The Ticats were unable to come up with a victory in their final home game of the 2008 season, losing 28-17 to the Calgary Stampeders on a cold and rainy Friday night.
After an uneventful opening 13 minutes, Ticats kicker Nick Setta’s 52-yard field goal attempt was blocked and returned by Charleston Hughes to the Cats 24-yard line. With the Stampeders entrenched in Ticats territory, linebacker Markeith Knowlton sacked Stamps quarterback Henry Burris to limit the damage to a Sandro DeAngelis field goal at 1:58.
That kick would be the quarter’s only scoring play, as Calgary would head into the second quarter with a 3-0 lead.
Knowlton made another big play early in the second quarter. Burris and the Stampeders had the ball at the Ticats 21-yard line when Knowlton made a diving interception and returned the ball 48 yards. Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, quarterback Quinton Porter fumbled the ball a couple of plays later, ending the Ticats scoring threat.
The Stampeders would convert that turnover into points a few minutes later, as a one-yard Joffrey Reynolds run capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive that put the visitors ahead by ten.
The Ticats got on the board with 3:52 left in the half thanks to a 28-yard Nick Setta field goal, making the score 10-3.
Reynolds extended Calgary’s lead late in the half with his second touchdown, a six-yard toss from Burris with 28 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Ticats were unable to put a dent in their deficit in the final moments of the half and headed to the locker room trailing by 14 at halftime.
After a 65-yard punt single by Nick Setta put another point on the Ticats side of the scoreboard, the Stamps extended their lead once again. This time, Burris connected with Jeremaine Copeland on a six-yard touchdown toss with a little under seven minutes into the third frame to increase Calgary’s advantage to 20.
A Sandro DeAngelis 15-yard field goal would be the final scoring play of the third quarter, giving the Stamps a commanding 27-4 lead after 45 minutes of play.
After Quinton Porter fumbled on the Black and Gold’s first possession of the fourth quarter, Ticats defensive back Chris Thompson took over the CFL’s interception lead with his ninth of the season, returning the ball to the Cats offence.
The Ticats would be much more productive with the ball this time, as Porter marched his squad 77 yards down the field and found Chris Davis on the receiving end of a 14-yard touchdown pass, making the score 27-11 with 8:07 remaining in the game.
Rookie quarterback Adam Tafralis made his CFL debut on the Cats next possession and make a strong first impression on the 20,614 in attendance at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Tafralis completed four of his first career passes, including a nine-yard pass to Prechae Rodriguez for a touchdown. Hamilton’s two-point conversion would fall short, making the count 27-17 with under two minutes to go.
The Stampeders would add a single point on a 49-yard Burke Dales punt to close the evening’s scoring and give Calgary a 28-17 victory over the Ticats.
