Maltos’ late go-ahead field goal lifts Alouettes to 23-21 win over Stampeders

By Canadian Press on July 24, 2025.

CALGARY — Jose Maltos kicked the go-ahead 58-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining as the Montreal Alouettes earned a 23-21 win over the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium on Thursday.

Maltos had five field goals in the win, and Chris Spieker caught a touchdown pass from quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson for the Alouettes (5-2).

Dedrick Mills had a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Stampeders (5-2), who had won their previous three games.

Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a touchdown pass to Dominique Rhymes and also completed a short pass to Erik Brooks in the end zone for a two-point convert after Mills’ second rushing score.

Near the end of the third quarter, Adams scrambled out of the pocket and ran for a seven-yard gain before he was hit hard by Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette. Although he got to his feet and walked to the sidelines, he was assessed for a head injury and didn’t return to the game.

Defensive back Adrian Green picked off an errant pass by Bethel-Thompson for his league-leading fourth interception of the season and ran it back to Montreal’s 44-yard line to help set up Calgary’s first touchdown.

Four plays later, Mills ran for a seven-yard touchdown with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter, which gave Calgary a 6-0 lead after a missed convert by Rene Paredes.

The Alouettes looked destined to answer back with a touchdown of their own early in the second quarter after Tyler Snead’s 42-yard diving catch put them at Calgary’s nine-yard line. However, Calgary’s defence stood tall and only allowed a 10-yard field goal by Maltos.

Adams then engineered a five-play, 77-yard drive that he finished off by tossing a 33-yard TD pass to Rhymes at 5:10 of the second quarter to put the Stamps up 13-3.

The Als responded at 9:18 when Spieker caught a seven-yard TD pass from Bethel-Thompson to cap off a quick eight-play, 77-yard drive.

On the ensuing kickoff, Maltos booted an 88-yard single to pull the Als within two points of the Stamps.

Both teams then struggled offensively before Maltos finished off the first half by making a 36-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to put Montreal ahead 14-13.

It didn’t take the Stamps long to retake the lead as they drove the ball 65 yards down the field before Mills ran in for a nine-yard score on the sixth play of the drive at 3:43 of the third quarter. After a successful two-point convert, the Stamps took a 21-14 edge.

Thanks to a pair of field goals by Maltos in the fourth quarter – a 27-yard kick at 6:22 and another from 20 yards out at 12:17 – Montreal cut Calgary’s lead to just 21-20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.

Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press