QB Mitchell pulls down the curtain on Riders…and maybe his time at McMahon Stadium

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Rarely does sport offer a moment like this.

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In the final minutes of Saturday night’s 36-10 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Stampeders delivered the change every Calgary football fan had been wanting.

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“Coming into the game now, the Calgary Stampeders all-time leading passer…. Bo Levi Mitchell,” the stadium announcer said, as each player turned to the touchline and waved the fans to their feet.

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The Stamps faithful responded as expected, rising in unison and cheering as loudly as we’ve heard at McMahon Stadium for a long, long time.

It was a thank you, an acknowledgment of all that Mitchell did in Calgary and a moment that will live long in the memory of all who were there.

“It meant a lot to me,” Mitchell said afterwards. “I appreciate Dave and Huf and the way they handled the situation. Just giving me this moment, it was great to be able to have this moment with the fans and my teammates.

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“It’s bittersweet. Obviously, I wish it was under different circumstances, but either way, I’ve loved every second I’ve been here, and hopefully we can bring a Gray Cup back to town before I leave.

Mitchell’s accomplishments in Calgary hardly need repeating here. He threw for 32,541 yards in his 10 years with the Stamps — more than any other quarterback in franchise history. He became the first quarterback to win two Gray Cups with the Stamps and won two CFL Most Valuable Player awards along the way.

With Jake Maier replacing him as the team’s starting quarterback this season and the Stamps signing the young QB for two more years, Saturday likely marked Mitchell’s last game in a Stampeders uniform at McMahon Stadium.

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It had to be recognized. His contributions should be honored.

It was important to everyone, from fans and players to the coaching staff and Stamps management.

“I’m glad it happened,” Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson said. “We were able to accomplish what we wanted, and Bo, he made it clear he didn’t need that moment, but he earned it and earned it. He was comfortable with that split time, so I was happy for him.

“The only thing I wanted was to put Tommy (Stevens) in it and then call a time out. I think the fans saw that 19 came out in the game, but it would have been nice to give him that little extra moment.

NOW LET’S GET TO THE GAME

Is it important for the ranking? No way.

Did that hurt what ended up being a fun night for the Stampeders against the Roughriders on Saturday night?

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The Stamps did what they’ve done all year, sending the ball down their opponent’s throat from 310 rushing yards and claiming a 36-10 victory.
The margin of victory could have been much larger, but the Stamps opted to retire many of their starters in the second half after opening a 20-point halftime lead.

What does it mean?

Not much, to be honest. The Riders are the broken shell of a football team that was already out of contention for the playoffs before Saturday’s final game of the CFL regular season.

The Stampeders beat them last weekend when both teams were mostly playing their starters, so it’s not like we’re talking about which team is better. Their season records of 12-6 and 6-12 proved it either way.

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And the Stampeders also ran the ball over 200 yards against the Riders last week, so there wasn’t much to learn from their dominance on the field Saturday night either.

But that didn’t make it any less fun to watch.

“First and foremost, I was trying to win,” Dickenson said. “Secondly, I wanted to feel like we had some momentum, which I think we did. And thirdly, I wanted to make sure we came out injury-free or as injury-free as possible, and I feel like the guys played very physically, and yet we are in very good health.

Even with Ka’Deem Carey — who won the CFL rushing title this year — sidelined so he can rest before next weekend’s West Division semi-final against the Toronto Lions. BC, the Stampeders absolutely dominated the field.

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Dedrick Mills led the way, rushing for 125 yards and a touchdown. It was the second straight 100-yard rushing game for the rookie running back and his third of the season. He’d probably be the starting running back for every other CFL team, and you have to wonder if the Stampeders can find a way to keep him and Carey and Peyton Logan all in the lineup for their playoff run. playoffs. Mills feels too effective to sit on the sidelines.

He was far from the only Stamps player to make an impact on the field on Saturday, however. Third-string quarterback Stevens also rushed for an insane 163 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown.

Stevens also came on to relieve Maier at quarterback in the second half, and although he didn’t have a ton to do in the air, he completed his longest cameo of the season after completing 4 assists. on 6 for 32 yards and threw the first touchdown.

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“I’ve always been in tune with football management,” Stevens said. “They’re a great attacking unit. Up front we keep growing and those guys have made it easy for me.

In the first half, Maier completed 13 of 16 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.

We’ve seen some truly awful football played on the last night of regular seasons for the past few years, but this wasn’t one of them.

Entertainment-wise, there certainly couldn’t be any complaints. It didn’t matter that the outcome didn’t matter. It’s the journey, not the destination, or anything like that.

Now, however, the party is over. Attention immediately shifts to the playoffs and the Stamps’ first-round game against the Lions next week in Vancouver on Sunday.

It might not have been a clean, perfectly played game – it really wasn’t – but there were plenty of fun moments.

Cody Grace got his own punt back in the first quarter, something you definitely don’t see every day.

Reggie Begelton caught six passes for 60 yards and almost certainly would have passed 1,000 yards for the season had he not been rested in the second half.

Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund had three sacks, Stefen Banks had two and Cam Judge had one. The Stamps defensive backs probably could have had about four interceptions had they been able to hold the ball, but they were otherwise very solid and helped limit Riders QB Mason Fine to 135 passing yards while completing 21 of 32 passes .

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