Calgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (3) hands the ball off to teammate Dedrick Mills (26) during first half CFL football action against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in Hamilton on Saturday.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press
Vernon Adams Jr. threw his CFL-best 21st touchdown pass of the season as the Calgary Stampeders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 44-20 on Saturday afternoon.
Adams connected with Dejon Brissett in the first quarter as Calgary (4-4) earned its second straight win. The veteran quarterback managed to keep his interception-free streak this season alive, but needed a Hamilton penalty to nullify a pick in the game.
Adams was 18-of-25 passing for 252 yards and ran twice for eight yards. Brissett had six catches for 109 yards.
Quincy Vaughn’s four-yard TD run at 12:04 of the fourth quarter put Calgary ahead 37-20, capping a 78-yard, eight-play march. Then Derrick Moncrief returned an interception 25 yards for the touchdown at 12:35.
The Ticats (3-5) suffered a second straight loss and fifth in six games. Rookie Harrison Frost, who replaced starter Tre Ford late in the first half, finished nine-of-20 passing for 165 yards with a touchdown and interception and also lost a fumble.
Jude McAtamney’s 48-yard field goal at 2:04 put Calgary ahead 27-19. Mitch McCarthy boomed a 77-yard punt single at 3:40 but McAtamney’s 29-yard boot at 7:10 gave the Stamps a 30-20 lead.
Former Ticats Tyreik McAllister and Kyle Wilson scored Calgary’s other touchdowns. McAtamney kicked three field goals and four converts.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats' Isaiah Wooden Sr. (11) is taken down by Calgary Stampeders' Anton Haie (31) on Saturday.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press
Kenny Lawler scored Hamilton’s touchdown. Marc Liegghio kicked four field goals and a convert.
Liegghio’s 28-yard field goal at 14:54 of the third pulled Hamilton to within 24-19. Frost found Lawler on a 24-yard touchdown pass at 1:49 after Ticat Destin Talbert steered George Idoko’s fumbled kickoff return out of bounds at the Calgary 35-yard line.
Liegghio’s 35-yard field goal to end the second quarter cut Calgary’s halftime lead to 24-6. It came after McAllister and Wilson scored touchdowns 45 seconds apart.
McAllister scored on a 15-yard run at 13:28 before Wilson returned Frost’s fumble 28 yards for the score at 14:13.
McAllister’s TD came after Hamilton’s Jamal Peters intercepted Adams — which would’ve been Adams’ first pick the year — but Hamilton was flagged for roughing the passer.
The Ticats lost a challenge of the call.
Ford made his third start for Hamilton. The Niagara Falls, Ont., native was four-of-10 passing for 58 yards while rushing four times for 52 yards with a fumble before leaving the game.
Liegghio’s 41-yard field goal at 14:29 of the first cut Calgary’s lead to 10-6.
McAtamney put Calgary up 10-3 with a 53-yard field goal at 11:55. It was set up by Anthony Johnson’s 32-yard return of Ford’s fumble that was forced by Wilson. That happened just two plays after Ford ran 10 yards on a third-and-five gamble.
A wide-open Brissett put Calgary ahead 7-3 with a 43-yard TD grab at 6:26. It followed Liegghio’s 50-yard boot at 4:47 to open the scoring.