Adams Jr. throws CFL-best 21st TD pass as Stampeders defeat Ticats 44-20

HAMILTON — Folarin Orimolade and Calgary’s defence earned the Stampeders a road win Saturday afternoon.

Linebacker Kyle Wilson and defensive back Derrick Moncrief scored touchdowns to pace Calgary to a 44-20 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Wilson — a former Ticat — returned a fumble recovery 28 yards for a major late in the first half before Moncrief added a 25-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter.

Calgary came in ranked eighth overall in offensive points allowed (34.4 per game) and last in net offensive yards surrendered (435.1). But on a day when the club’s prolific offence — first in the league in offensive points (37 per game) and TD scores (31) — wasn’t consistently on, the Stampeders’ defence allowed a season-low 20 points.

“When we do our job I think we’re still one of the best groups in the league,” said Orimolade, who had one of Calgary’s four sacks. “We’re getting better.

“At the end of the day, it would be terrible for us to peak early in the season and suck at the end. I think (gaining) momentum each week, that’s the recipe.”

Calgary (4-4) earned a second straight road win after last week’s 52-30 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Stampeders visit the Toronto Argonauts (3-4) on Thursday.

“We’ve been stressing getting the ball and I know as a defensive unit they take a lot of pride in improving and trying each game to be better,” said Dave Dickenson, Calgary’s head coach/GM. “We’re getting stouter against the run, we’re starting to harass quarterbacks, we are creating turnovers and tackling the ball.

“One (defensive) touchdown is nice, but two is huge.”

Calgary stater Vernon Adams Jr. finished 18-of-25 passing for 252 yards and a TD, his league-leading 21st of the season. And he managed to keep his interception-free streak this season alive, but needed a Hamilton penalty to nullify a pick in the game.

Calgary cemented the win by outscoring Hamilton 20-1 in the fourth quarter. The Ticats have been outscored 70-1 in the final quarter over their last five games.

Quincy Vaughn’s four-yard TD run at 12:04 put Calgary ahead 37-20 before Moncrief registered his interception return at 12:35.

Jude McAtamney’s 48-yard field goal at 2:04 put Calgary ahead 27-19, then he added a 29-yard boot at 7:10 after Mitch McCarthy boomed a 77-yard punt single at 3:40.

Hamilton (3-5) suffered a second straight loss and fourth in five games. Since starter Bo Levi Mitchell suffered a serious ankle injury in a 14-13 loss to Winnipeg on July 5, the Ticats’ lone win was a 24-23 decision against Toronto on July 18 when Lirim Hajrullahu missed a game-ending 31-yard field goal attempt.

Over that span, Jake Dolegala and Canadian Tre Ford have taken snaps for the Ticats. Ford made his third start Saturday but was replaced by rookie Harrison Frost late in the first half.

Frost finished nine-of-20 passing for 165 yards with a touchdown and interception and also lost a fumble. Ford, of Niagara Falls, Ont., was four-of-10 passing for 58 yards and ran four times for 52 yards but fumbled as well.

“We’re trying to figure out who our quarterback is going to be so that’s always a concerning thing,” said Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich. “The sack-fumble on Frosty, I called the play wrong, that’s on me (but) we still have to protect better, obviously.

“I thought we played reasonably well early in the game but we weren’t able to finish drives for a number of reasons. We turned it over once and instead of playing with the lead we were playing from behind.”

Tyreik McAllister, another former Ticat, and Dejon Brissett scored Calgary’s other touchdowns. McAtamney kicked three field goals and five converts.

Kenny Lawler scored Hamilton’s touchdown. Marc Liegghio kicked four field goals and a convert.

Liegghio’s 28-yard field goal at 14:54 of the third pulled Hamilton to within 24-19. Frost found Lawler on a 24-yard touchdown pass at 1:49 after Ticat Destin Talbert steered George Idoko’s fumbled kickoff return out of bounds at the Calgary 35-yard line.

Liegghio’s 35-yard field goal to end the second quarter cut Calgary’s halftime lead to 24-6. It came after McAllister and Wilson scored touchdowns 45 seconds apart.

McAllister scored on a 15-yard run at 13:28 before Wilson returned Frost’s fumble 28 yards for the score at 14:13.

McAllister’s TD came after Hamilton’s Jamal Peters intercepted Adams but Hamilton was flagged for roughing the passer. The Ticats lost a challenge of the call.

Liegghio’s 41-yard field goal at 14:29 of the first cut Calgary’s lead to 10-6.

McAtamney put Calgary up 10-3 with a 53-yard field goal at 11:55. It was set up by Anthony Johnson’s 32-yard return of Ford’s fumble that was forced by Wilson. That happened just two plays after Ford ran 10 yards on a third-and-five gamble.

A wide-open Brissett put Calgary ahead 7-3 with a 43-yard TD grab at 6:26. It followed Liegghio’s 50-yard boot at 4:47 to open the scoring.

UP NEXT

Stampeders: Visit the Toronto Argonauts (3-4) on Thursday.

Tiger-Cats: Visit the B.C. Lions (2-5) on Saturday, Aug. 8.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2026.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press