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Stampeders recover from early 17-0 deficit to edge Alouettes 25-22 Saturday

Montreal Alouettes' S.J. Green reacts to a missed catch during the second half against their Calgary Stampeders of a CFL football game in Calgary, Alberta, August 1, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Sturk (REUTERS)

The CFL has continued to prove its "No Lead Is Safe" tagline recently, particularly with the B.C. Lions giving up a 21-0 lead to lose 30-27 to the Toronto Argonauts last week, and the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders continued that trend Saturday, with Calgary overcoming a 17-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter to eventually triumph 25-22. The Stampeders struggled in all three aspects of the game early, but rebounded in each area, which was a big part of why they came out with the win. That improves their record to 4-2 and keeps them near the top of the West (Edmonton is 4-1), and suggests that they're overcoming some of their early-season struggles and looking more like the defending Grey Cup champions they are.

Nothing was working for Calgary early on, with their offence ineffectual, their defence burned (particularly on a 51-yard middle-of-the-field touchdown pass from Rakeem Cato to S.J. Green on a go route) and their special teams vulnerable (especially on a 74-yard Stefan Logan punt return for a touchdown). However, once the second quarter struck, things got much better. The defence finally started coming up with some stops, and they held Montreal to just five points the rest of the way and just two after halftime (which came on a last-second safety the Stampeders unnecessarily conceded). The offence started to click in its own right, putting up 17 second-quarter points of their own to trail just 20-17 at the break. The special teams started coming through too, with Tim Brown posting good returns, Rob Maver pinning the opposition deep on punts, the cover teams containing Logan, and Rene Paredes making all three of his extra-point attempts and one of his two field-goal attempts. It wasn't a dominant victory overall, but it was a complete team effort, and the way every Calgary unit found itself after the first quarter bodes well for this squad going forward.

On the night, the Stampeders' offence was pretty good in their first full game without star running back Jon Cornish. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell didn't look great early in this one, but he completed 23 of 32 passes overall for 329 yards, two touchdowns and an impressive 71.9 per cent completion mark. Slotback Marquay McDaniel, who led the CFL in receiving yards last year, had seven catches for a game-high 126 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Eric Rogers added four grabs for 63 yards and a touchdown and wide receiver Jeff Fuller had five receptions for 60 yards. Import running back Tory Harrison had 47 yards on eight carries (5.9 yards per carry), while Canadian RB Matt Walter had 40 on eight (5.0 yards per carry). It was an effective offensive performance, and one that shows that while they'll certainly miss him, Calgary should still be fine minus Cornish.

The defence was perhaps even more important, though, and defensive backs Joe Burnett, Fred Bennett and Jamar Wall were the heroes of the night. Burnett came up with a big interception of Cato (who had 278 passing yards and a touchdown with a 62.5 per cent completion mark), while Bennett forced a crucial Dobson Collins fumble near the Stampeders' goal line, allowing Wall to recover it and prevent a touchdown. Calgary's pass rush wasn't great on the night, with defensive end Charleston Hughes recording their only sack, but the secondary had a phenomenal game, and their big plays were a huge part of the Stampeders' victory. Add that to competent offensive and special teams showings, and Calgary seems to be heading in the right direction.