Stampeders 23 Blue Bombers 20
CALGARY — Ken-Yon Rambo caught six passes for 86 yards and one touchdown in his first game back with Calgary in more than a year, as the Stampeders hung on to beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-20 on Saturday.
It was Rambo’s first game since suffering a torn knee ligament against the B.C. Lions on July 24, 2009.
Deon Murphy also caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Henry Burris, while Rob Maver kicked three field goals for the Stampeders (4-1).
Although he didn’t figure in on the scoring, Calgary receiver Nik Lewis had a strong game with 10 catches for 160 yards. His 10 receptions tied a career high and he’s now caught at least one pass in all 110 games he’s played with the Stampeders.
Fred Reid ran for a touchdown for the Bombers (2-3), while quarterback Steven Jyles tossed a TD pass to Terrence Edwards to close the gap in the fourth. Alexis Serna added a field goal and a single for the Bombers, who also recorded a safety.
Calgary had the lone points of the first quarter when Rambo caught a 20-yard touchdown pass one play after the Stamps were penalized for holding. Two plays earlier, Lewis hauled in a pass from Burris and ran for a 64-yard gain to put Calgary on the Winnipeg 10-yard line.
The Stamps built their lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter after a 45-yard field goal by Maver — the longest of his rookie season so far.
The Bombers then pulled to within three points after Reid ran for a 46-yard touchdown to cap off a six-play, 75-yard drive.
Following a 66-yard single by Serna, Burris engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a four-yard TD pass to Murphy for his second career CFL touchdown in his rookie campaign.
In the third quarter Burris marched the Stamps from their own four-yard line deep into Winnipeg territory. But the drive came to an abrupt halt when Burris fumbled the ball after being sacked by Winnipeg defensive end Odell Willis, a former Stampeder teammate. The Bombers capitalized a short time later when Serna booted a 33-yard field goal.
After Maver kicked a 37-yarder early in the fourth quarter, the Bombers pulled to within two points when Jyles tossed a 61-yard TD pass to Edwards.
Maver then kicked his second 45-yard field goal of the game at 11:38 of the fourth quarter to put the Stamps up 23-18.
The Bombers then threatened to pull ahead when Edwards hauled in a 44-yard catch to get Winnipeg to the Calgary 30-yard line, but Jyles then threw three straight incompletions to end the threat.