Jock Sanders #2 of the Calgary Stampeders runs with the ball against Bo Lokombo #8 of the BC Lions during a CFL game at McMahon Stadium on Sept. 27 in Calgary.Derek Leung/Getty Images
The return of running back Jon Cornish and the resurgence of the Calgary Stampeders defence after a couple of porous performances were the difference in a 14-7 win over the B.C. Lions on Saturday.
The highest-scoring team in the CFL couldn't muster a touchdown, but Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes made four of his six field-goal attempts and Cornish rushed for 156 yards to get the team into scoring position.
Calgary's defence didn't give up touchdown after the opening drive of the game.
With the Lions marching downfield late in the fourth, linebacker Keon Raymond intercepted quarterback Kevin Glenn to eliminate the chance this defensive battle would go to overtime.
Cornish sat out last week's loss to the Montreal Alouettes to rest a sore neck. Calgary quarterback Drew Tate used him early and often as the CFL's star running back carried the ball 20 times.
"He's a hero I guess is what he is," Tate said. "He really is just unbelievable."
Calgary remained atop the CFL and West Division standings at 11-2, while the Lions dropped to 7-6 in fourth spot in the division.
B.C. edged Calgary 25-24 at McMahon Stadium on Aug. 1, so the season series between the two clubs will be decided Nov. 7.
Tate was 12-for-23 in passing for 162 yards in his second straight start for Calgary this season.
Needing more time to recover from a sprained ankle and stretched knee ligament he sustained Sept. 13, Bo Levi Mitchell dressed as the Calgary's No. 3, but did not play.
Lions backup quarterback John Beck scored B.C.'s lone touchdown on the first drive of the game on a two-yard plunge. Glenn completed 14 of 25 passes for 127 yards. He was intercepted in the first half by Calgary's Brandon Smith.
Beck was inserted late in the third quarter for two series when Glenn went to the sidelines to put an ice bag on his arm. Beck completed two of four passes for 11 yards before Glenn returned to finish out the game.
B.C. also conceded a two-point safety in the third quarter.
Tate combined moments of brilliance, which included a 60-yard completion to Maurice Price in the first half, with a few duds. He overthrew Price and fellow receivers Joe West and Brad Sinopoli when they were open.
"I was seeing the field a lot better than I was last week. I missed some throws," Tate said. "I can't keep missing throws and giving the other team an opportunity to capitalize on that.
"That was a fight. Those guys are good over there. They're tough. We're just excited to get the win. That's what it's all about. That's why we play. That's why we showed up. That's why you all showed up."
Cornish said it felt like an odd game because his contributions didn't turn into touchdowns.
"I don't really care if I score touchdowns, but I want someone to score touchdowns," Cornish said. "As an offence, we like putting up points and that gives you something to celebrate.
"Without being on the field for any points that were scored — I'm not on the field-goal team — it was a little weird as a game."
Averaging just 15 points against in the first 10 games of this season, the Stampeders allowed 33 and 31 points in their last two games respectively.
Calgary defensive co-ordinator Rich Stubler said earlier this week he wanted his players to "get their mojo back."
"It was just little things we weren't doing on that first drive," Raymond said. "We came to the sideline and started correcting those little things. We turned it up another notch after that drive.
"The thing was to make sure we lined up in gaps because they're a big, heavy-running team. When they throw Rolly (Lumbala) in and they have a good running back in Andrew Harris, we had to make sure we solidified those gaps and we just weren't doing that on the first drive."
Harris ran for 76 yards on 12 carries, but injured his ankle in the fourth quarter. Lions head coach Mike Benevides said Harris would require an MRI to determine the severity of his injury.
"It started exactly as we wanted it to," the Lions coach said of the game. "You keep that team to field goals, you should have a chance, but it wasn't to be tonight."
With Calgary trailing 7-3 at halftime, Paredes missed from 45 yards early in the second half.
But the CFL's special teams player of the year in 2013 then sandwiched field goals from 35 and 43 yards around the two-point safety conceded by the Lions to Calgary an 11-7 lead after the third quarter.
His 51-yard attempt in the first half was blocked by B.C.'s Eric Taylor, but Paredes was good from 24 yards in the first quarter and 34 in the fourth.
The Stampeders face only West Division opponents in their final five games of the regular season. They're in Saskatchewan to face the Roughriders (9-4) on Friday before entering their second bye week of the season.
"We have to play B.C. again, Saskatchewan twice and Winnipeg twice," Cornish pointed out. "B.C.'s going to be ready to play us. They know what we can do.
"Saskatchewan and Winnipeg are going to be in position to know what we can do because we're playing them back-to-back. We have some tough slugging in the next few weeks."
The Lions take on the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-7) on Saturday and are at home to the Ottawa Redblacks a week later.