CALGARY — Quarterback Drew Tate threw 251 yards and one touchdown in his first career CFL start as the Calgary Stampeders beat the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders 25-13 on Friday.
The Stampeders (9-7) had already clinched a playoff berth in the West Division, but the win kept their hopes of a post-season game at home alive. Saskatchewan (4-12) was already eliminated from contention and suffered its fifth loss in a row.
Landan Talley, Romby Bryant and Jon Cornish scored touchdowns for the hosts, while kicker Rene Paredes made one of two field-goal attempts.
Quarterback Darian Durant ran for Saskatchewan’s lone touchdown. Kicker Chris Milo made both field goals.
For the first time since July 1, 2005, Henry Burris didn’t start a game for the Stampeders for reasons other than injury or resting for the playoffs. The sight of Burris bundled in a jacket on the sidelines was unusual.
But Tate distributed the ball well in his first start since his senior year at Iowa. Tate gave 10 different receivers touches and finished 23-for-32. He was intercepted twice and sacked once in the second half.
The 27-year-old Texan did his best work in the first half, going 16-for-20 for 213 yards and a touchdown, compared to 9-for-12 and 84 yards by Durant.
Durant played three quarters despite a broken bone in his foot that hampered his mobility. He left the game early in the fourth quarter after he was sacked by Demetrice Morley.
Durant was 20-for-30 in passing for 209 yards and he was intercepted once. His scoring run in the second quarter was the lone bright spot for Saskatchewan as it was its first touchdown since Sept. 17. His replacement Ryan Dinwiddie was 5-for-11 and 80 yards.
Earlier Friday, the Edmonton Eskimos improved to 10-6 with a 31-24 win over the host Toronto Argonauts (4-12).
With the Roughriders eliminated from playoff contention, the ’Rider Nation contingent which normally swells attendance at McMahon was depleted at 29,698.
Both football teams were decked out in pink accessories — chin guards, skull caps, wristbands, gloves and ankle tape — to promote PinkPower, a fundraising campaign for womens’ cancers.
Tate had made 155 pass attempts in the CFL without an interception until the third quarter. Nick Graham’s pick gave Saskatchewan the ball at the 46-yard line.
But on the following drive, an under-pressure Durant coughed up the ball to defensive lineman Charleston Hughes, who chugged 67 yards before he was tackled on Saskatchewan’s doorstep. Cornish finished with a five-yard run at 9:20 to pad Calgary’s lead to 24-13.
Milo was successful from 32 yards at 6:04 of the third quarter, but the Stamps still led 17-13.
An unnecessary roughness penalty by Saskatchewan’s Tearrius George with two seconds remaining in the half put Calgary in field-goal position. Paredes’s 37-yarder gave the hosts a 17-10 cushion at the half.
A scrambling Tate eluded a tackle from Roughrider defensive end Kenny Rowe and got a 13-yard strike away to Talley in the end zone at 10:54 of the second quarter. Tate pumped his fists in celebration after that play that gave the hosts a 14-10 lead.
Saskatchewan ended their run of touchdown-free football at 6:30 of the second quarter to make it 10-7 for the visitors. Durant ran the ball in himself from five yards out. Saskatchewan’s 286.22 minutes without an offensive touchdown surpassed the previous record of 266.48 set in 1979.
Tate engineered Calgary’s opening scoring drive at 1:03. He distributed the ball in the air and on the ground on a nine-play, 80-yard effort. Bryant, a wide receiver, capped it with a rare rushing four-yard major.
Saskatchewan led 3-0 heading into the second quarter on a 25-yard field goal by Milo.
Calgary’s final two games of the regular season are next week in Montreal and Nov. 5 at home versus Winnipeg. Saskatchewan is done after games against Hamilton and Edmonton respectively.
Notes: Saskatchewan slotback Andy Fantuz didn’t make the trip to Calgary due to an ankle injury he suffered last week against B.C. . . . The Roughriders’ woes against West Division opponents this season continued as they are 0-9 . . . Calgary’s all-time leading rusher Joffrey Reynolds was inserted back into the lineup after three games as a healthy scratch. He had 17 yards on four carries.