Redblacks edge unbeaten Stampeders 20-12 for first win of CFL season

Ottawa Redblacks' Kalil Pimpleton, left, jumps for a pass as Calgary Stampeders' Sheldon Arnold defends during second half CFL football action in Calgary, Saturday, June 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

It took the Ottawa Redblacks until deep into the fourth quarter against the Calgary Stampeders to score the game’s only touchdown.

Once quarterback Dustin Crum tossed a seven-yard TD pass to Daniel Adeboboye with 5:02 left on the clock, Ottawa coach Bob Dyce was able to breathe a big sigh of relief.

“I felt that really the team that scored a touchdown was going to have the upper hand,” said Dyce, whose team held on to secure a 20-12 CFL victory over the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“When Daniel got into the end zone there, I really felt we had a good opportunity.

“We’d have to finish it off, but we’d have a really good chance to win because of the way the defence was playing. I didn’t think they were going to give up a touchdown and that’s what happened. So, yeah, it was great to see them finish off that drive.”

Until Adeboboye’s clutch catch, both teams had to settle for points off of field goals, singles and one safety by the Stamps on a cold, windy and rainy afternoon in front of far less than the official announced attendance of 16,584.

“Just talking to the other QBs, I think that was probably some of the toughest conditions I’ve ever thrown in in my life,” said Crum, who completed 9-of-22 passes for 111 yards to go with 64 rushing yards on 11 carries.

“Normally, you get wind and it’s hard to throw. Even if you throw a good spiral, though, you can cut it a little bit, but then when you add the rain to it and you can’t spin it and then the wind’s going, it was a mess for sure.”

Lewis Ward kicked four field goals for the Redblacks (1-2), while Richie Leone added a single.

‘The conditions’

Adeboboye said the inclement weather only served to provide more motivation for the Redblacks, who were looking to record their first win of the season.

“Honestly, I think that the conditions were probably the best thing that we could have asked for,” Adeboboye said. “Everyone felt like they needed to bring the energy today, and that’s something that we brought in today that maybe we lacked in the past. Everyone realized that we had to lock in mentally. We brought the energy and we just fed off of each other and it was a blessing.”

Rene Paredes finished the game with three field goals for the Stampeders (2-1), while Fraser Masin had a single. Jaylon Hutchings tackled Crum in the end zone for a safety to account for Calgary’s other two points.

“It was a really hard-fought game,” said Calgary coach Dave Dickenson. “For us, we couldn’t convert on the third downs, especially in tight.”

On two occasions in the first half, Dickenson opted to leave his offence on the field in an attempt to score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

“I thought it was the right thing,” Dickenson said. “I thought if you could get a lead and get some touchdowns, I really felt it would be hard for another team to catch up. We were in good positions if we could have converted some of those.

“They played hard as well. Their guys laid it out there. It was a tough weather game, no doubt about it. Both teams played hard and they got us.”

The Redblacks opened the scoring at 5:46 of the first quarter with a 34-yard field goal by Lewis.

The Stamps had a chance to pull into a 3-3 tie a short time later but Paredes missed a 43-yard field goal wide to the right.

Instead of conceding the single point, Ottawa’s Devonte Dedmon elected to run the ball out of the end zone. Following an illegal block penalty to Robert Priestner, the Redblacks were forced to start their drive on their own one-yard line.

Two plays later, Hutchings sacked Crum in the end zone for a safety to pull the Stamps within a point.

On the ensuing drive, the Stamps drove down to Ottawa’s seven-yard line, but ended up turning over the ball on downs after Clark Barnes wasn’t able to haul in a pass from Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. in the end zone.

The miscues for Calgary continued in the second as Adams fumbled the ball right into the hands of Ottawa defensive back Amari Henderson at midfield before Priestner atoned for his earlier penalty by tackling backup Calgary quarterback P.J. Walker on the one-yard line for another turnover on downs for the Stamps.

This time, the Redblacks avoided another safety and instead Crum engineered an 11-play, 95-yard drive that was capped off by Ward kicking a 22-yard field goal to give Ottawa a 6-2 lead.

After Masin kicked a 77-yard single early in the third quarter, Ward responded with a 27-yard field goal before Paredes did his part for the Stamps by splitting the uprights from 42 yards out.

Ward then booted a 33-yard field goal before Paredes kicked one from 51 yards out with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.

After Leone booted a 72-yard punt single early in the fourth quarter to put the Redblacks up 13-9, Paredes responded with a 42-yard field goal to pull the Stamps within a point.

Following Adeboboye’s TD grab, Ward’s field-goal attempt from 49 yards out bounced of the left upright and wide to give the Stamps another opportunity to tie the game.

Although Adams completed three straight passes — two of them to former Redblack receiver Dominic Rymes — to get Calgary into Ottawa territory, the Calgary quarterback wasn’t able to find an open receiver in the end zone to complete his first touchdown pass of the season.

Up next

Redblacks: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Sunday, June 29.

Stampeders: Host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday, July 3.

--Laurence Heinen

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.