Breadcrumb Trail LinksSportsFootballCFLTime management issues — other mis-steps — overshadow resilient effort by Red and White in fall to host BC LionsPublished Nov 01, 2025 • Last updated 7 minutes ago • 7 minute readCalgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., right, throws the ball away as he's hit by B.C. Lions' Mathieu Betts during the first half of the CFL western semifinal football game, in Vancouver, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle contentThe clock struck midnight Saturday on the terrific turnaround season of the Calgary Stampeders.Advertisement 2THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsArticle contentThat’s two weeks too early for their liking in what they were hoping would be a grand Grey Cup chase.Article contentArticle contentBut they’ll have to live with it, likely kicking themselves all the while after time mismanagement played a massive role in the Canadian Football League playoff contest.Sean Whyte’s 43-yard field-goal at the final whistle was ultimately the play that ended the CFL West Division semifinal 33-30 in favour of the host BC Lions.“Obviously, it hurts,” Stampeders QB Vernon Adams Jr. told reporters post-game. “It sucks. Someone had to lose. Someone had to win. It’s a good team over there. We fought our butts off.”They certainly did — time and again responding to the Lions forever taking a lead that threatened to get out of hand.Advertisement 3Article contentBut it just wasn’t quite enough.In particular, clock issues at the end of both halves hurt the Stampeders.They allowed time to run out on them in the second quarter while in the red-zone and left too many ticks on the timer in the final minute of the game, allowing for the winning drive to materialize.The end result was a swing of points that put the Lions on top at the buzzer and eliminated the Red and White from the playoffs that’s now down to four teams in the respective West and East finals of the Lions versus the host Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.Here are 5 takeaways from the playoff tilt — a hard loss to swallow for the Stamps — at BC Place …Read More 'Revenge' on mind of 'underdog' Calgary Stampeders for CFL West semifinal in B.C. A tale of two QBs: Stampeders' Vernon Adams Jr. vs. Lions' Nathan Rourke in CFL's West semifinal West semifinal for Stampeders: Calgary's CFL club hits road to play red-hot BC Lions 1) TIME TROUBLES, PART IYour Midday SunYour noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againArticle contentAdvertisement 4Article contentIndeed, it was a rough end to the first half in a 13-7 game led by the Lions.And it falls on Adams’ shoulders.The veteran pivot personally took the blame post-game for leaving points on the field with the team well within field-goal range.With eight seconds left and a timeout in his pocket, the QB ran around trying to find somebody open for a pass to the endzone but ended up throwing it short of paydirt to receiver Tevin Jones, who was brought down on the spot at the halftime buzzer.“Basically, when I was scrambling, I really was trying to throw it away — like I was trying to throw it either outside of him or to his feet, and (Lions defender Mathieu) Betts hit me,” Adams said. “I didn’t even see that he caught the ball until after. So I was really just trying to throw it away and get one second left so we can get a field-goal.Advertisement 5Article content“That’s on me. That’s bad management right there.”Adams himself went on to wear the offensive woes of the entire first half, which saw Stamps points come only on 50- and 35-yard field-goals by René Paredes and a 54-yard Mark Vassett punt-single — not nearly enough point in trying to upend the high-octane Lions.“I think just as an offence, we just got started slow in the first half,” added Adams. “Maybe we pick it up a little bit more and get a seven on one of those field goals, I think we might be in a better position.”2) TIME TROUBLES, PART IIAdams got the ball rolling in the second half, going punch for punch with talented counterpart Nathan Rourke.The QB’s reads were solid and he kept it clean, as he led the Stamps on three TD marches — capped respectively by a 30-yard over-the-top pass to Jalen Philpot, a two-yard toss to Clark Barnes and one-yard QB dive by Quincy Vaughn.Advertisement 6Article contentGame-long, he kept it clean, as well, all leading up to a chance for the Stamps to take the lead in the final minute.But after a wild downfield connection covering 42 yards with Philpot, who got crushed by a Lions defender but somehow held onto the ball, Adams couldn’t connect on deep throws from the enemy’s 31-yard line, forcing them to settle for the tying field-goal by Paredes from 38 yards out.