On Saturday night, the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Calgary Stampeders 23-13 in the season’s first pre-season game for both teams.
Eskimos head coach Jason Maas made his debut along with Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson.
Quarterbacks Mike Reilly and Bo Levi Mitchell each got the start on Saturday night in front of 28,367 at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium and looked solid in limited action.
In the end, the Eskimos got the best of the turnover battle to start the season with a victory.
Reilly threw for 54 yards on 5-of-8 passing and set up a Sean Whyte field goal on his two possessions before handing the keys to the offence to Franklin. Brandon Zylstra led the Eskimos with 66 yards on four catches and Mitchell added 38 yards on six catches to go with the touchdown.
Bo Levi Mitchell’s stay in the game was even shorter. He completed 5-of-6 passes for 56 yards and looked sharp on his lone drive of the game.
Looking to get their new-look offence in sync early, the Eskimos started the game with Reilly on the field and he got in a rhythm right away, completing three of his first five passes for 29 yards to set up a 42-yard field goal by Whyte.
But down 3-0, Mitchell answered the bell. A short pass to Joe West and a 26-yard run along the right sideline moved the Stampeders into Esks’ territory at the 39. Another catch by West, his second of the game, put the Stamps’ offence inside the 20.
With the chip shot by kicker Rene Paredes, the Stamps knotted the game at three each while Mitchell headed to the bench.
Drew Tate and James Franklin entered the game for the Stampeders and Eskimos respectively.
West continued to be the most popular target in the Stamps’ offence. His fifth catch of the game put him at 80 yards in total and helped set up Paredes’ second field goal of the game to make it 6-3 Calgary.
Franklin and Thomas DeMarco each exchanged possessions at quarterback for the Eskimos. With the Esks down 6-3 late in the second quarter it was Franklin who scored next scored. After a first down pickup by Shakir Bell, Franklin threw to Bell for an 11-yard pickup that was followed up with an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Stampeders.
Already knocking on the door, Franklin then found rookie receiver Anthony Barrett for a 36-year touchdown, giving the Eskimos their first lead since early in the first quarter, 9-6.
That lead stood up at the half.
Then in the second half, the Stamps found themselves in turnover trouble. Bryant Moniz, fighting with Andrew Buckley to be the team’s third-string quarterback, was intercepted by Eskimos defensive halfback Cord Parks.
Lynch came into the game and hit the ground running with a 15-yard gain, then also showed he’s got an arm, finding Zylstra for a 15-yard gain and Natey Adjei for 10 more to keep the sticks moving. Then Lynch finished the drive with a 10-yard run followed by a one-yard plunge over the goal line.
The play was reviewed but upheld, extending the Eskimos’ lead to 16-6.
The Eskimos kept the momentum in their corner after that when Darryl McBride Jr. forced the fourth turnover of the game against the Stampeders, another interception off Moniz.
After an 11-yard completion to Mitchell, Lynch connected with a completion to Darryl Surgent before going back to Mitchell for his second touchdown of the game to give the Eskimos a commanding 23-6 lead.
Turnovers plagued the Stampeders all night but it wasn’t done yet. This time it was Stamps running back Lache Seastrunk fumbling the football, turning it over to the Eskimos for the fifth time this game. The turnover ended a threatening Stamps drive that came to a sudden end inside the Eskimos’ 20.
Ciante Evans added a late touchdown for the Stampeders off a fumble recovery, cutting the deficit to 23-13 on the scoop and score.
The Eskimos had one more turnover in their back pockets, a turnover on downs, their sixth turnover of the game on a 15-yard loss for the sack.
A solid effort helped the Eskimos with a 23-13 victory over the provincial rival Stampeders.
The Eskimos cap off pre-season with a home date against the Riders on June 18.