Ottawa Redblacks' John Boyett, centre, grabs for Calgary Stampeders' Lemar Durant as his teammates run to help during first half CFL football action in Calgary, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
The Calgary Stampeders extended their unbeaten streak this CFL season to 11 straight games with a 48-23 win over the visiting Ottawa RedBlacks on Saturday.
The Stampeders (10-1-1) haven't lost a game since their season-opener.
Ottawa (5-5-1) have dropped five of its last seven and gave up top spot in the East Division to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-6) with the loss.
With 353 passing yards Saturday, Calgary's Bo Levi Mitchell surpassed a career 13,000. The only other quarterbacks to have reached that milestone at age 26 were Tracy Ham and Ricky Ray.
Mitchell went 23 for 35 in passing, including touchdown throws to Marquay McDaniel and DeVaris Daniels in front of an announced 26,529 at a warm, but overcast McMahon Stadium.
Jerome Messam and backup quarterback Andrew Buckley scored rushing touchdowns while Rene Paredes booted two field goals.
Calgary's defence also generated a pair of majors. Halfback Jamar Wall ran an interception back to score and Ja'Gared Davis ran a fumble recovery in for a touchdown.
Ottawa pivot Trevor Harris went 17 for 29 in passing for 289 yards. Ernest Jackson and Greg Ellingson had touchdown catches for the visitors. Chris Milo kicked a trio of field goals in a losing cause.
After a four-touchdown first half, Calgary's offence stalled in the second. The RedBlacks began chipping away at their 16-point deficit, but the Stampeders gained control again late in the fourth quarter.
Micah Johnson stripped Harris of the ball for Davis to recover and run the in from 14 yards with just over three minutes remaining. Paredes added a 30-yard field goal.
A one-handed, 10-yard grab in the end zone by Daniels in the end zone stood up under review at 10:13.
The RedBlacks settled for a 15-yard Milo field goal early in the fourth quarter and trailed 31-23 after Harris's 63-yard pass to Ellingson put Ottawa in Calgary's red zone.
Tristan Jackson returned a Stampeder punt 53 yards to give Ottawa the ball on Calgary's 17-yard line late in the third quarter. Harris threw a four-yard touchdown strike to Ellingson as time ran out.
Ernest Jackson couldn't haul in the attempted two-point convert throw, so the RedBlacks trailed by 10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Wall picked off Harris late in the first half for a third interception in the last two games. He ran the ball back 59 yards for Calgary's fourth touchdown and a 30-14 lead at halftime.
Paredes was good from the 40 yards at 12:32 of the second quarter.
Ernest Jackson's sixth touchdown in as many games and Ottawa's first Saturday was a 36-yard touchdown catch from Harris at 5:38.
Messam rumbled four yards to score to start the quarter, followed by Mitchell and McDaniel connecting on a two-point convert.
Calgary found gaps in Ottawa's defensive backfield for a 12-7 lead after the opening quarter.
Mitchell threw to an all-alone Messam for a 32-yard gain and later to an uncovered McDaniel for a 24-yard touchdown throw at 12:48.
Buckley scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak to cap a 75-yard march on Calgary's first possession of the game.
Mitchell threw 50– and eight-yard passes to Bakari Grant on that drive to push the Stampeders to Ottawa's doorstep.
Grant limped to the sidelines and then the locker room after the second catch and did not return to the game. Mitchell missed a pair of two-point convert attempts throwing to Daniels in the first quarter.
Ottawa's Milo kicked field goals from 48 and 46 yards in the quarter.
The RedBlacks are at home to Toronto (5-7) on Friday followed by Winnipeg (8-4) in Calgary on Saturday.
Notes: Calgary has scored at least one offensive touchdown in their last 35 games . . . The Stampeders honoured retired running back Jon Cornish at halftime. . . Messam reached 4,000 career rushing yards Saturday with 35 on 11 carries.