The Stampeders opened the 2025 CFL preseason with a 26–16 victory over the BC Lions.
It’s only the preseason, but it’s still great to have CFL Football back.
Stampeders fans weren’t happy with last season’s record. They are hoping this year will turn out better.
The first preseason game is a small step in the right direction.
Here are some positive takeaways from the game.
Offense
The trade for Vernon Adams Jr. was the biggest move of the offseason. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a bit longer to see his debut. He was inactive for game 1.
P.J. Walker was active, and his day was mixed.
- 8/16
- 77 yards
It’s been a couple of years since Walker played in a game, and it showed. He missed some throws. But he still managed to show off his elusiveness in the pocket and huge arm strength.
Overall, it was a good enough debut to make fans happy to have him.
The 17th overall pick in this year’s draft, Quincy Vaughn, also made an appearance under center. It was only for one play, but that play was a 1-yard TD.
Vaughn was 11-for-11 on short-yardage keepers in college, and that looks like a role he can play for Calgary.
RBs
The Stampeder’s rushing game looked good in game one. All three RBs played great. But Canadian Ludovick Choquette stood out to me the most.
Choquette was the 47th overall pick in this year’s draft. He definitely didn’t play like a rookie.
- 6 carries for 46 rushing yards
- 1 td
- 2 catches for 16 yards
Damien Alford
1st overall pick Damien Alford made his CFL debut.
Sadly, it was a quiet
one.He was only targeted once. It was a contested 4-yard reception.
Hopefully, he will get more involved as the preseason goes on.
One thing that stood o
ut to me was seeing Alford in the huddle. He’s listed at 6’6″, 224 pounds, and he looks every bit of it. In the huddle, he towered over the other WRs and didn’t look small next to the linemen.Fans are looking forward to seeing him put that elite size to use this season.
Defense
The tackling wasn’t perfect, but for the first preseason game, it was good.
The front seven played particularly well. The Lions’ QBs were under pressure all day. Calgary had 3 sacks, but it felt like more.
Special Teams
Special teams was another area where the Stampeders looked improved over previous seasons.
Kaylon Horton (4 for 5
3 yards) and Eno Benjamin (2 for 33 yards) had a solid day returning punts.Terrell Vaughn also had a 41-yard kick return.
40-year-old kicker Rene Paredes doesn’t seem to be slowing down with age. He made both his extra points and both his field goals. That included a 52-yarder.
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