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Adams Jr. powers Stamps past Riders in crucial West Division clash

Game DayOct 2, 2026
CFL.ca Staff
Adams Jr. powers Stamps past Riders in crucial West Division clash

Arthur Ward/CFL.ca

Football player in white.

REGINA — Vernon Adams Jr. threw four touchdowns, helping the Calgary Stampeders knock off the Saskatchewan Roughriders 37-31 on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium.

The Stamps pivot finished with 242 yards on 22-for-29 passing to lead his team to its third straight win and seventh straight in Regina. Adams spread the ball around with touchdown passes to four different receivers, while Jalen Philpot paced the team with 72 yards on eight catches.

With the win, Calgary improves to 8-8 and gains a crucial tiebreaker over its West Division rival with the postseason nearing.

The two teams opened trading haymakers in a high-flying opening frame. Adams led the way for Calgary, finding Clark Barnes on a seam after Quali Conley’s muffed punt, then connecting with Damien Alford on a 48-yard touchdown strike later in the quarter.

The Riders answered through the air, with Kian Schaffer-Baker hauling in three of Trevor Harris’ passes for 64 yards on Saskatchewan's first possession, including a 23-yard back-shoulder touchdown. Dawson Hodge added a field goal to close out the quarter at 14-10, giving the Riders their first 10-plus-point first quarter of the season.

The defences settled in as the second quarter began, with René Paredes' 51-yard field goal for Calgary serving as the only points scored for either team. Saskatchewan's most promising drive before half stalled when Clarence Hicks broke through for his league-leading 12th sack of the season. Hodge pushed the ensuing 45-yard field goal wide, his second miss of the quarter after entering the week five-for-five on his career.

Hodge made up for his miss to open the second half. Harris surpassed 200 yards on the drive, but Saskatchewan came away without a touchdown after Dhel Duncan-Busby couldn’t hold on to a second-down pass near the goal line. Paredes responded from 45 yards out to restore Calgary’s seven-point lead.

The Stamps’ offence picked up the pace to start the fourth. Adams marched the length of the field on a 13-play drive, scrambling for 15 yards to move the chains on a long second down before lobbing one to Tevin Jones at the back of the end zone. Jones' seventh receiving touchdown of the season and third in as many games pushed Calgary's lead to 27-13.

Saskatchewan’s comeback attempt was without receiver KeeSean Johnson, who was ruled out in the third quarter after recording his 100th and 101st catches of the season. The Stamps’ secondary took advantage, with rookie defensive back Ashton Miller-Melancon intercepting Harris’ deep pass over the middle for his first career pick.

With a short field, Adams added insurance with his fourth passing major, a short pass to Philpot after Ludovick Choquette hurdled his way inside the 10.

In the final stages, Harris threw touchdown passes to Daniel Wiebe, Duncan-Busby, and Johnny Johnson III, while Paredes added another field goal before the clock ran out on the Riders.

Saskatchewan could have clinched a playoff spot with a win. Instead, the Riders fell to 8-7, lost the season series and dropped their third straight. Harris remained productive in the loss, throwing for a season-high 453 yards and surpassing 400 yards for the fourth time this season, while Schaffer-Baker led all pass-catchers with 120 receiving yards.

RELATED

» Depth Charts: CGY | SSK » Stampeders, Roughriders by the numbers » Game Notes: Calgary at Saskatchewan » Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally

SCORING PLAYS

  • Vernon Adams Jr. 13-yard touchdown pass to Clark Barnes (11:36, Q1) | CGY 7 SSK 0

  • Trevor Harris 23-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker (8:32, Q1) | SSK 7 CGY 7

  • Vernon Adams Jr. 48-yard touchdown pass to Damien Alford (5:57, Q1) | CGY 14 SSK 7

  • Dawson Hodge 38-yard field goal (0:18, Q1) | CGY 14 SSK 10

  • René Paredes 51-yard field goal (12:14, Q2) | CGY 17 SSK 10

  • Dawson Hodge 44-yard field goal (10:01, Q3) | CGY 17 SSK 13

  • René Paredes 45-yard field goal (4:55, Q3) | CGY 20 SSK 13

  • Vernon Adams Jr. 19-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Jones (9:13, Q4) | CGY 27 SSK 13

  • Vernon Adams Jr. four-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Philpot (5:19, Q4) | CGY 34 SSK 13

  • Trevor Harris 13-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Wiebe (2:42, Q4) | CGY 34 SSK 19

  • René Paredes 43-yard field goal (2:05, Q4) | CGY 37 SSK 19

  • Trevor Harris five-yard touchdown pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby (1:04, Q4) | CGY 37 SSK 25

  • Trevor Harris eight-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Johnson III (0:00, Q4) | CGY 37 SSK 31

NEXT UP

The Calgary Stampeders wrap up their three-game road trip in Winnipeg in Week 19, taking on the Blue Bombers on Saturday, October 10. Jalen Philpot posted a career-high 128 receiving yards in Calgary’s 52-30 win over Winnipeg in Week 8. The Stamps will look to claim the season series and continue the away-team trend after the Bombers opened the season with a 30-28 win in Calgary.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders kick off a home-and-home series against the Montreal Alouettes in Week 19 on Monday, October 12. The first leg of the long-awaited rematch of Saskatchewan’s 25-17 win over Montreal in the 112th Grey Cup will be played at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium before the series swings back to Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, October 17.