CFL: Tate Impresses as Stampeders Rout Als!

If Drew Tate was nervous, he certainly didn’t let it show as the Calgary Stampeders dominated the Montreal Alouettes in a 38-10 win on Sunday. Al Dannity looks back on an impressive start to the season for the Stamps.

Business-like start
Drew Tate was not the star for the Stampeders on Sunday but the quarterback proved that there most certainly is life after Henry Burris in Calgary. A 25 of 35 performance for 299 yards, with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, was more than enough to give the Stampeders the edge on Sunday. The Football gods were certainly smiling on Tate for a couple of plays in this game. A fumbled snap was recovered well behind the line of scrimmage by the quarterback but the Als were penalised for unnecessary roughness by Shea Emry on the play. That turned third down into a first down for the Stamps. Jon Cornish would make Montreal pay at the end of the drive with his second touchdown of the day. Tate’s lone touchdown pass required some big time athleticism from Nik Lewis. Tate found Lewis open out on the right and the big receiver used his remarkable agility to leap into the end zone. The score capped a fine day for Lewis, who had 105 yards on 12 receptions.

A distinctly Canadian feel
It was only apt that three of the Stampeders four Canada Day touchdowns came from home-grown talent. Rookie Keenan McDougall gave Calgary control of the game with a big fumble return in the first quarter. McDougall, who played CIS Football with the Saskatchewan Huskies, picked up a Jamel Richardson fumble and returned it 63 yards for the first touchdown of the day. The star of the show however was Cornish. The former Kansas Jayhawk, originally from New Westminster, B.C., had 86 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries. Cornish added another 28 yards on 3 receptions.

Cornish’s first touchdown ensured the Stamps ended the first quarter in a commanding position. His 4-yard run into the end zone finished off a 66-yard drive to give the Stamps a 17-0 lead. The Als had pulled back to within 11 points before Emry’s over-exuberant hit on Tate. Two plays later Cornish punched home his second touchdown of the day.

The big day for Cornish was the perfect complement to Tate’s solid outing. All eyes are on the backfield this season, with Burris and Joffrey Reynolds no longer back there. It’s only Week 1 but already the Stamps look comfortable with their new set-up.

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