penalty was assessed to the Stamps on the recovery, and then another 15-yard unnecessary roughness call put the Redblacks into field goal range.
Ward was successful from 13 yards out to tie the game 6-6 at 12:51. He had given the Redblacks a 3-0 lead on the first series with a 38-yard field goal, but that drive was greatly aided by a 58-yard kickoff return by DeVonte Dedmon to open the game.
Paredes kicked field goals of 47 and 24 yards two minutes apart midway through the quarter to give the Stampeders a 6-3 lead.
A Ward field goal of 53 yards and one from 12 yards for Paredes was all the scoring in the second quarter as the teams went into the half tied 9-9.
A 44-yard field goal late in the third gave the Stampeders a 12-9 lead that they took into the fourth quarter.