Stampeders overpower lacklustre Alouettes

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Stampeders quarterback Drew Tate had his way with the Alouettes Sunday in Calgary. (JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

CALGARY -- Jon Cornish ran for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Calgary Stampeders to a convincing 38-10 win over the Montreal Alouettes in Canadian Football League action on Sunday.

Veteran receiver Nik Lewis also caught a touchdown pass for the Stampeders (1-0), while rookie safety Keenan MacDougall recovered a fumble and ran it back into the Montreal end zone in the opening quarter. Rene Paredes kicked three field goals, while Rob Maver had a punt single.

Starting Calgary quarterback Drew Tate completed 25-of-35 passes for 299 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Brian Bratton caught Montreal's lone touchdown from veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who went 16-for-31 for 174 yards and was also picked off twice. Sean Whyte added a field goal for the Alouettes (0-1).

Paredes connected on a 38-yard field goal to give the Stampeders a 3-0 lead at 3:29 of the first quarter.

On Montreal's next possession, Richardson caught a nine-yard pass from Calvillo at midfield before Calgary linebacker Juwan Simpson levelled him with a heavy hit to cause a fumble. Playing in his first-ever CFL game, MacDougall picked up the loose ball and sprinted untouched for a 63-yard touchdown.

After Montreal went two-and-out to give Calgary the ball back, Tate engineered a seven-play, 66-yard drive culminating in a four-yard touchdown run by Cornish. Maver then kicked a 63-yard punt single to give the Stamps an 18-0 lead through one quarter of play.

After Calvillo tossed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Bratton early in the third quarter, Cornish responded for the Stampeders with a three-yard TD run to cap off a nine-play, 75-yard drive. During Calgary's drive, Montreal linebacker Shea Emry took a costly unnecessary roughness penalty for hitting Tate while he was down on the turf to recover a snap that went over his head.

Whyte then kicked a 32-yard field goal for the Als, before Paredes responded with one from 29 yards out to give the Stamps a 28-10 lead heading into halftime.

The Stamps threatened to increase their lead early in the third quarter, but Montreal cornerback Billy Parker intercepted a pass by Tate at the goal-line. Calgary defensive back Brandon Smith then picked off an errant throw by Calvillo at midfield before the rapid sequence of turnovers continued when former Stampeder and current Alouettes defensive back Dwight Anderson intercepted a pass by Tate.

Later in the third quarter, Lewis caught a short pass from Tate and then leapt into the end zone over Montreal defensive back Michael Carter for a 13-yard touchdown.

With Montreal threatening to score a short time later, Quincy Butler intercepted another errant pass by Calvillo in the end zone and ran it back out to the Calgary 29-yard line. The Stamps drove into Montreal territory and were rewarded when Paredes kicked a 29-yard field goal to round out the scoring.

Notes: With the win, the Stamps now have an all-time record in the regular season record of 33-31-1 against the Alouettes, including a 20-12-1 mark at home. ... The Stamps also evened their all-time record during games held on Canada Day to 4-4. ... Tate completed the first seven passes he attempted in the game for 70 yards. ... The Stamps will play their next game in Toronto against the Argonauts on July 7 before travelling to Montreal for a rematch against the Alouettes five days later.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 2, 2012 C5