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Calgary escapes Hamilton with close win

Aug 16, 2014 - 11:18 PM Hamilton, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Drew Tate stepped in under center and took a quarterback keeper three yards into the end zone with 32 seconds left to seal a victory for the Calgary Stampeders over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 30-20, at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday.

The game-clinching drive was made possible by an untimely turnover from Tiger-Cats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who threw an interception with under two minutes to play that set up the Stampeders (6-1) on Hamilton's 30-yard line.

Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who completed 19-of-27 pass attempts for 271 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and running back Hugh Charles, who carried the ball 14 times for 102 yards, set the Stamps up for Tate's final score. Mitchell added a 14-yard rushing major in the first quarter.

"It was a good win. It was a scrappy football game," Calgary coach John Hufnagel said afterward.

Masoli entered the game for Hamilton (1-6) after starting quarterback Dan LeFevour went down with a left leg injury with over 10 minutes to play in the final quarter. He will get checked out later this weekend.

Masoli was 7-of-10 passing for 68 yards and an interception, while LeFevour completed 21-of-30 attempts for 282 yards, two touchdowns and an interception before he left the game.

"The guys are frustrated," Tiger-Cats coach Kent Austin said. "We're digging holes that are hard to overcome."

The Tiger-Cats cut a 20-7 deficit toward the end of the third quarter to just three points in the final frame before Tate secured the win.

Hamilton kicker Justin Medlock booted a 52-yard field goal through with 3:17 left in the third quarter that cut the Calgary lead to 20-10, then a LeFevour touchdown strike 28 seconds into the fourth quarter made it 20-17 Calgary.

Rene Paredes kicked a 38-yard field goal for the Stamps with 9:49 remaining to make it 23-17, but it was answered by Medlock exactly four minutes later to once again cut the Calgary lead to three.

Mitchell got the scoring started in the first quarter with a 14-yard touchdown rush up the middle with 6:59 on the clock. LeFevour knotted the score with a 55-yard touchdown strike to Erik Harris later in the period. Harris, who plays on Hamilton's defense as well, also recorded an interception and a sack in the contest.

Paredes hit a 19-yard field goal to end the scoring in the first, and Mitchell found receiver Jeff Fuller for the only score in the second frame on a six- yard strike during a two-play, 80-yard drive that included a 74-yard pass connection between Mitchell and Joe West.

Paredes hit a 40-yard field goal with 6:15 left in the third to give Calgary the 20-7 lead - the team's largest of the day. Paredes finished 3-for-3 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra point tries for a total of 12 points on the day.