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CALGARY – Calgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. lived up to its “Big Play VA” moniker on Thursday.
The Stampeders quarterback tied the franchise record for touchdown passes in a game with six and rushed for another in a 58-36 win over the visiting Toronto Argonauts to win the “Stampede Bowl” for the second straight year.
The 33-year-old Adams, in his second season with the Stampeders, is completing 80 percent of his passes for 405 yards and has yet to give up an interception this season.
Adams joins four other Stampeders for the record for touchdown passes in a single game: Peter Liske (1967), Doug Flutie (1994), Jeff Garcia (1995), and current Stampeders coach and general manager Dave Dickenson (2000).
Adams was more concerned with winning the offensive race with the Argonauts than breaking passing records. The two teams combined for 25 points in the final two minutes of the first half.
“I’m just trying to score more points because I know they’ve got a great quarterback there, Chad Kelly, man, he’s going to give it deep, and he’s going to give his guys opportunities as well, so I just keep telling the offense, ‘hey guys, we’ve got to score. We’ve got to score every time,'” Adams said.
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Calgary’s 58 points in a game is the highest since the 56 points scored against Edmonton on Sept. 10, 2022, and is tied for fifth-most in any Stampeder game.
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Both the Stampeders and Argonauts have little preparation time for Thursday’s game after last week’s road wins. Calgary beat the BC Lions in Kelowna just five days earlier.
“It felt good out there even though it was a short week,” Adams said. “I thought the coaches put together a good game plan. I thought we played as a team tonight. We played together as one fist, like Dave said.”
The “Stampede Bowl” was introduced last year as a tribute to the annual Calgary Stampede that kicked off Friday and dates back to 1912. A trophy resembling a horse’s head was hoisted again by the hosts after they defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last year.
Adams threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jalen Philpot and Dejon Brissett. Tevin Jones and Clark Barnes each caught one, and Quincy Jones scored a rushing touchdown for Calgary (2-2).
Jude McAtamney scored eight points in front of an announced crowd of 19,100 at McMahon Stadium.
Defense was a struggle for both teams, but defensive back Zy Alexander intercepted Kelly twice. Calgary cashed in on both turnovers for touchdowns.
Alexander, who started the season on Calgary’s practice roster, threw three interceptions in his first two CFL games. Kelly’s first on Thursday was a one-handed grab.
“I saw what he could do in training camp, and I just told him, ‘You keep working. You’re going to be on that field. You’re too good a player not to be on the field,'” Adams said.
Kelly was 22-of-33 passing for 294 yards, three touchdown passes and two interceptions. He was replaced late in the fourth quarter by Nick Arbuckle, who threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Coxie.
Calgary outscored Toronto 21-11 in the second quarter, but the Argonauts held on, scoring 18 points in the second half.
“We scored back-to-back goals and kept the lead,” Kelly said. “Listen, it’s not easy. It’s not easy in the CFL. You’re going to play against good players, good teams, good coaches.
“They played a lot of the same coverage all night, and I have to get better with my eyes.”
Makai Polk had two touchdown catches, Damonte Coxie and David Ungerer III each had one, Kelly rushed for the big win, and Lirim Hajrullahu kicked a 52-yard field goal for Toronto (2-2).
Adams’ quick 22-yard touchdown run and Alexander’s second pick for another score in the fourth quarter put the Argonauts within reach. Adams’ sixth touchdown throw was 11 yards to Brissett.
“What he did was play winning football, and you could see our receivers starting to step up,” Dickenson said. “I thought we looked fast and we broke a lot of tackles for him too, but it was a good game for Vernon.”
NEXT
The Argonauts visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday in the fifth of seven consecutive road games to start their season. The Stampeders are in Montreal on Saturday to face the Alouettes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2026.
© 2026 Canadian Press
