Montreal Alouettes' Nafees Lyon (8) tackles Calgary Stampeders' Cameron Echols-Luper (17) during first half CFL football action in Calgary, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
The Calgary Stampeders ended a four-game losing streak and the Montreal Alouettes remained unbeaten on the road this CFL season with a 19-19 tie Saturday.
The two clubs traded field goals in overtime for the game to end in a stalemate.
Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 19 or 26 pass attempts for 204 yards and scored a rushing touchdown for Montreal (10-2-1) in his third start since he was sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury.
Montreal kicker Jose Maltos kicked field goals from 53 and 42 yards, and from 30 and 37 yards in overtime.
His Stampeders counterpart Rene Paredes was good from 14 and 16 yards, missed from 51 and 52 yards, and then made a pair of 42-yarders in OT in front of an announced 20,187 at McMahon Stadium.
Quarterback Jake Maier was 29-of-37 in passing for 236 yards for Calgary (4-8-1). He was restored to starter after backing up Logan Bonner in a 37-16 road loss to the Edmonton Elks.
Calgary’s Marken Michel had a touchdown catch and Dedrick Mills rushed for 122 yards.
The Stampeders led 13-10 when Paredes’ 51-yard try early in the fourth rebounded off the left upright.
The Stampeders worked the ball to Montreal’s 15-yard line with just over two minutes to go, but undid that work with two major penalties.
Paredes’ 52-yard attempt was wide right to give the ball to Montreal with just over a minute to play.
Fajardo marched the offence downfield and with a second remaining, Maltos tied the game with a 42-yard field goal.
Paredes’ 16-yard field goal gave the Stampeders a 13-7 edge, but the Alouettes continued to chase with Maltos’ 53-yarder late in the third quarter.
Calgary led 10-7 with five minutes left in the first half when backup quarterback Tommy Stevens — inserted for a short-yardage touchdown attempt — fumbled on the two-yard line and turned the ball over.
Fajardo then threw the ball out of Montreal’s end zone 50 yards to Charleston Rambo, but that drive stalled at midfield.
Montreal’s Mustafa Johnson recovered teammate Justin Sambu’s knock-down of a Maier pass and rumbled for the end zone as the clock ticked down on the half.
Stampeder running back Peyton Logan brought down the defensive tackle at the five-yard line to preserve Calgary’s three-point lead at the half.
Montreal’s Sean Thomas-Erlington blocked a Cody Grace punt and corralled the ball in the end zone early in the second quarter.
Instead of a touchdown, however, the Alouette was assessed a penalty for roughing the kicker.
But Walter Fletcher’s 55-yard dash up the middle set up Fajardo’s three-yard touchdown early in the quarter.
Maier threw four interceptions in a 35-20 home loss to the Elks on Labour Day, which prompted the quarterback shuffle.
Maier threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Michel in the end zone Saturday on Calgary’s second possession.
The hosts didn’t convert Montreal’s fumble on the subsequent kickoff into a bigger lead.
James Letcher Jr. lost the ball on the Alouettes’ 23-yard line. The Stampeders settled for a 14-yard field goal by Paredes and a 10-point lead after the opening quarter.
PERPETUAL PAREDES
Calgary kicker Rene Paredes moved into a tie for second in all-time Stampeder games with his 224th on Saturday. He drew even with defensive back and kicker Larry Robinson (1961-75). Kicker Mark McLoughlin (1988-2003) is the all-time leader with 276.
INDIGENOUS NIGHT
Saturday’s Indigenous Night game was radio broadcast in the Blackfoot language by Butch Wolfleg and Jacob Leblanc, in addition to the customary English broadcast.
Stampeder players wore orange jerseys during warm-up and their helmets featured a special horse logo to honour and raise awareness of thousands of Indigenous children sent to residential schools.
UP NEXT
The Stampeders are home Friday to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Montreal Alouettes continue a run of three straight road games Saturday against the Ottawa Redblacks.