CALGARY – Although his team was trailing late in the game, Dedrick Mills just knew there was a big play coming for the Calgary Stampeders.
His instincts proved to be right as Mills ran for a 49-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left in the game to lead the Stampeders to a 28-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday at McMahon Stadium.
“I don’t care when it comes, but it’s coming,” said Mills, who finished with 118 yards on 14 carries. “I just knew it was going to be something big, something special for the team.
“The O-line opened up the hole and I just found a way to get through it and then the receivers were blocking down the field. I had to make one guy miss and that’s what I did just to get in the end zone. That’s what they pay me for.”
Despite tossing his first CFL touchdown pass earlier in the game, quarterback Josh Love’s favourite moment was watching Mills break free for the game-winning score.
“Man, that felt awesome,” said Love, who completed 25 of 36 passes for 274 yards. “Just the atmosphere here and all the fans, the way they stayed in it for us. I know it’s been tough the last couple weeks, but we’re just going to build on that momentum.”
Although the Stampeders missed the two-point convert, they held on for the come-from-behind victory to improve to 5-6.
Linebacker Kyle Wilson picked off a pass by Hamilton’s backup quarterback Jake Dolegala to end the game, much to the delight of the 19,855 fans in attendance.
“I thought they helped us when we needed them, so excited about that,” said Calgary coach and general manager Dave Dickenson. “It’s fun to hear (fans) getting into it and to reward them with a win. We haven’t been doing well here at McMahon.
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“I’ve been really trying to preach to the guys, focus on the next play and win that play and that’s what we did. That’s how we won the game.”
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With Vernon Adams Jr. out of Calgary’s lineup due to a head injury, Love made his first CFL start for the Stampeders and threw a touchdown pass to Ajou Ajou.
“Love did a great job,” Mills said. “When one goes down, you’ve got to be able to step up and just finish the job. That’s what he did there and I’m so proud of him, man. He put the ball in the right places, got the ball to the right people and just allowed us to win the game.”
Making his first appearance of the season for Calgary after sustaining a groin injury during training camp, Rene Paredes kicked five field goals.
Tre Ford threw touchdown passes to Myron Mitchell and Kenny Lawler for the Tiger-Cats (4-8), who have lost two consecutive games.
“Obviously after a loss you’re flustered, right,” Ford said. “There’s a lot of emotion going on in the locker room, but we’ve got a good group of guys. We’re going to bounce back.”
In addition to completing 15 of 24 passes for 212 yards, Ford ran for 80 yards on six carries.
Marc Liegghio kicked three field goals for the Ticats.
After Paredes opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal, the Ticats answered with a touchdown when Mitchell caught a 51-yard pass from Ford to cap off a three-play, 70-yard drive.
Paredes booted a 32-yard field goal at 11:46 of the first quarter before Liegghio responded with one from 37 yards out at 1:39 of the second quarter.
After a 45-yard field goal by Paredes, the veteran Calgary kicker attempted another from 42 yards, but missed it wide to the right.
The Ticats took a 13-9 lead at 13:27 of the second quarter thanks to a 38-yard field goal by Liegghio.
Dejon Brissett delivered in Calgary’s final drive of the first half by hauling in a long pass from Love before doing a forward somersault for a 55-yard gain.
“He had a really good angle and he went down and tracked it,” Love said. “He made a really good catch.”
Four plays later, Ajou caught a five-yard pass from Love to put Calgary up 16-13.
“It was pretty much a similar look we had in practice,” Love said. “I literally threw that some touchdown to Ajou earlier on in the week and I had a similar look and knew he was going to pop, really, and he just made a good play.”
Ajou is the 13th different Calgary player to score a touchdown this season, which gives the Stampeders the league lead in that category.
After their first drive stalled to start the third quarter, the Ticats got the ball right back in Calgary territory when defensive lineman Charbel Dabire intercepted a pass at the 14-yard line.
Love’s pass deflected off offensive linemen D’Antne Demery and Chris Fortin before Dabire reached out to grab the loose ball.
On the next play, Ford fired a 14-yard strike into the end zone to Lawler to put the Ticats back up 20-16.
Following a 51-yard field goal by Paredes early in the fourth quarter, Liegghio responded with a kick of his own from 36 yards out.
“We had a lead in the fourth quarter and we weren’t able to finish it off,” said Hamilton coach Scott Milanovich. “I wasn’t thrilled with our mood at halftime, but we picked it up and played better in the second half.”
Paredes added a 47-yard field goal with 2:20 remaining in the game to pull the Stamps within a point before Mills ran in for the game-winning touchdown.
UP NEXT
Tiger-Cats: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Monday, Sept. 7.
Stampeders: Host the Edmonton Elks on Monday, Sept. 7.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
