By Canadian Press

Adams Jr., Alouettes come from behind to beat Stampeders 40-34 in overtime

Aug 17, 2019 | 8:12 PM

CALGARY — Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. ran for a pair of one-yard touchdowns in overtime to lead the Montreal Alouettes to a thrilling 40-34 win over the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Saturday.

In the first overtime, Reggie Begelton scored his fourth touchdown of the game for the Stampeders (5-4) when he caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Arbuckle.

After Calgary failed to complete the two-point convert, the Alouettes (4-4) scored on their possession when Adams plunged one yard into the end zone. The Als also didn’t complete the two-point convert, which forced a second overtime.

Adams then ran for another one-yard TD as Montreal went first in the second overtime. Although Adams couldn’t find an open receiver in the end zone for a two-point convert, the Alouettes defence stopped the Stamps during their possession to secure Montreal’s first win in Calgary since July 1, 2009 — ending a nine-game losing streak at McMahon Stadium.

Jake Wieneke and Eugene Lewis caught touchdown passes from Adams, while Boris Bede kicked three field goals for the Alouettes.

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Rene Paredes kicked two field goals and added a single for the Stampeders.

Before the game even started, tempers flared between players on both teams as injured Calgary linebacker Wynton McManis had words with former Stampeder and current Montreal cornerback Tommie Campbell at mid-field during warmups.

After both Campbell and McManis traded punches, several other players including Calgary running back Don Jackson and Montreal defensive back Jarnor Jones got involved in the skirmish before cooler heads prevailed.

Montreal opened the scoring at 4:53 of the first quarter thanks to a 29-yard field goal by Bede.

After holding the Alouettes to a two-and-out on their next drive, the Stamps answered back with a touchdown as Arbuckle shovelled a pass forward to Begelton, who ran eight yards into the end zone.

Calgary’s four-play, 43-yard drive was aided by a pair of infractions by the Als as Campbell was flagged for unnecessary roughness, while defensive back Greg Reid, who was also involved in the pre-game melee, was penalized for illegal contact on a receiver to give the Stamps a first-and-goal situation from the eight-yard line.

Montreal’s Antonio Simmons also took an unnecessary roughness penalty after the convert, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. Paredes proceeded to kick a 73-yard single to put the Stamps up 8-3.

Montreal cut Calgary’s lead to just two points when Bede booted an 18-yard field goal at 6:17 of the second quarter.

Later in the quarter, Arbuckle led the Stamps on a lengthy drive and Begelton appeared to haul in another eight-yard throw from his quarterback in the end zone, but the pass was ruled incomplete. Two plays later, the Stamps settled for a 10-yard field goal by Paredes with 1:45 to play before the half-time intermission.

The ensuing drive by the Als ended quickly when Calgary’s DaShaun Amos picked off an errant pass by Adams and ran it back into Montreal territory. After six quick plays by the Stamps to gain 28 yards, Paredes kicked a 27-yard field goal to extend Calgary’s lead to 14-6.

Montreal tied things up early in the third quarter as Adams led the Alouettes on a five-play, 73-yard drive that culminated with him throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Wieneke. Adams then completed a short pass to Eugene Lewis in the back of the end zone for a two-point convert.

Following a two-and-out by the Stamps, the Als ate up a lot of minutes on the clock as Adams guided Montreal on an 11-play, 61-yard drive that led to a 17-yard field goal by Bede at 12:34 of the third quarter to put Montreal up 17-14.

The Stamps struck right back at 1:51 of the fourth quarter when Begelton hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Arbuckle to cap off a four-play, 69-yard scoring drive.

Calgary then went up 28-17 at 4:47 when Arbuckle tossed a 69-yard strike to Begelton, who ran into the end zone to complete his hat trick of TDs.

Lewis caught a 22-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left in the game to cap off a six-play, 69-yard drive by Montreal before Wieneke caught a pass in the end zone from Adams for a two-point convert to pull the Als within three points.

Lewis then recovered the ensuing onside kick by Bede at Montreal’s 48-yard line and the Alouettes drove into Calgary territory to set up a 27-yard field goal by Bede to tie the score at 28-28 with two seconds remaining.

Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press