“The first one was more of a throwaway,” Adams said. “The second one, I thought we had a good chance. We had a good chance of scoring right there. And I think we just lost the ball and the lights or something like that, I believe.“But it’s not just one play … you know? You know how it is in football, man. Like I said … I started slow — couldn’t help us out in the beginning of the game.”Advertisement 7Article contentTrouble was the two missed passes offered a perfect chance for him to overcome the early struggles and give Adams an opportunity to continue chasing his unfulfilled Grey Cup dream this November.They seemed all too rushed in a time when composure was needed, though.And in the end, the sequence left too much time on the clock for the Lions to pick up the pieces of what could’ve been a lost game and pull out victory.3) NOT ALL ON ADAMSWhile it’s always the QB that takes the blame, there was plenty to go around in what will go down as a tough loss to take.Adams was actually solid in most moments, finishing with a 334-yard passing performance — much more than Rourke’s 223 effort.It’s just the Stamps’ bread-and-butter ground game just couldn’t get going in the first half, and then came some rare untimely mis-plays when the offence — fuelled by Philpot’s 140-yard show and Dedrick Mills’ 111-yard rushing day — did get on a roll in the second.Advertisement 8Article contentMost notably …• A kick runback allowed by the special-teams crew — that saw Lions returner Robert Carter Jr. speed 95 yards to a major — during the third-quarter scoring spree.• A Paredes miss on a convert in the fourth quarter — a surprising doink off the right upright — that would’ve put the Stamps up by 28-27.• And an Erik Brooks fumble on a punt return — that did allow the Lions to go up 30-27 in the late stages.Those failures led to more point swings the Stamps just couldn’t overcome, much to their chagrin in what was a heartbreak ending.4) DEFENCE DID ITS JOBYes … 33-plus points is a lot to give up.But 10 combined came on that special-teams break-down and the Brooks’ fumble.“Defence did what they were supposed to do,” praised Adams, who watched the unit surrender just 298 yards in the playoff tilt.Advertisement 9Article contentIndeed, Bob Slowik’s gang truly did limit a high-powered Lions offence with CFL Most Outstanding Player finalist leading it.CFL all-West star Jaylon Hutchings set the tone with an early sack, and teammate Miles Brown also had a takedown of Rourke in the heat of the battle. Game-long, the Stamps defensive line was full marks in putting the pressure on Rourke and allowing the secondary to stay in step with all-star receivers Justin McInnis and Keon Hatcher, who finished with 84 and 51 yards respectively.It’s just unfortuanate the defence couldn’t stop Rourke from finding McInnis on a 28-yard pass connection on the penultimate play of the game. The QB dropped it perfectly in over top of 6-foot-3 linebacker Markell Lee in the middle of the field to set up the winning kick.Advertisement 10Article content“It was a great throw … the kid is 6’5, and he made the play,” Dickenson said. “I’d like to think there’s some other things we could have done better (so as) not even to get to that play.“Certainly tough for our team.”5) CAN’T HANG THEIR HEADSThe Stampeders were resilient on the night, rebounding time and again from mis-steps that threatened to take them out of the game earlier than the final play.It was a show by Dickenson’s 11-8 charges proving they belonged among CFL contenders for the Grey Cup just a year after having their worst season — punctuated by a playoff miss — in two decades.Most certainly, it’s been big growth by the franchise throughout the 2025 CFL season.“Yeah … tonight, I don’t even really care,” Dickenson told reporters post-game. “It was all about this game and this team, a lot of great men, some quality, quality people, who really played extremely hard again. And it’s too bad, because sometimes you only get recognition if you win.“It’s just a great group of teammates, a great group of people in that locker room, great coaches …“Unfortunately, you’ve got to think about more than just the times you won — not tonight, though, unfortunately. I’m not there either. It’s just a rough one for our guys, but really a lot of respect for them.“I’m proud of my guys.”tsaelhof@postmedia.comhttp://www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPMArticle contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation